Mattingly Edge supports people to invest their time in meaningful ways that help them identify and develop strategies to achieve their goals in life.
We support people to spend their time, not in day services or specialized programs, but instead working, volunteering, attending school, exercising, socializing, performing personal and household tasks, and investing in other responsible engagements. We support people to spend evenings and weekends in their home and community, hosting friends, attending a book club or art class or yoga session, participating in a community of faith, going to the local nightspot for a beer, and other ways to enjoy oneself, meet people, and grow as a person. We refer to these things as “the good things in life.”
In order to help people attain the good things in life, we provide customized one-on-one supports, built from the ground up with the individual's specific goals and support needs in mind. A team of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) is recruited and matched with an individual based on personality, skills, interests, and logistics. The person being supported is always an active participant in the interviewing, hiring, and direction of their support team.
REAL WORK
Mattingly Edge helps people discover and express their gifts and capacities, and to pursue employment opportunities that allow them to contribute to their community and be valued for what they offer.
Edge Employment, the career services extension of Mattingly Edge, is a program centered on customized employment, informed by Social Role Valorization (SRV) principles. Edge Employment focuses on individualized career supports that connect the skills, interests, and contributions of job-seekers to the hiring needs of area businesses. Once an employment match is made, our Employment Specialists continue to provide longterm support as needed to ensure job retention and satisfaction. The Edge Employment team seeks to create opportunities for those we serve, as well as challenge any misconceptions about the value of contributions made by adults with disabilities to the workforce.
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REAL HOMES
Mattingly Edge advocates for people to live in a home of their own.
Housing options for those with disabilities are often limited to living in the home of an unrelated family or in a staffed residence operated by an organization. In our experience, however, neither of these approaches work for many people.
Mattingly Edge takes a different approach to housing. We help people identify and locate the housing option that works best for them, such as renting or owning their own apartment, condo, or house. These preferred housing options provide:
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increased options for locale and home features
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enhanced autonomy, dominion, and privacy
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greater long-term stability
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enhanced social status
Once appropriate housing is located and secured for an individual (Section 8 is often utilized to make housing affordable) and any necessary accessibility modifications are made (the SCL waiver program can pay up to $8,000 toward home modifications), their team of DSPs will assist them to live in their new home safely and securely. Depending on a person's support needs, a live-in housemate might also be recruited to be available for overnight support.
Mattingly Edge firmly believes in a clear separation of housing and direct support. The people assisting you to live a good life should not also be your landlord.
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REAL RELATIONSHIPS
Mattingly Edge helps people cultivate mutually beneficial relationships and connections that lead to a richer community for everyone.
Relationships give us a sense of belonging; they connect us to each other and are strengthened by shared ideas, interests, experiences, and beliefs. Healthy relationships are mutually beneficial; they are genuine and connect us to larger communities.
For people with disabilities, opportunities for friendship are often limited to others with disabilities and paid supporters. Our focus is to make sure people have many options for friendship and genuine choice regarding who they want to associate with.
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BUILDING CUSTOM SUPPORTS
Mattingly Edge supports one person at a time, providing uniquely customized supports.
We do not prefabricate services in anticipation of what people searching for supports might want or need. We do not have places already identified for people to live. We do not have programs already operating for people to attend during the day. We do not have staff hired and trained to provide support to the next person who partners with our organization. Instead, we plan and create support services, one person at a time, based on the unique characteristics, desires, and needs of each individual.
This individualized approach to support typically involves the following process:
1. Partnering
Develop a productive relationship with the person being supported and their family/allies that is satisfying to all parties involved.
2. Discovering
Get to know the person being supported as a unique individual.
3. Visioning
Clarify the person’s vision of a desirable future.
4. Planning
Utilize a “person-centered” planning process to map out the supports that are likely to result in the person’s vision.
5. Creating
Develop both formal and informal supports.