Shavonne Brathwaite is the state operations director for Mosaic in Delaware.
Mosaic in Delaware was honored last year to be selected by the state to become the first private provider organization to offer shared living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other diverse needs. Previously served directly by the state, nearly 100 people and their contracted home providers have transitioned to Mosaic services.
The service may not be as familiar to people in Delaware as the group home model is. Shared living matches a person with a disability with a contractor who offers 24/7 support for the individual’s needs and helps him or her be an active member of the household and the community. The most common model of support in Delaware has been group home services.
Shared living expands on the continuum of services we offer. Mosaic supports more than 200 people in group homes in communities across the state. We also offer supported-living, behavioral health and autism services. We always work to personalize supports to the individual’s needs and wants.
In shared living, which we call “Mosaic at Home,” people choose where and with whom they live, which is a big factor in the success of the service. Plus, the flexibility of where the service is offered means people can live in urban, suburban or rural settings.
Shared living is a good option for people who cannot live fully on their own without support but choose not to live in a group home. For one gentleman we serve who has now transitioned into shared living, it offered a solution to the loneliness of living on his own, which could bring serious, chronic depression. Now, he is living with a family, and his home provider is someone who had worked for Mosaic and has known him for years.
Mosaic has offered shared living for more than 40 years in some of the 12 states that make up the organization’s network. As a network, we’ve learned through the experience of other Mosaic locations and can ensure that we have the right supports in place, so the independent contract providers and the people they serve can thrive.
We’re recruiting new home providers who would be able to meet the various needs people have for support. Our experience across the network shows that we can serve people across the spectrum of need, as long as we find a home provider who’s a good match.
You can learn more about Mosaic at Home at mosaicinfo.org/mosaicathome.
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