Individuals with Disabilities

Evergreen’s 16 Day Programs are designed to meet the unique social, emotional, and educational needs of individuals with a wide range of disabilities. At the same time, each of our Day Programs provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment where adults with disabilities can learn, grow, nurture relationships with their peers and actively participate in the community around them.

Individuals enjoy a wide-range of enriching activities, including:

• Gym and exercise time
• Art classes
• Music therapy
• Reading time
• Access to computers and learning games
• Cooking lessons
• The opportunity to earn money doing piece work for our local business partners
• Vocational training

Find a day program near you

Evergreen offers five cultural art centers, which are within our Day Programs in the following locations:

• Bowling Green, KY
• Haughton, LA
• Fort Worth, TX
• Dallas, TX
• Sherman, TX

Communicating in conventional ways is often difficult for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Introducing art to many of the individuals we serve has helped to bridge that communication gap. It has also given individuals a sense of self and pride. Everyone has something to share; their ideas, their joy, or their pain. Art can provide individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities with a means to share.  On a higher level, talented artists are able to earn money by selling their work in our online store.

Everyone—even those people with multiple and profound disabilities—can live in the community (rather than an institution) with the right support. Evidence shows that community-based housing and care lead to higher levels of personal satisfaction and social inclusion.

With more than 100 community homes, we believe that individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities have the right to live in the least restrictive setting possible. Our handicap-accessible homes are located in traditional neighborhoods and communities and have up to 24 hours of customized and comprehensive support.

Community homes are typically 3 to 6 bedrooms with 4 to 8 individuals living in them. The family atmosphere that community-home living affords creates an environment where people thrive. Great attention is given to individual rights and privacy. Weekend and evening outings in the community give residents the chance to have fun and enhance socialization skills.

Contact us for community home openings

Individuals in our Independent Living Support program live alone or with a roommate and receive a range of services depending on their level of need. Some individuals need someone to check in on them a few times a week and be provided with transportation to errands and work. Others need help cooking meals, getting dressed and planning out his or her day. And some individuals need 24/7 care. The program empowers people with disabilities by focusing on personal choice and community participation. It focuses on helping each individual develop life skills to live successfully in his or her own home.

Our direct support staff work one-to-one with individuals to help them learn to:

• Pay rent and bills
• Budget
• Shop for groceries and other necessities
• Refill prescriptions and monitor medications
• Prepare healthy meals
• Manage home cleaning and laundry
• Purchase shoes and clothing
• Make and keep doctor appointments
• Plan social opportunities
• Join a gym or exercise class

Our hands-on supportive employment program offers individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities the support and assistance they need to make long-term employment a reality. We match individuals eager to work with employers in their communities. The result is almost always a success! Employers report they get some of their most loyal and hard-working employees, and the individuals we serve get a chance to earn a competitive wage and prove they can get the job done. We provide continuous job coaching and ongoing training for as long as the individual is working at no cost.

There are two employment options depending on each individual’s readiness and preference:

Group Placements

Teams of individuals, working under direct supervision, are contracted by local companies to work as a group. Some of the duties might include production work, landscaping and janitorial tasks.

Individual Placements

For individuals ready for the challenges of an independent work setting, we assist them in finding a job in their community. Our team matches job opportunities with the individual’s strengths and preferences. We continue to support the individual throughout their tenure to help ensure that both the employer and employee stay happy.

If you are an employer interested in hiring Evergreen individuals, please contact us. 

The vocational training program helps individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to prepare for, enter into, or retain employment. All trainees, whether or not they complete the program or find employment, learn something about themselves and about the world of work.

Some of the skills our team focuses on are:

• Interpersonal skills: getting along with co-workers and supervisors
• Communication skills: listening, speaking clearly, following directions
• Developing the flexibility and comfort to work on a variety of tasks
• Productivity: providing quick and quality work that meets deadlines
• Organizational skills: setting priorities, completing assigned work
• Problem solving: making decisions, taking responsibility
• Personal appearance: hygiene and appropriate work attire

Evergreen case managers facilitate and coordinate services for each individual that are provided by a range of community providers. The goal is to help each person receive the individualized support they need to ensure their health and well-being. Case management services are typically monitored by a team, whose primary members are the individual, the caregivers, and professional staff at Evergreen, as well as any other treatment providers (such as physical, speech and occupational therapists or physicians).

