Hope on her own

For one year, she's lived at her home near Burlingame High School with two roommates. One is living independently with developmental disabilities and the other is Windsor-Wells aide, Kirsten Davis.

"This is a good feeling," said Windsor-Wells, who has since learned to fold her own laundry, live with her roommate's dog and even cooks some of her own meals.

"At first I couldn't believe it was possible," said Carol Windsor-Wells, Hope's mother. "We always wanted her to be set so we knew she had to be more responsible. Everything just came together earlier than expected."

A few years ago, Carol Windsor-Wells and her husband, Jim Wells, purchased a second home with the dream of one day providing a place for their daughter to live. When the opportunity presented itself a little more than a year ago - in the form of rare section eight housing vouchers - they jumped at the chance and let the rest sort itself out.

Government subsidized section eight funding is usually hard to come by. It requires a person to be on a waiting list for at least five years, said Carol Windsor-Wells.

Hope Windsor-Wells, however, qualified for section eight housing for disabled people. There were 50 vouchers to be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Having spent a lifetime working within the complicated world of government funding, Carol Windsor-Wells was one of the first in line for the funding when it became available.

The vouchers, along with income from her full-time job at Community Gatepath in Burlingame, lets Hope Windsor-Wells rent her parents' second home.

Hope Windsor-Wells is one of two people in the Community Gatepath program - an organization for people with developmental disabilities - living on her own, said Program Director Lynda Bowman.

The other person lives entirely on his own, while Windsor-Wells lives with a support aid. Supported living is a relatively new idea that has a slew of other parents interested. A new group of parents has formed to examine the possibility of creating similar living situations for their children, said Carol Windsor-Wells.

At Community Gatepath, Hope Windsor-Wells helps write price tags for sunglasses. Despite a disease that affects her motor skills, she said she's determined to learn how to put the price tags on the glasses. The feat might require a lot of dexterity, but Windsor-Wells has a strong will and a desire to learn, said Bowman.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.