Learning Life Skills
Coaching on essential daily tasks like meal preparation, home maintenance, budgeting, conflict resolution, and grocery shopping.
Sponsored Residential Services
Heart Havens’ is now licensed to provide sponsored residential services. Heart Havens’ mission-driven, not-for-profit nature creates spaces where individuals can live with dignity, independence, and joy.
Sponsored residential homes are an alternative to group homes. Sponsored providers can be a family, couple, or single person who live in a home or apartment. They are nurturing, comfortable, and welcoming residential options for individuals with disabilities that feel like a place where people live, not a place of business.
We focus on meeting the unique needs and preferences of each resident while providing comprehensive care. Sponsored residential differs from group homes in that it provides opportunities for a more person-centered approach. This is because, in a sponsored residential home, there is no more than two individuals living in the home receiving waiver services.
Steps to become a sponsored residential provider
If you are curious about becoming a sponsored residential provider, the first step is to contact us. You can call us at 804-463-1584 or email us at sponsored@hearthavens.org.
Once we have been in contact with each other, our service developer will schedule to come to your home and complete a home study. This is a two-part interview process. You will be asked interview questions about you, your experience, your family, hobbies, etc. After the interview is complete, the service developer will tour the home with you to help pinpoint any areas that may need to be addressed prior to a licensing visit. The service developer will then meet with the CEO and/or COO to determine if going forward is a good fit. You will either receive a rejection letter or a welcome letter with email instructions on next steps/how to proceed. From there, we will provide training and step by step guidance to ensure you and your home are ready for the licensing process.
Top 3 Requirements
90 Day Budget
Through our experience, one of the areas that many new providers struggle with are acquiring the financial supports and records to fund a 90-day budget. It is required by the office of licensing that each program have enough funds to cover expenses for 90 days. We will provide you with a budget form for completion. Then you will provide us with evidence that you have the funds available to you to cover that budget. This can be through savings, a 401K, CD, IRA, or line of credit.
Backup Staff
Something else you may want to consider before becoming a sponsored provider is who your backup staff will be. All sponsored residential providers are required to have at least one non-family backup worker. The backup worker is your staff. You are responsible for the costs associated with hiring, training, and retaining your backup worker(s). Heart Havens provides all the required trainings. We make it easy for you by providing you with a checklist of what needs to be acquired and completed to ensure you and your backup worker(s) are ready for this process.
Other
Other items on the checklist include but not limited to background checks, trainings, consents, a high school education or GED, driver’s license, and a positive DMV record. Sponsored residential providers also need to include a copy of their home/renters and auto insurance, a certificate of occupancy, water, and sewer testing (as applicable), emergency response plans, and a floor plan for each level of the home with fire exits clearly marked. Your service developer will assist you in every step of this process and answer any questions you may have.
How it works
Through sponsored residential services, our values of respect and empowerment and emphasis on communication guide each day. We pride ourselves on the commitment of our team to ensure service satisfaction.
Community Engagement
Transportation and support for group activities, church, sports and recreation, and arts and culture.
Safety
Staff receive extensive training, safety plans are customized, homes undergo regular internal audits and adhere to licensing regulations.
Managing Health & Wellness
We encourage healthy meals, manage healthcare appointments, administer medications, and monitor any health changes.
Advocacy and Emotional Support
Our team has creative problem solvers who advocate for accommodations and assistive technology, enhancing independence and quality of life.