My nonprofit, Able Community, is looking for housemates, especially those willing to provide personal care for housemates with disabilities in exchange for free rent!
Able Community is taking applications for residents and personal care assistants for its first house in downtown Arlington Heights, a ~35 minute express Metra train ride to downtown Chicago, with access to public buses and accessible dial-a-ride township vans.
Apply on: http://bit.ly/apply2AC
Picture of Esther: a woman in a wheelchair is in front of the Christmas tree at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago.
It’s been a remarkable year. I’m making progress improving my pain and right foot. Disability Law Collective, my law practice, started earning more than its expenses with clients and I am finishing my reasonable housing accommodations and modifications guidebook collaboration with Access Living and the Illinois Department of Human Rights. My former Access Living supervising attorney asked me to work with them because I write well. Let’s hope they still think that!
It was also a momentous year for Able Community, my non-profit housing cooperative for people with and without disabilities. We officially received our 501(c)3 status, found a house to live in together, and moved in last month!
Group picture from Able Community’s housewarming party: some guests with and without disabilities gathered in Able Community’s living room.
I have a great housemate, Thomas. We met through a mutual friend, T.J., who I played boccia with when I was in high school. I discovered after we moved in together that Thomas knew of me for years. Apparently, T.J. talked me up regarding my boccia abilities. I could’ve been a contender, but instead, I chose to be studious so I could be an attorney. Thomas regrets not being able to compete against me while we were both in our primes. It’s funny how much we have in common, including having the same doctors… a CP connection.
Thomas and Esther’s first meal together at Able Community’s house! Fish and chicken tacos.
Despite all of these accomplishments, I can’t help feeling discouraged because I am still struggling to find personal care assistants. We had a number of applicants with disabilities needing personal care and planned to select another resident needing care after I established my own care, so we can share this care. This is why the delay in finding enough assistants is particularly hard for me.
We found a solution. We will renovate the basement so that it can attract personal care assistants to live there, or be rented out to offset our care costs. We are raising $16,000 to enlarge 2 basement windows as fire escapes.
Here’s my housewarming speech, in case you missed it:
We raised $2,799 from Giving Tuesday and our housewarming party, thanks to our generous friends! Able Community sure has come a long way from our first fundraiser for $800 for our website and incorporation expenses. Here’s a blast from the past fundraising video:
We definitely have a ways to go before we reach our $16,000 basement window repair goal, so we can provide exceptional housing for people needing and providing care. If you haven’t donated, please donate to Able Community on www.ablecommunitychicago.org/donate/! It’s not too late to make your tax deductible donation count towards your 2017 taxes!
I’m also continuing to look for personal care assistants. If you know anyone who might be interested, please send them my e-mail address below.
I first started my annual holiday updates during my first year of law school. That was a very challenging year for me having to establish my personal care in California during the pressures of 1L classes and being horribly homesick for Illinois. I guess I have come a long way, but I still have a long way to go. Please drop me a line. It always brightens my day to hear from you!
Happy Holidays,
Esther S. Lee,
Attorney at Law
Disability Law Collective: affordable legal advocacy for people with disabilities’ everyday legal needs.
Dear Gimpy Law Readers,
I wanted to share about the non-profit I’m starting, Able Community. Watch this video, then read the e-mail below to find out more!
Able Community is building the first fully accessible, affordable, and intentionally inclusive cooperative housing for people with and without disabilities in the United States. Beginning this holiday season, we are asking for your help! Please consider donating to Able Community’s Every Dollar Counts campaign, our very first fundraiser.
It is extremely difficult for people with disabilities to find affordable and accessible housing, and personal care, which affects our independence and employability. Able Community is creating an alternative to institutions and living with family for people with disabilities, while improving personal assistants’ quality of life and compensation. Our members will run and operate this collaborative housing cooperative and personal care services to meet these unmet independent living needs. We will be located in Chicago, because of its employment potential and accessible public transit, with approximately 20 various sized apartment units, some offices, and shared common space for people with disabilities, personal care assistants, and their families.
All of Able Community members have disabilities and/or work with persons with disabilities, so we are passionate about the need for this innovative solution and we have creative ideas about how to accomplish it. We have been meeting weekly, investigated the lack of other living situations, drafted our founding documents, and are in the process of incorporating.
In order to make the Able Community a reality, we are raising $800 to incorporate as a non-profit and for our website. We need YOUR help; a donation of $10, $25, or $50 will help us get there. With your support, Able Community’s housing co-op will become a reality.
Every dollar will have a meaningful impact on our work doing—redefining independence for people with disabilities. Able Community believes that Every Dollar Counts. Instead of sending a Christmas card or buying us a cup of coffee, contribute a few dollars to our cause and contribute to changing lives – and ultimately the disability community – forever.
To find out more and donate online, go to AbleCommunityChicago.Org, click on the donate link below, or make a check payable to Able Community. It would be helpful if you have a PayPal account, but we welcome donations in any method.
Thank you in advance for your support of Able Community!
Happy Holidays,
Gimpy Law Blogger, on behalf of Able Community.
Gimpy Law 