Pittsfield Township nonprofit introduces supportive housing for adults with disabilities

Pittsfield Township-based nonprofit Exceptional Journeys- A Community for All Abilities recently announced that it will begin operating housing for some of the people with disabilities whom it serves. The organization’s community living supports (CLS) services will begin with one home that will house two people, described in the nonprofit’s terminology as consumers, starting in July.

Founder Zee Kennedy started the nonprofit in 2022 to support her own sister’s needs for community and activity. It most recently expanded into multiple suites within the Packard Platt Plaza at 3060 Packard Rd. in Pittsfield Township.

When Kennedy turned 18, she gained custody of her sister and has cared for her for more than 18 years since then. Kennedy says she has always struggled to find good group homes with reliable staffing for her sister. 

The new CLS services are possible due to partnership with Washtenaw County Community  Mental Health (WCCMH), which has provided a grant to support salaries, and a collaboration with one48properties, which purchased the home and gifted it to Exceptional Journeys. Exceptional Journeys will be responsible for hiring staff.

The first two consumers to stay in the home will be Kennedy’s sister and another regular Exceptional Journeys consumer that Kennedy is working to get custody of, but more houses are in the works.

Kennedy says housing is a frequent topic of conversation with the families Exceptional Journeys serves.

“My main struggle was always to find proper staffing for my sister at different group homes she’s lived at. It’s always a challenge, and a lot of families at the center also experience it, and ask us repeatedly if we know someone who can come work at the [group] house,” Kennedy says.

Exceptional Journeys was already contracted with WCCMH to provide skill-building services, so it made sense to extend that partnership to include CLS services, Kennedy says.

The nonprofit one48properties was founded by Tyler Fullerton, whose background is in public safety. Fullerton says he established one48properties as a way of giving back to the community through a mission to develop and maintain supportive housing environments for adults with special needs. Fullerton’s company fully remodeled the two-bedroom home as well.

Kennedy says the supportive housing model will ensure that adults with special needs who make friends at the center can continue those friendships through the rest of their day, and she’s planning to create situations where friends can become roommates.

That’s part of her effort to help her consumers participate in ordinary parts of life that they’re often denied, like being social and deciding on a roommate, while also providing relief to families.

“Families can sleep at night knowing their loved ones are being well taken care of and looked after,” Kennedy says. “This is just the beginning of the services we’ll be offering. I want to expand and do a lot more.”