Flat Rock Community Services provides home and community-based waiver services to individuals who have mental retardation and developmental disabilities through Flat Rock's Community Services Program. Creative individualized service programs enable these individuals to live within the community setting with a high level of independence. By providing a level of care that is unique to each individual's needs, clients of the Community Services program receive the assistance they need to live a full and productive life.

The Supported Living Philosophy is summed up in five basic tenets:

• Individuals have the right to choose where they wish to live.
• People learn more readily when they have the opportunity to face the challenges and the rewards of the environments in which they live.
• People have a need to control their own lives, to manage their own affairs, and to make their own decisions.
• People have the right to feel accepted within the community and to be able to participate in activities within a variety of settings.
• Flat Rock Community Services recognizes that an individual's level of independence can have a direct effect on his/her self-esteem and that self-esteem can be a determining factor in motivation and learning. The philosophy of Flat Rock Community Services strongly encourages development, relationship building and self-determination as opposed to simply providing a protective environment. Each individual is a citizen who deserves life with meaning and respect.

We provide on-going support necessary for individuals to successfully live in the community by developing and/or maintaining skills such as community involvement, personal hygiene, shopping, and meal preparation. We also assist in all medical aspects of the individual's life. This would include all doctor appointments, all medical follow up and medication administration. One-on-one assistance in skill development focuses on one or two specific areas of need. Flat Rock Community Services also provides assistance in money management. This would include maintaining benefits, budget preparation, and assisting the individual to pay his or her bills.

Currently, Flat Rock Community Services provides service to 54 persons in community settings. Flat Rock has been providing supported living services since 1992 and measures effectiveness by whether persons are receiving a quality of care that reflects God's love.