Berkshire County Arc Opens New Home for Individuals with Brain Injuries
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Berkshire County Arc received two grants totaling $635,000 that helped build a new home in Lanesborough to give new lives to four men with brain injuries.
Funding for $435,000 came from the State Facilities Consolidation Fund and $200,000 came from from the Federal Home Loan Bank.
"This is part of a larger, statewide effort to move people with brain injuries out of nursing homes into communities to live more engaged and meaningful lives," said Kenneth W. Singer, BCArc president and CEO. "Already one of the individuals goes to a program during the day, and the other three are learning skills to do the same. They are also living closer to their families."
Local support helped furnish a basement game room for the individuals to play air hockey and shoot billiards.
BCArc intends to build more homes for people with brain injuries.
"Not only do homes in communities offer more opportunity for these individuals, it is less costly to the state when they can move people out of nursing homes into the community," Singer said.
BCArc operates 39 homes in Berkshire and Hampden counties, 15 of the homes for people with brain injuries, and 24 homes for people with developmental disabilities. BCArc also runs four day-time programs that serve many of their individuals, along with people outside the programs.
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