Showcasing our partners L’Arche this Learning Disability Week. For many people with a learning disability and their families, getting creative has been a way to stay connected and positive through the challenges of last year. Learning Disability Week 2021 is celebrating that art and creativity.
L’Arche Belfast provides a domiciliary care and housing support service . This is provided at 4 houses; ‘The Ember’, ‘The Hearth’, ‘The Lantern’ and ‘Wee Ember’ on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, which L’Arche manage in partnership with Choice Housing. The mission at L’Arche is to create a safe and loving community in which service users, ‘core members of the community, are accepted for who they are, provided with the care and support they need, and encouraged to make choices for themselves about their own lives.
Before the pandemic everyone at L’Arche was used to having an active life outside of their home – attending day centres, volunteering for local charities, attending classes, or doing paid work. Suddenly they found themselves stuck in the house all day, every day. The supported living houses are in close proximity, so residents are accustomed to calling in on each other or meeting up to watch favourite TV shows. These daytime activities were closed down overnight during the first lockdown.
In response, the incredible team at L’Arche adapted their services, managed restrictions and constraints on income, and sought creative ways to support their communities through the hardest of times.
Scott Shively, Manager at L’Arche told us-
“The residents are to be praised for their flexibility and their willingness to accept and work within the Covid-19 regulations. Some residents created really beautiful artwork during this time, others hosted community events, one that really stood out was a virtual ‘Lockdown Awards Ceremony’, organised by two residents, in which every staff member and resident received an award! Others did volunteer work in the local community, one resident built furniture out of pallets for his neighbours, who were developing an alleyway community garden during lockdown.
Another of our residents organised two virtual pub quiz events, and another resident cycled several miles every day to raise money for L’Arche.
Our whole staff team is to be commended for their response to very challenging circumstances. It was not an easy time, but our staff and our residents really came together during this past year to make the best of a difficult situation, and to find ways to stay connected and involved with each other and the wider community as much as possible. All of our staff and volunteers have been brilliant, and we are so lucky to have such a great team working for us.”
Despite the huge economic and social threats faced in the wake of the virus, the determination and belief in the power of community to support health and happiness will pull L’Arche through the recovery and beyond.
