In Partnership with the South Region Advisory Council (RAC), the Family Support Network (FSN), and South Region DDS staff, a series of housing forums were held with families in April, May and October 2012. The first two Forums included basic information about DDS services. The highlight of several of the forums included families that presented their stories about how they developed housing supports for their children with minimal support from DDS.

The most recent Forum, held in October, was what is known as a World Café www.theworldcafe.com.  This was a first for DDS in Connecticut.  The Cafe, called the “Cafe to Go,” created and atmosphere where families and consumers were able to discuss and share ideas about creative housing.

Café to Go is an intentional way to create dialogue and network around questions that matter.  The Café to Go is a creative process for leading collaborative dialogue, sharing knowledge and creating possibilities for action.

Participants gathered in a small relaxed cafe-like setting for an evening of conversation about creative housing ideas for people with disabilities.  They explored ways to create new housing opportunities in our communities.  It was an informal and engaging conversation over coffee and dessert giving families and consumers an opportunity to share ideas.

As a result of the evening, families left with new ideas from other families and consumers about how to think creatively about housing. Participants were energized and eager to continue the dialogue and to meet again in the future to discuss housing and other issues families face.

The Cafe to Go was held in at Puffin’s Restaurant in Groton, (thanks to the kind generosity of Seabird Enterprises (www.seabirdenterprises.net). A second Cafe to Go will be held in New Haven in the near future.

In future articles about housing, we will include family and individual story about how they found housing for their adult children, and how individuals advocated or found residential supports for themselves.