Workshop undertakes housing projects

Black Hills Workshop and other community support providers are playing a key role in the State Division of Developmental Disabilities’ goal to increase the availability of community supports in South Dakota. There are currently 147 people living at the South Dakota Developmental Center (SDDC) at Redfield, many of whom would benefit greatly from increased integration into communities closer to their families. This would also put the state in compliance with the integration mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act which requires public agencies to provide services “in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of individuals with disabilities.” The mandate was upheld by the Supreme Court in the Olmstead Decision in 1999. We are in the beginning stages of building three homes and leasing another, all of which will either house people currently living at Redfield, or create openings for them in our other housing options when people we currently serve move.