Employment, inclusion, and independence
Founded in the 1950s, The Arc is a 600+ chapter nationwide organization. It has stayed true to its grassroots approach to help individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities have the best quality of life possible. Each local chapter is supported by national resources and guidelines. They all connect clients and their family members with education/referral services and engage in advocacy efforts. Every local board must be at least 80 percent composed of individuals with disabilities or their family members.
Otherwise, each of these chapters varies in size, fundraising, and focus areas. Colorado has a $1 billion network of thrift stores across the state that support their efforts to provide employment opportunities for Arc clients. Some chapters are small groups led by parent volunteers in the earliest stages of their work.
Ten years ago, before the Midlands had its own chapter of The Arc, the spark that led to its founding began with tragedy. Melinda Hargrave’s mother had a stroke. “My dad had passed away, and my sister, who has autism, had always lived with our mom,” Hargrave said. “I became her caregiver and moved her from Illinois to South Carolina to live with me.”
An Army veteran, a Department of Justice employee, and the mother of young children at the time, Hargrave was astounded at how difficult it was to navigate the systems and services required to establish the appropriate support her sister needed. Despite being well-versed in government programs and contracts, she struggled to untangle the path forward. “I couldn’t believe that services could not be transferred from state to state,” she said. “The waitlist averaged seven to 14 years, and we had to start at the bottom.”
The first organization that was able to truly help Hargrave was The Arc. She grabbed the lifeline with both hands, eventually serving on their board, then as president, and finally on the national board. The challenges in coordinating her sister’s care continued, however, and Hargrave cashed out her federal 401K and applied for a grant to establish The Arc of the Midlands in 2014.
With her professional background, Hargrave knew she wanted to focus on employment and residential – specifically, independent living – at the Midlands chapter. She also knew she wanted to ensure that Arc clients were integrated into the community around them. As part of the trio of chapters that make up The Arc of South Carolina, the Midlands’ concentration areas complement those pursued by the Low Country (i.e., continuing education, family financial planning) and Upstate/Oconee (independence) chapters.
“We work with individuals who have a wide range of abilities and goals,” Hargrave said. “Some of our clients can drive and just want us to help them with their resumes and prepare for interviews. Some of them need much more assistance. We try to meet them wherever they are.”
The Arc of the Midlands began with Hargrave as the sole employee. Then she was joined by an administrative assistant. Soon after, their first employee with a disability came on board. One year into their five-year lease, they had outgrown their space. So, they moved and quickly grew out of their new location as well. There was clearly a need within the community, and Hargrave was determined to grow as quickly as possible to meet it.
“When space grew tight so early on, I decided to open a coffee shop,” she said. “Not that I knew anything about coffee, but I knew that we needed a public-facing place where we could train our clients in people skills and help them gain job experience. I also envisioned them and our customers surrounded by second-hand books.”
2nd Wave Coffee is named for the presence of these reused books. It’s also the name of the coffee beans they source from Loveland Coffee, a roaster in Irmo with a background in special education and who was happy to help the coffee shop get its start. Hargrave didn’t expect the coffee shop to be a popular spot. She only hoped it would do enough business to stay afloat as a training center.
Then they decided to open a Pumpkin Patch. Located on South Lake Drive in Lexington, the building lease for 2nd Wave came with four acres of land. It quickly became the chapter’s biggest fundraising event – tripling in sales every year – and drawing attention to the coffee shop, which has grown to employ six individuals with disabilities and hosts students from Lexington High School every week.
“The revenue from the pumpkin and coffee sales have enabled us to expand our services,” Hargrave said. “We can provide clients with grants to furnish their independent housing and provide other financial support. It’s also helped us provide more training to establish a diverse workforce in our community.”
With support from job coaches employed by Arc of the Midlands, more than 80 of their clients work throughout the community at places like Lowes, Chik-fil-A, and Publix. They also helped bring Project Search – a nationwide employment training program for young adults with disabilities – to the state.
By applying for the initial funding and helping Project Search SC gain its footing, Hargrave and her team brought a dynamic and impactful organization into the community. The program serves a very specific group and one that is often overlooked during the lifespan of an individual with disabilities.
“We refer to ages 18-21 as a transition period,” Hargrave explained. “Both the services and the funding for individuals change during this time, and it’s important to help these young adults move from adolescence into adulthood.”
Working with large organizations, such as hospital systems, Project Search SC provides a one-year internship for cohorts of five to seven students to prepare them to enter the workforce. They receive support and training from teachers, job coaches, and on-the-job supervisors.
“This program changes their whole life path,” Hargrave said. “And because of the support and preparation they receive, they blow away any preconceptions that they and others might have had about what was possible in terms of their success.”
Armed with employment opportunities and life skills, Arc of the Midlands clients are one step closer to a very important factor in their quality of life and well-being: independent living. In the past – as well as the present in some areas of the country – families have historically taken care of individuals with disabilities. But what happens when those caregivers – often parents – experience significant declines in health or pass away?
“In South Carolina, we have a crisis in aging caregivers,” Hargrave said. “There are more than 10,000 people with disabilities who are living with much older adults in their 70s and 80s, and they are at risk of losing their homes and caregivers at any point. Combine that challenge with the fact that there is very little affordable housing period, and it is a major challenge.”
Partnering with Southern Vision Realty, who subsequently established the nonprofit organization, We Do Good Work, Arc of the Midlands decided to make their own affordable housing. They took out a HUD loan to build an entirely new development in Lexington, known as Pleasant Place.
The 39-home duplex subdivision is an inclusive community that reserves 25 percent of its homes for individuals with disabilities and 75 percent for other low-income families. Six of the units went to individuals with disabilities, one of them being Hargrave’s sister, who is now 55 years old.
“A cool thing about living in South Carolina is that we can offer what is known as ‘Forever Services,’” Hargrave shared. “This means that once a client is a client, we are connected to them forever and will continue working to support them to achieve their best quality of life and be as involved in the community as possible.”
The best part of The Arc’s approach is that it doesn’t stop when employment and housing are achieved. They continue working with their clients indefinitely – checking on them regularly to ensure they are happy in their work/living situations – and that they are challenged, fulfilled, and successful.