Amber
House is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established in 1999 by
Georgia Hopper, who has raised her severely
autistic granddaughter since 1986 (age two), and
now serves as Amber House president. Here is her
story.
In 1986 we were given charge of our two year old granddaughter - she was a beautiful child with green eyes and dark hair. Our love was only strengthened by the fact that she was severely autistic.
We immediately started treatment for her, daily we took her 40 miles (round trip) to an early learning center. Four times a year we drove almost 600 miles for training at the National Association for Child Development program. We went back east for a week of intense training with the Options Institute as well as receiving training, through workshops, with Evor Lovaas and Douglas Bicklin.
As the years passed it became very apparent to us that we would not be able to care for her for the rest of our lives and certainly not for the rest of her life.
After two years of research, to acquaint ourselves with what is available for the handicapped and what is needed, we put our plan together. First we visited with the two largest agencies that deal with the handicapped population - Community Options in Montrose and Hill Top in Grand Junction. Other than a campus type setting, with a central building for eating and social functions, operated for the brain injured population, to the best of my knowledge there is nothing like Amber House on the western slope of Colorado.
Amber House has since dedicated its energies to designing a residence, for handicapped adults, that meets all board laws governing homes for the handicapped. An architect, lawyer and an accountant were hired and completed all of the paperwork necessary to develop the project, with input from two key client resources, both of whom are severely physically handicapped.
Since there were no zoning or building codes in our area, we instructed our architect to review various laws through Colorado and to adhere to the strictest codes found. Amber House meets or exceeds these laws.
At this time, all state and federal paperwork has been approved, and open meetings have been held with the Delta County Commissioners and the Hotchkiss Town Council.
We have the land and approval of all necessary state, county and city officials. Now we are seeking funds to build a secure, creative care apartment complex for the handicapped adult.
In 1986 we were given charge of our two year old granddaughter - she was a beautiful child with green eyes and dark hair. Our love was only strengthened by the fact that she was severely autistic.
We immediately started treatment for her, daily we took her 40 miles (round trip) to an early learning center. Four times a year we drove almost 600 miles for training at the National Association for Child Development program. We went back east for a week of intense training with the Options Institute as well as receiving training, through workshops, with Evor Lovaas and Douglas Bicklin.
As the years passed it became very apparent to us that we would not be able to care for her for the rest of our lives and certainly not for the rest of her life.
After two years of research, to acquaint ourselves with what is available for the handicapped and what is needed, we put our plan together. First we visited with the two largest agencies that deal with the handicapped population - Community Options in Montrose and Hill Top in Grand Junction. Other than a campus type setting, with a central building for eating and social functions, operated for the brain injured population, to the best of my knowledge there is nothing like Amber House on the western slope of Colorado.
Amber House has since dedicated its energies to designing a residence, for handicapped adults, that meets all board laws governing homes for the handicapped. An architect, lawyer and an accountant were hired and completed all of the paperwork necessary to develop the project, with input from two key client resources, both of whom are severely physically handicapped.
Since there were no zoning or building codes in our area, we instructed our architect to review various laws through Colorado and to adhere to the strictest codes found. Amber House meets or exceeds these laws.
At this time, all state and federal paperwork has been approved, and open meetings have been held with the Delta County Commissioners and the Hotchkiss Town Council.
We have the land and approval of all necessary state, county and city officials. Now we are seeking funds to build a secure, creative care apartment complex for the handicapped adult.
