The Garden City Telegram

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Providing a new home

Published 9/9/2011 in Local News

Home Host program helps create lifestyle with independence.

BY ANGIE HAFLICH

ahaflich@gctelegram.com

Jason Cooper greatly values his newfound man cave, friends, and especially his new roommate, Missy Baier.

Baier recently opened her home to provide Cooper, who is a developmentally disabled adult, the opportunity to live a more independent lifestyle.

"He makes the best roommate ever," Baier said. "Everybody loves him. My whole family just loves him."

On Aug. 5, Baier opened her home to Cooper, and she said it is one of the best decisions she has ever made.

"I'm, just so thankful that I've had this opportunity to make a difference in his life, and he's certainly made a difference in mine," she said.

The program that made this possible, Mosaic's Home Host program, provides alternative living situations for developmentally disabled adults. Because Baier has worked at Mosaic for the past 24 years, she was aware of the program and had been accustomed to providing the type of care that developmentally disabled adults require.

Debbie Reynolds, executive director of Mosaic, describes the program as a win-win situation.

"It is a big commitment for people, but they are compensated fairly and it's tax-free dollars, which is nice for the provider. It's in the foster care act," Reynolds said. "Missy started out at Mosaic as a direct care professional working in the home, so she had a great preview of what being a home host provider would involve."

Because his family lives in Marysville, which is so far away, Baier began bringing Cooper to holidays and family functions. As a result, she decided that providing a home for Cooper would be the most logical and simplest transition.

"I told Debbie that I could never, ever leave Mosaic because I absolutely loved that job and they're my family, but when the opportunity to have Jason come live with me came up, I just couldn't pass it up," Baier said. "It's been amazing. He doesn't bother me, and I don't bother him. It just works, you know?"

Cooper, who Baier affectionately refers to as "Coop," is a quiet guy, but he is friendly and open to anyone he meets.

"He's met tons of new friends. He likes his buddies down at the local sports bar. We go down there on Saturdays sometimes and get a cheeseburger, and they all know him by name," Baier said.

Cooper and Baier start their days by sitting at the kitchen table, drinking some coffee and watching the same show every morning.

"We watch the Beverly Hillbillies every morning at 7:30," Cooper said.

Baier then makes Cooper's lunch, for him to take with him to his paper shredding job at Mosaic, which he has had for the past five years.

"He likes me to pack his lunch, and he says I'm the most fabulous cook ever — I don't know if it's true or not," Baier said.

Cooper's favorite dish is her enchiladas and homemade chicken noodles with biscuits.

He went from living in a group home with seven other men to having the entire basement to himself at Baier's house.

"A lot of peace and quiet that you don't always get living in a group home," Baier said. "They tell me at work that he seems a lot happier."

Baier opened up her entire basement to Cooper, and there are plans in the works to decorate it with KU curtains and other merchandise, since he is such a big KU fan. Another benefit to his new living conditions is that he is able to keep in better touch with his mother in Marysville.

"I have unlimited long distance, and so I told him any time at all that he wants to call her he's more than welcome, so he has been able to talk to her a lot more," Baier said. "She's a fabulous woman, very supportive."

Baier opened up her entire basement and the two share their space with three dogs — Spanky, Mia and Zsa Zsa — but Baier said that she relishes the company of her newest roomie.

"It's nice to share my home with someone who appreciates me so much and is so kind," she said. "And true happiness can only come from doing good deeds for others."

Reynolds said that Mosaic has been providing host homes for about 15 years in the Kansas City area.

"We're just now starting to offer that as an option in Garden City, and Missy and Jason was the first one, so we're very excited about their progress," Reynolds said. "We have a number of people we support here who have already said, 'that's what I want.' They want to live in a home with a family also, so we're now looking for even more providers"

Reynolds said that host home providers have 24-hour support available to them from Mosaic.

"The other nice thing is that we are available for support. Missy isn't on her own. If she ever needs any technical advice or support, we're there to assist her," she said.

Mosaic currently is taking host home provider applications, which can be obtained at the Mosaic office, 2708 N. 11th St. The application process includes several background checks, drug testing and environmental home inspections.

For more information about becoming a home host provider, call Reynolds or Marcus Sabata at 275-9180.

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