Non-Profit Spotlight: The Rose House and the Hanover Community Residence

The Community Foundation team recently visited the Rose House and the Hanover Residence to learn more about their important work. The Rose House was started in 1999 by Mark and Pearl Kramer so that their daughter Abby, and other individuals like her had a safe, nurturing place to live. This August will be the Rose House’s 25^th anniversary.

The Rose House’s mission is to create “forever homes” that make dreams come true for those with special needs. Their vision is a future of inclusive community, where everyone has a loving home. The Rose House’s services include:

• Residential Services – Community living with around-the-clock caregivers
• Independent Living – Increased independence from a traditional group home
• Self-Directed Programs – Services individually tailored to a client’s wants and needs

Rose House operates four DDD residential programs and eight independent living apartments which are funded through self-directed supports. One of the Rose House’s goals is to help their clients fully integrate into the community. To that end, they regularly partner with Employment Horizons, Inc which provides job placement and training to people with disabilities and other special needs in the greater Morris County area. Many of the residents work in the community, and one resident volunteers each year at her Election Day Polling Site to help encourage people to vote.

Like many organizations, funding is always a need. While the Rose House receives support for their DDD residential programs through the state, many of their other services are fully paid for through the organization’s fundraising efforts.

The Rose House is currently working on a capital campaign to build a new one story, twelve-unit apartment complex. There is a huge unmet need for services – for example, there are over 8,000 people on the waiting list to receive housing through the Department of Development Disabilities. The Rose House wants to help meet that need so that everyone can find their forever home.