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December 2021 by Jason Jones
Top notch staff and services for adults with disabilities
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January 2021 by Ph0enix
We're here for cleaning and I can say I'm impressed. The staff are incredibly much friendly and helped us get to the building we need to clean. The only thing is that it's kind of difficult to clean with a lot of items and things inside the building itself.
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January 2021 by John Heiligenstein
A wonderful, caring, welcoming community, fully integrated into the larger community. So much growth among the villagers. Great staff and coaches. An incredible story. Need more like it.
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January 2020 by Richard P.
Located in the Fort Ben area of Indianapolis within blocks of Fort Harrison State Park, Village of Merici is a non-profit organization providing residential supported living and community integration services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Village of Merici has built and continues to expand upon a neighborhood village offering a continuum of supports and options in all areas of living including residential, occupational, educational, spiritual and social. Village of Merici recently acquired a second building, also located on Lawton Loop, allowing them to expand upon their residential service offerings. They renovate the buildings, most being former Fort Harrison barracks and offices, and turn them into residential settings for individuals with developmental disabilities who have a wide range of support needs. There's a strong emphasis on skill-building - many of those who live in the apartments work at nearby businesses including one of the several restaurants nearby. I've had the pleasure of touring Village of Merici on a couple of occasions and started one of my Tenderness Tour events there. The residential building itself is largely secured to ensure safety. However, as the individuals are renting (and paying for) their own apartments they do also have the ability to access the neighborhood, go outside, and participate in a wide range of activities hosted by Village of Merici. Village of Merici is an approved provider for the Family Supports Waiver and the Community Integration & Habilitation Waiver and is CARF accredited. Village of Merici encourages self-direction and emphasizes the concept of dignity of risk - essentially, people have the right to make their own decisions and to experience the risks that can go along with those decisions. While some circumstances may limit that, for example having a legal guardian, there's a strong leaning toward supported decision-making and, whenever possible, independent living with supports as needed. The building itself has been made accessible throughout. While the building is older, there's an elevator that goes to all floors and every apartment is fully accessible. There isn't a part of the building that is not accessible to individuals with both physical and intellectual disabilities. The original building has 16 one-bedroom apartments and 4 2-bedroom apartments. They are set-up for people with low-incomes. Rather than acting as segregated housing, they seek to offer individuals with varying degrees of disability who meet low-income requirements to live within the Fort Ben area. The building was built with both "green" and energy-efficient technology. Every apartment has a full kitchen and an accessible bathroom. There's a long list of ongoing activities, always voluntary, and services provided are in accordance with a person-centered individualized service plan. You do not have to be in waiver services, or even need supports, to live at Village of Merici but you do need to meet the income requirements. The staff I've met there have been friendly and helpful. The building has a relaxed vibe and has maintained many of the original features while incorporating adaptive options. Village of Merici has both paid and volunteer opportunities and it's not uncommon to see groups volunteering to help them with maintaining their facility. The Village of Merici was established as a non-profit in 2007 and was named after Angela Merici, who became St. Angela of Merici.
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November 2019 by JH Russell
What a beautiful community
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May 2019 by Jordan Barrett
Awesome place. Pleas help them they need more space to provide housing for the developmently challenged.
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May 2019 by Jim Boyd
Unique apartments designed for adults with disabilities
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May 2019 by Wilfredo Diaz
Great people and service
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May 2019 by janet ellis
Nice clean building
