Willow Commons and Thistle House

A residential community dedicated to supporting independent choice and successful community integration for individuals with cognitive delays.

The Community

All aspects of Willow Commons has been thoughtfully designed. The name itself reflects the gorgeous Willow trees on the property that are known for their resilience and adaptability.

The supportive community we have designed is called Willow Commons. We chose the Willow because of the willows on the property and that they are known for their resilience and adaptability and Commons for the shared spaces.

Willow Commons will be a supportive community with 13 very small units. Two will be designated for staff so that we are able to attract and maintain high-quality support staff to offer high quality programming. There will be 11 units for the intended residents.  Eleven units are important for a successful community dynamic and, more importantly, are the minimum number to ensure ongoing financial viability.

The units will be quite small. 12 of them will be less than 500 square foot 1 bedroom/1 bathroom with a kitchen and the 13th, a 2 bedroom and 2 bath, will be 870 square feet.  The small size is intentional to address the socialization supports these residents need. The units are large enough for residents to have a space that is all their own, but not so large that they would prefer spending all their time there rather than interacting with others in the community.

Since this is supportive housing we have designed 40% of the square footage to be programming space that includes such things as a kitchen for shared meals and a vocational training room with a small coffee counter called Common Grounds.  Common Grounds will be open in the morning and a great place for residents to interact with the community.

Thistle House is a single gender, female intentional community