Adrienne Jones has been a real estate agent at Leighton Realty for 3 years, and anyone who meets her can see why she has been so successful in her field. Combining her skills as a former teacher and interior designer, Adrienne is able to look at a property and quickly find her buyers their forever home. As a mother of 3, she has this presence that immediately puts you as ease because you feel like a member of her family and she is going to make sure you are protected when buying your home and get a fair price. It is easy to see where Adrienne got her drive to help people find their forever home. She and her family have been working to help a very special population find their forever home in the community for years.
How Cape Cod Village Began
Adrienne has a younger brother who is 31 years old and who is on the autism spectrum. Her parents, Bob and Lauren Jones, are both clinical social workers in the town of Orleans, and did everything they could to meet his unique needs growing up. They found a residential school for him to attend in Boston for children with autism, but when he turned 22 he aged out of the school system. Once he left school, he moved to a group home on the Upper Cape and attended a day program to fill his time. However, the programs that were in place did not meet his unique needs as a person on the spectrum.
In response, her parents started having meetings with like-minded parents in their living room to try to figure out what they could do to change things and create their own program to fit the needs of individuals on the autism spectrum. These living room meetings eventually developed into Cape Cod Village, An Innovative Community for Adults with Autism. Cape Cod Village was recognized as a non-profit corporation and granted 501c (3) non-profit status. In 2016, the Executive Office for Health and Human Services approved the Cape Cod Village project giving the green light to move forward.
Cape Cod Village
The Homes
Over the last 9 years, Cape Cod Village secured funding to purchase a 4-acre parcel of land in Orleans that would become home to 16 residents on the autism spectrum. Located steps away from the downtown area of Orleans, residents of the Cape Cod Village will have easy access to shopping, the Cape Cod rail trail, public transportation, the library and restaurants in town. During the winter months, the town of Orleans has a population of approximately 7,000 but in the summer months the population jumps to about 22,000.
Each home was designed to be sensitive to the residents needs as well as the surrounding environment and neighborhood. The sensory needs of an individual with autism is unique, so each home is designed to accommodate these sensory needs both inside and outside the home. The buildings themselves were built to be energy efficient and “green” in construction. The Village is set up as an intentional community, or a neighborhood that has been designed from the beginning to have a lot of social interaction among the residents.
There are pocket neighborhoods where houses surround a shared space such as a backyard, or garden, which creates a shared sense of home between the residents. The Community Resource Center is open to residents of Cape Cod Village and also open to the community. At the Community Resource Center there will be a variety of resources available to residents and their families, in addition to social and educational events to attend.
Cape Cod Village
Check out the Cape Cod Village events page where you can find a current list of activities open to the public so you can see what the buzz is all about. Recently, the Kennedy – Donovan Center hosted a “Sweet as Candy” Valentine’s Day party complete with music and refreshments. Coming up in May, there will be a dedication ceremony at Cape Cod Village (date to be determined) so follow them on Facebook to stay in the loop.
Cape Cod Village is a one of a kind opportunity for adults on the autism spectrum to find their forever home on Cape Cod with the unique support they need. If you are interested in supporting Cape Cod Village, there are a number of ways to donate. For more information on the different ways to contribute, please see their donations page where you can learn how to give an outright donation (with a tax benefit), give legacy gifts or even give by shopping on Amazon! During the month of March, purchase a reusable Community Bag from Stop & Shop in Orleans and Cape Cod Village will receive a $1 donation!