In our foster care program, individuals with intellectual and development disabilities live with families in the community. When we match an individual with a foster family we make sure to consider the needs, skills and personalities of individuals and potential families. Our goal is to create matches that lead to meaningful, loving and long-term relationships.

In some cases, individuals live with their own family as part of the foster care program. All foster care participants receive nursing services, assistance with community day program placement, behavioral help, and more.

Foster families provide individuals with countless opportunities to take part in everyday activities of family life, such as:

• Learning new skills
• Being comfortable in a group setting
• Learning household chores
• Socializing
• Discovering new hobbies and interests
• A chance to go on family vacations
• Improving independence
• Participating in the community

Evergreen Life Services – Tennessee Foster Care Program

We provide services for children who have been removed from the custody of their parents and placed into custody by the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. We serve children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who have special medical, emotional, or behavioral needs.

Evergreen Services:

· 24/7 on-call, highly skilled emergency support for foster parents

· Agency program coordinator assigned to each child

· On-going training

· Bi-weekly compensation to assist in covering the cost of foster care

Foster Parent Requirements:

· Must be 25 years old or older

· Financially able to meet the needs of your household

· Completion of training – Tennessee KEY (Knowledge Empowers You)

· Assure a successful home study completed by Evergreen

· Satisfactory, up-to-date physical exam

· Acceptable background check

· Resident of Tennessee

· Able to complete daily documentation

· The home must have a private room available that meets the guidelines for placement

Contact Information:

Lana Hughes

1304 Wilson, Suite 105

Knoxville TN 37912

[email protected]

865-368-0207

Wanda Hammer

5600 Brainerd Road, Suite D-6

Chattanooga TN 37411

[email protected]

423-713-9421

Resources:

https://www.tn.gov/dcs.html

https://www.kafcam.org

https://www.Evergreenls.org

With tax-based dollars shrinking, Evergreen is moving forward creating new revenue streams to help bridge the financial gap. We have several social enterprises that not only raise money for our programs, but also employ individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.  With the majority of adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities being either unemployed or underemployed, despite their ability and desire to work in the community, these social enterprise programs play a big role in building confidence and providing independence.

Some examples of our Social Enterprise programs are:

Cultural Art Centers:

Several of our Day Centers are home to cultural art studios, where we provide an array of creative opportunities for unique talents to flourish. Better yet, art offers individuals an opportunity to earn money when their art sells – incomes that many with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities would not have had an opportunity to earn otherwise.

Antique Mall:

If you’re ever passing through Minden, Louisiana – take a detour to go antiquing at Possibilities, Evergreen’s Antique Mall.  We employ Evergreen individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to run the store. These individuals earn wages, gain important job skills and have a whole lot of fun helping customers.

HEAVENDROPt:

HEAVENDROPt provides adults with disabilities with dignity, a sense of purpose and a paycheck for creating jewelry, lanyards, and more out of retired Army parachutes. We hire veterans to run the HEAVENDROPt program and we donate a portion of our profits to veteran organizations. Support individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities AND veterans by purchasing HEAVENDROPt pieces in our online store.

Krafty Kreations:

This this art-inspired shop in Alexandria, Louisiana provides employment opportunities along with vocational skill development for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Individuals are paid to make custom wood pieces, paintings, candles, and more.

With an individualized, carefully designed support plan for positive, constructive behavior, it is possible to repair and enhance the quality of life for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families. Behavior support provided by Evergreen is always in a humane and caring manner that respects individual dignity.

We address challenging behavior by focusing on the natural contexts that exacerbate such behavior, such as new situations, loud noises or certain activities. Once the triggers are identified our direct support team works with family members, caregivers and other staff to develop strategies that emphasize learning, offer choices and include social integration.