St. Louis Center Embarks on New Strategic Direction

By Joe Yekulis, St. Louis Center

Effective June 21, 2021, St. Louis Center (SLC) is embarking on a new strategic direction aligned with Pope St. John Paul II’s “After Us” program, caring for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who have aging parents.

This idea came to fruition when the St. Louis Guanella Village development came about. The concept consists of small group homes and single-family homes that create an integrated community for aging parents and their I/DD children.

At this time, SLC has decided not to renew its license to continue caring for children through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) at the end of this month. In the future, SLC will continue its long legacy of caring for adults, both male and female, with I/DD. SLC is working closely with the State to ensure a smooth and safe transition of care for the children still residing at the Center.

St. Louis Center has been serving children and adults with I/DD for 61 years since the Archdiocese of Detroit established it in 1960. What began as St. Louis School for Exceptional Boys blossomed into a facility that provides a full continuum of care for people with I/DD between the ages of five to seventy-nine under the leadership and support of the Servants of Charity. SLC’s current residents come from fourteen (14) counties throughout Michigan.

The recent establishment of St. Louis Guanella Village with small group homes and single-family homes, and duplexes offers adult residents with I/DD and their family members options while choosing to live on campus near their loved ones.

St. Louis Guanella Village provides SLC the opportunity to create an integrated community of people without disabilities who choose to live together in the same neighborhood with people with I/DD. SLC is well-positioned for a shift to serving only adult residents and is now taking applications for community rentals. If you are interested in living in this integrated community, please contact Rick Taylor at Reinhart Realty at 734-223-5656.

Photo: St. Louis Center Facebook