First in Families of the Southern Piedmont
The Arc of Union County is the housing agent for a project called First in Families of the Southern Piedmont. This state-funded grant allows us the opportunity to help families who qualify (by their own or a family member’s developmental disability, plus an income requirement) to receive assistance or resources to make their dreams come true. First in Families is an exciting approach to supporting people with developmental disabilities and their families.
Our mission is to leverage and utilize community resources to meet the needs and dreams of individuals with disabilities. We build community partnerships that are diverse, informal, and not bureaucratic. We believe that the driving force is the individual and/or family whose ultimate goal will be empowerment and self-advocacy.
Who qualifies for First in Families support? To be eligble, applicants must: (1) live in Union, Cabarrus, Davidson, Rowan, or Stanly County; (2) meet the income requirement– total income not to exceed $65,000 after taxes; and (3) be a person with (or have a family member LIVING WITH THEM who has) a developmental disability or traumatic brain injury.
Once elibility is determined, the FIF Project Coordinator will work with the applicant to clearly identify the need and find the sources for assistance. The FIF team helps find the need within the community and links the applicant/family member to those resources. This creates a partnership involving the applicant, FIF, and community agencies and individuals who all work together to meet the requested need. Keep in mind that FIF is not a charity program. The goal is linking the applicant to community resources and helping to find long-term solutions so that the family or individual will realize dreams for the future. In turn, many applicants have goods and services that they can contribute. This is strongly encouraged, because in the end, everyone is pitching in to help and the entire community is stronger.
Applications are reviewed and decisions are made by a Management Team. This team is made up of a minimum of twelve local individuals, many of whom have a family member with a developmental disability. We are currently seeking more Management Team members who’d like to help us in our quest to make dreams happen for local citizens with developmental disabilities.
In addition, the FIF team is seeking people who can share their talent (or money!! always money!!) with us: are you a person who can install a fence for a family with an autistic child so that they are not prisoners in their own home? … would your business be willing to make a contribution towards a fund that helps these people pay large power bills in the winter?…. any talent or monetary contribution is appreciated.
For more information, please call Melinda Plue, FIF Project Coordinator, at 704.226.5112 or email at arc-melinda@carolina.rr.com .
