22 | OCTOBER 8 • 2020 

A Place of Their Own
Group neighborhood provides independence to adults with disabilities.

JENNIFER LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Jews in the D

L

osing a sister to breast cancer forced 
Melanie Cohen to address the ques-
tion that keeps every parent of a child 
with a disability awake at night: “Who will 
take care of my child when I’
m gone?” 
Watching her nieces and nephew become 
orphans, Cohen suddenly realized the 
importance of making and implementing a 
long-term plan for her 23-year-old autistic 
son Spencer. Although she and her husband 
are healthy and Spencer has a younger 
brother, Cohen felt it was important to find 
housing that would give Spencer his inde-
pendence and allow him to live in an envi-
ronment where he would not feel isolated.
While researching options, she came 
across the concept of an intentional com-
munity and felt it would be the best living 
situation for her son. The idea intrigued her 
because Spencer could live with his peers 
in housing that would be walking distance 
from shopping and a potential place for 
him to work, which is especially important 
since he does not drive. Plus, living among 
the residents, there would be a community 
builder whose part-time job would be to 
mediate roommate disputes, etc.
While the concept was intriguing, there 
were no local options. Cohen, who lives 

in West Bloomfield, joined a handful of 
like-minded moms who were creating an 
intentional community. They shared a 
vision, agreed on a mission statement, and 
ultimately formed a nonprofit organiza-
tion called Integrative Neighborhoods of 
Oakland County. 

The group has seven young adults 
with varying degrees of disabilities, all 
living in three apartments in Hunters 
Ridge Apartments and Townhouses, in 
Farmington Hills. They are also looking 
to expand to other areas around Oakland 
County and collaborating with almost a 
dozen families looking to establish an inten-
tional community east of Woodward. 

In the Hunters Ridge Apartments, each 
resident has a daytime caregiver providing 
a set number of hours per week. The res-
idents also work or attend a day program. 
For example, Spencer has a job cleaning at 
West Bloomfield High School and has state 
funding for a caregiver to spend 20 hours a 
week with him. 
When Spencer isn’
t working, he likes to 
ride his bike around the neighborhood or 
walk to one of the nearby stores, where he 
regularly buys a diet Coke. He also enjoys 
participating in game nights organized by 
his roommate Stanley Wolf. 
During the summer, these bi-weekly 
Saturday night gatherings took place outside 
because of COVID. As the temperatures 
dropped, game night moved to an online 
format. There was also talk of starting 
Shabbat dinners (four of the seven residents 
are Jewish) but until there is a vaccine, 
Friday night dinners are on hold. 
Spencer and Wolf share a three-bed-
room apartment with one other roommate. 
According to Wolf, they’
ve lived there for 
one year and five months and love their 
independence. 
“I can do what I want, and I have good 
roommates,
” said Wolf, who likes to go 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF INTEGRATIVE NEIGHBORHOODS OF OAKLAND COUNTY

Melanie Cohn and 
Spencer Cohn

Getting ready for game night: 
Jonathon Reinheimer, Reed 
McAlphia, Spencer Cohn, 
Stanley Wolf, Adam Garfield 
Turner and James Pentis.

