A Giraffe has been sighted
in Wisconsin |
When Cordelia Taylor RN was the Administrator of a nursing home in Milwaukee, she was told by its corporate owners to make decisions based on the company’s need for profits, not her patients’ need for good care. Unwilling to comply, she complained bitterly to her husband, James, who said, “Open your own.” And she did. The Taylors left the beautiful suburban home they’d worked for years to buy and moved back to their old place in the inner city. The neighborhood had become the crime center of Milwaukee, filled with drugs and violence, an urban “war zone.” But it was also a place that greatly needed a good nursing home.They renovated their old place and created “Family House,” a licensed, nonprofit, community-based, residential facility whose mission is to prevent people from being institutionalized, and to give them a family living experience. If you want to live at Family House, you must be at least 55, you must not use alcohol or illegal drugs, and you must not be violent—those are the only criteria. If you live there, you’re free to choose when to wake up in the morning, when to eat meals, and which activities to participate in. You’re encouraged to garden in the House’s raised plots, and to socialize with neighborhood children.At first, Taylor took in eight people. |
Over time, she has bought all the houses on one side of the block and now cares for 35 people. She, James, and six of their children work at Family House. They plan to double their capacity by acquiring and renovating the houses on the other side of the block.Many of the houses that the Taylors have acquired have been occupied by drug dealers, whom they’ve had to evict. Taylor has testified against dealers and has confronted them on the street, telling them that the neighborhood is not about drugs and that they should leave.Taylor has extended Family House’s services to include a Foster Grandparent program and a medical clinic that’s open to anyone who needs care. Her other plans include a community center, classes on parenting and budgeting, and job training at Family House. The House is funded by donations from faith-based groups, foundations and individuals. Fueling it all is Taylor’s philosophy of “treating other people the way that I want to be treated...being sure people are safe...just letting people know that you will be there for them....To change a life, not just one part of it, but the whole thing, isn’t that the goal?” |
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