Presbyterian Home for Children (PHFC), Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB), Daniel Foundation of Alabama and Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) Foundation joined forces in June 2020 to expand safe and affordable housing for individuals who are deaf, blind or deafblind.
Daniel Foundation and IPC Foundation, both based in Birmingham, donated funds to PHFC to help complete two additional homes at Union Village in Talladega. Presbyterian Home for Children has partnered with AIDB since 2017 to offer Union Village, a permanent supportive housing community for low-income individuals who are deaf, blind or deafblind. PHFC operates Union Village on its campus for AIDB consumers, and rental income from Union Village supports PHFC’s programs that serve and care for at-risk teenage girls, homeless children and women, and families in crisis from across Alabama.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has made a critical need for safe and affordable housing for this vulnerable population even more urgent,” PHFC President and CEO Doug Marshall said. “That’s why Presbyterian Home for Children and AIDB is so pleased that Daniel Foundation and IPC Foundation have made generous donations to add two new homes at our Union Village community. Construction has now begun on these homes, which will provide an expansion of this secure housing environment for deaf, blind and deafblind individuals jointly served by PHFC and our neighbor, AIDB.”
Dr. Jack Hawkins, a trustee of the Daniel Foundation board, said, “Thirty-two percent of Alabamians have trouble finding rental housing they can afford, leaving many homeless or living in squalor. This partnership between PHFC and AIDB addresses a critical need to provide affordable, quality housing designed specifically to serve Alabama’s deaf and blind. I am proud the Daniel Foundation of Alabama is supporting the Union Village project.” Hawkins is chancellor of Troy University and is a former president of AIDB.
Beth Adams, president of the IPC Foundation Board, said, “We are thrilled to be a part of this much-needed program to support the needs of our deaf and blind neighbors in Alabama. The Foundation continues to seek partnerships with non-profits that work to make a critical difference in lives in Alabama. We are excited about Union Village!”
Phase 1 of Union Village was completed in 2017 and currently serves 28 residents. Phase 2 will eventually consist of 16 tiny homes (two 475-square-foot homes per duplex) that provide special accommodations and accessibility. Construction on the first two homes is completed, and both of the homes have been occupied since September 2019. The donation from Daniel Foundation and IPC Foundation will build two additional tiny homes with matching funds from PHFC.
Each home is to be built by George Hicks Construction, Inc., a Talladega-based general contractor. The homes will be fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. They include zero-step entry, minimal thresholds, 9-foot ceilings, zero barrier showers and other features designed for those who are deaf or blind. Union Village residents can also access wrap-around supportive services, such as employment opportunities, transportation, meal delivery, support groups and more.
“Union Village is one of the few supportive housing communities for individuals who are deaf, blind or deafblind in the United States,” said Donte Little, director, AIDB Talladega Regional Center. “Union Village complements AIDB’s mission to provide comprehensive education and service programs of superior quality through the creation of innovative programs and support services for individuals who are deaf, blind or deafblind to live independently in safe, accessible and affordable housing. We are thankful for our partnership with the Presbyterian Home for Children.”
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About PHFC: Presbyterian Home for Children is one of the few organizations in the state caring for Alabama’s homeless boys and girls, along with their female caregivers in its Secure Dwellings Program. PHFC serves approximately 225 unduplicated individuals each year from across Alabama, including teenage girls who have been subject to extreme trauma and neglect, homeless young female adults and families in crisis through in-home intensive services.
About the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind: AIDB is the nation’s most comprehensive education, rehabilitation and employment system serving individuals of all ages who are deaf, blind, deafblind, multidisabled and their families. AIDB serves infants, toddlers, children, adults and seniors with hearing and/or vision loss throughout Alabama. AIDB provides programs that range from early and senior intervention, traditional and non-traditional education services in residential and outreach settings and a manufacturing facility that is the state’s largest employer of adults who are legally blind.
About the Daniel Foundation of Alabama: The Daniel Foundation of Alabama’s mission is to strengthen communities within Alabama and improve the quality of life for citizens from all regions of Alabama. The foundation supports effective organizations that are focused on building a healthy and well-educated population, living in a vibrant community.
About the Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation: The Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) corporation formed in 1973 in Birmingham. The purpose of the Foundation is to extend IPC’s ministries through the use of endowments. The Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation encourages and receives contributions for the endowment of the Independent Presbyterian Church, invests its funds to accomplish the donor’s intentions and seeks innovative and responsive ways in which its assets may serve Christ’s Church, the community and the world.
