Mission
Enabling adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to achieve their life potential.
The Founders of Blue Spruce
Back in 2018, we started meeting monthly with a group of parents who all had adult children with I/DD. We shared our stories of our children, their needs and our frustration with a system that didn’t offer housing choices to fit our loved ones needs, and our growing concern that if we didn’t do something, no one would.
We continued to meet through the Covid years, almost getting a plot of land in an affordable housing community, losing that opportunity, and becoming even more focused. Numerous meetings with other parents, presentations to city officials, conversations with Healthcare Policy and Finance (HCPF) , Colorado Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) and local housing agencies led to an alliance with the Broomfield Housing Alliance (BHA). Our association with the BHA, Friends of Broomfield and Imagine have led to a community of dedicated people who understand and support the need for affordable, intentional and supported housing for this wonderful population.
People with I/DD deserve a community, a home of their own and a place to belong. We are so excited for the opening of The Grove at Cottonwood in Broomfield - a model for others to follow in Colorado and across the United States.
Our Story
In Colorado, there are over 120,000 people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD). To date a small percentage live in their own apartments while a few live in a Host Home model and finally the majority or 73% live with Caregivers. Of these, over 20% of the Caregivers are in their 60's.
Blue Spruce was founded and is run by parents or guardians of people with I/DD. We understand the challenges of this population and the people that care for them.
Blue Spruce a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization that was formed to promote and support the development and operational execution of communities focused on people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities such as The Grove at Cottonwood in Broomfield, Co .
Blue Spruce’s vision is to enable communities that are focused on people with I/DD to create and offer a lifetime support system that provides people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities an opportunity to achieve their potential as they pursue a life of living independence that matches their desires and capabilities.
Our strategy is to partner with developers, local housing authorities and service providers to provide a sustainable housing model for people with I/DD that enables the residents to live their lives as independently and productively as possible while minimizing ongoing requirements of the developers or community focused housing authorities.
The residents who live in communities that Blue Spruce is assisting will benefit from a model that offers security and optional educational and social activities that are coordinated by the community and supported by Blue Spruce. An essential element of this community directed support model will be to offer social and educational programs intended to augment services that the residents with I/DD are receiving from service providers they have chosen.
Blue Spruce will be responsible for raising sufficient funds through charitable gifts, grants and endowments to provide local management such as an Executive Director where this has not been otherwise funded for by the community. This Executive Director will support optional social and vocational services and dining services should the resident decide to participate in these services. Blue Spruce believes that every person with I/DD should have a choice in where they live, work, and enjoy social activities. This choice should be based on their personal situation, abilities and desires.
Blue Spruce will not be a service provider nor will we limit their choice in whom the residents select to work with to support them in their independent lives. Blue Spruce will work with the I/DD Community’s Executive Director to recruit and coordinate a volunteer network of people who may offer residents or friends the ability to participate in social outings like going to a movie, concert or a brewery to watch sports, all at their discretion and choice. We also anticipate that these volunteers will be willing to come in and provide education on various things (managing money, reading bus schedules, using google to find the times of movies, etc.).
In summary Blue Spruce Community will be engaged with communities such as The Grove at Cottonwood in order to ensure they have a financial plan, a fundraising model and an approach for recruiting a volunteer network focused on the needs of the residents of the community.
The volunteer network will focus on providing people who are willing and have appropriate backgrounds to help our vocational, social and security programs. If you are interested in joining this group of people, please contact us through an email at volunteers@bluesprucecommunity.org.
