By Jessica Davis, JTNews Correspondent
Started in 1998 as a joint venture between the Multiple Sclerosis Association of King County (MSA) and Multifaith Works, Ariel House, a communal home for people with moderate multiple sclerosis, will officially open Feb. 10.
Together, the MSA and Multifaith Works have developed the first communal MS housing program of its kind in the country. The joint venture is meant to capitalize on the expertise of both agencies: Multifaith Works’ experience in housing people living with AIDS and the MSA’s experience in caring for those with MS.
MSA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals, their families and others who are affected by multiple sclerosis. It offers rehabilitation services such as physical therapy, hydrotherapy, occupational therapy and yoga, social services, volunteer support and educational and community resources. Multifaith Works is a nonprofit, nondenominational organization that provides housing and supportive services to people living with life-threatening illnesses.
The goal of Ariel House is to create a sense of community among the residents for mutual support. “Disease tends to isolate people from other people,” said Rabbi Anson Laytner, executive director of Multifaith Works. This project tries to help people with MS overcome that isolation. The house has common living areas upstairs and downstairs that encourage interaction between the tenants. Tenants can stay in the house for as long as they are physically able.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that affects the brain and spinal cord. It is a chronic condition with an unknown cause and unknown cure. MS is not fatal or contagious.
It is estimated that there are between 3,000 and 6,000 King County residents with MS. About 70 percent of those diagnosed with MS are women between their 20s and 40s. They were well established in life before they become disabled, said Merrill Ringold, executive director of the MS Association.
About 20 percent of the people with MS end up needing to live in an assisted-care facility. Until this recent joint venture, people disabled with MS had no alternative to moving into nursing homes or other congregate care facilities, despite their young age and the fact that they remain mentally alert for most of the disease’s duration. “It’s disheartening,” said Laytner. Ariel House was started to help fill the gap in services for those diagnosed with MS who were fatigued and carried visual and physical limitations.
The five-bedroom Ariel House is open to people of all faiths, promoting ethnic and religious diversity while preventing intolerance. After the house was remodeled, the MSA and other MS societies sent out information about the project to 1,800 people. Thirty applied and five tenants were selected.
Tenants will pay monthly rent to keep the project operating. Rent will vary between $300 and $400 for each tenant, depending on his or her income. The rent is essentially a third of the tenant’s income.
Supportive services will be provided both through state-funded caregivers and volunteers. The MSA will provide case management, rehabilitation and social work services, as well as personal assistance and support. At least one special Multifaith Works care team will be formed to assist the tenants. Emotional support volunteers from Shanti, a program of Multifaith Works, are also being recruited.
“We want to create a normal, healthy household,” said Ringold.
When Ringold started his position with the MSA four years ago, he went through old minutes and discovered that there was a need for those with MS to have accessible and affordable housing. He started speaking with the association’s board about group housing when he received a call from Multifaith Works. Through research, members of Multifaith Works had also discovered the need for those with MS. Multifaith Works and the MSA decided to pool their resources and work together.
Ringold spoke with Laytner about the project. Halfway through the project, a house in West Seattle was donated for the cause. It took three years to get the funding together and to select a contractor to make the house more accessible for its future tenants. The project took countless hours of volunteer work, said Ringold.
Although they started crossing paths 21 years ago from their work in the Jewish community, this is the first time Laytner and Ringold have collaborated together on a project. They worked together in the planning and development of the project.
“[Ringold’s] been a wonderful guy to work with,” said Laytner.
“It just so happens that Anson and I are both Jewish and members of the Jewish community,” said Ringold. “Anson and I have this kind of common bond.”
There had to be a sense of humor and a sense of trust going into it, said Ringold. “I think a lot of that comes from our Jewish roots.”
It was a kernel of an idea that came together and became a reality. “It was almost like it was meant to be,” said Ringold. “It’s exciting to see it really come to fruition here.”
To carry a project off like this, you need support from the community, said Ringold. Financial contributions are needed most of all at this point, he said. Multifaith Works and the MS Association still need $150,000 to cover the $280,000 that was spent on the project.
For more information about Ariel House, visit www.msa-sea.org or call Ringold at 206-633-2606.