Leander House, Inc.

Residential and day support for adults with developmental disabilities
in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts

Leander House is made up of two gracious Victorian homes located adjacent to one another on West Avenue, which is in a beautiful historic district just two blocks off the main street of Great Barrington in western Massachusetts. This is home to Eric Schumann, Timothy Hubener, Michael Platt, Scott Thomas, David Zahorian, Jennie Reins, her two daughters Camille and Rowen, and 2 international volunteer co-workers. Leander House is a non-profit organization serving the developmentally disabled community, offering residential care, day program, and short to long term respite care. Leander House is certified and licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation. We also have a “sister-home” with which we are closely affiliated called Oak Lodge in Sheffield, Massachusetts.

Given that Leander House is located in downtown Great Barrington, there is the opportunity for everyone to take full advantage of what a safe, welcoming, small New England town has to offer. Within a ten minute walk we are able to have access to the public library, a Community College, numerous restaurants, shops and churches, a lake that has a picnic area and a public swimming area, and a bus stop for the local bus as well as a twice-daily bus to New York City. There is also the Farmer's Market, the town park that offers free weekly concerts in the summer, an ice cream parlor and many other wonderful amenities. We also attend many of the cultural events that are so widely offered the Southern Berkshires like Tanglewood concerts, Jacob's Pillow performances, area museums such as Norman Rockwell and Chesterwood, “Shakespeare & Co” plays and other events.

The people in Leander House are in close contact with other “Lifesharing” households and organizations in and around Great Barrington that also serve individuals with developmental disabilities. Daily we are involved in a larger group, learning and socializing together. We utilize the Community Access to the Arts (CATA) program that has its studio three blocks away in the heart of downtown. There we take many art classes taught by master artists of Berkshire County. Residents also regularly sell their artwork through the CATA Gallery. In addition, several of our household members hold part-time jobs in the community, as well as take academic life skills classes through an adult education program.

At the end of our busy, full days we all join together around the table for a wholesome and healthy supper and share our stories and experiences of the day. We give thanks for the fact that we are fortunate enough to be able to share our lives with one another in the way we do.

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