Opportunity House looks to expand services in 60th year as nonprofit acquires new homes

SYCAMORE – Opportunity House, a nonprofit rehabilitation center serving adults with developmental disabilities in DeKalb County, is expanding its residential and day services.

Earlier this year, the 60-year-old organization acquired two new homes for 24-hour residential care services, which fulfills their clients needs through individualized plans that can include medical appointments as well as medication and budget management help.

The residential service also provides laundry and housekeeping assistance and training, community orientation and safety services, transportation help and counseling and crisis management services.

Tom Matya, executive director of Opportunity House, gave two predominant reasons Opportunity House acquired the new properties. The first, he said, was because of a growing demand for the organization’s services.

“We actually bought two new residences and part of that was we have people who want to move into residences that we would manage and staff, 24/7, 365. And after we visited with our board of directors we made the decision to purchase two homes this past year,” Matya said.

The other reason Matya gave was Opportunity House’s need to adhere to federal requirements, and one house wasn’t up to par.

“And one of the homes that we had – it was on Rich Road in DeKalb – it just wasn’t what we considered a good fit for our clients anymore, because the clients, a lot of them have [Americans with Disabilities Act] requirements and so forth, and so we needed to upgrade some of our facilities to be able do that,” Matya said. “So we closed the Rich Road home, we moved those clients to one of the new homes we purchased, and then we reduced the size of one of the group homes in DeKalb to have a smaller living arrangement.”

Matya said the process of moving Opportunity House clients to the new homes was completed in February. The organization still is on the lookout for more homes to use as residential service accommodations.

The housing market isn’t holding up Opportunity House, but finding staff for a 24-hour facility is, Matya said.

“When we add new homes, we have to make sure that we can staff those homes,” Matya said. “So we’re looking at gradually growing over the years and so we’re excited about that, and excited to offer services to people who are waiting.”

Opportunity House has 130 employees – 90 full time – and currently is looking to expand staff by more than a dozen employees. Starting pay is $15 an hour, Matya said.

Most of those new employees would be used for Opportunity House’s day services, the organization’s other growing program. On May 9, Sycamore School District 427 officials announced Life School, which has been housed inside an Opportunity House facility for the past 15 years without charge, needs to find a new location for the next school year because Opportunity House is seeking to expand its day services.

That facility, Opportunity House’s 53,000-square-foot building in the 300 block of North California Street in Sycamore, offers a place for dozens of clients to engage in classes. The individuals teaching those classes are direct support professionals, who Matya called “real heroes.”

“I think it’s a calling when you do this type of work. We’re so proud of our employees,” Matya said.

Enrichment opportunities are offered to the clients through the day services, including cooking and baking activities and classes that teach them about human rights and other pillars of society. There’s also a room for older clients who prefer a subdued and slower atmosphere.

On the morning of May 11, Johanna Blocker, the day services director, helped facilitate a Tai Chi martial arts class and a cupcake baking session with clients.

“We think it’s good to give [clients] a variety of different experiences, educational, vocational, recreational so that they have a full and meaningful life,” Blocker said.

About 100 clients – up to 60 a day – are served between Opportunity House’s two main programs. With expansion on the way, Blocker said she and her staff are excited to help serve more members of the community.

Opportunity House Industries is another branch of Opportunity House’s day services that employs adults with development disabilities to assemble items. The employees are allowed to come and go as they please, but the opportunity affords them a chance to make some money while also still getting the benefits of Opportunity House’s Sycamore facility.

Production Manager Crystal Holdcroft said some of the employees make money on what she called a “piece rate” – where individuals are paid based on the number of items completed – and others are paid through what she called a competitive wage, and compared with minimum wage work.

“So it just kind of depends on the job they are working on, but we are actively trying to convert some of our piece rate work into competitive rate work,” Holdcroft said.

Matya said Opportunity House transforms the lives of the individuals it serves by seeking to create a more meaningful day for their clients each time they attend services at the facility.

“And it’s their choice how they want to fulfill that meaningful day, whether it’s working in the community, whether it’s coming here to a cooking class, whether it’s participating in our special events, whether it’s just enjoying fellowship with their fellow seniors and so forth,” Matya said. “They’re just like you and I, they have good days, they have bad days. I would say in general they have more good days than I do.”