L’Arche welcomes residents to its new Oak Park home

In just a few weeks, the L’Arche community will be welcoming residents to its first newly built house in the Chicago area. 

The south Oak Park house benefits from sustainable measures, and when the residents move in this December, in keeping with L’Arche principles, the house will embody what it means to be a home.

 L’Arche is a worldwide organization, founded in France in 1964, that is dedicated to creating intentional communities with homes where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together as peers. 

In 1999, after L’Arche founder Jean Vanier spoke at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, a benefactor donated a house to the group – their first home in the Chicago area. With the addition of this home at 1111 S. East Avenue, the organization operates four homes in the Chicago area: one in Oak Park, two in Forest Park and one in Austin.

Core members with disabilities are welcome in their L’Arche homes for life, and many join L’Arche homes when they are in their ‘20s. Core members and assistants have a shared-living situation, with assistants offering support in day-to-day tasks.

Executive Director Mic Altena said that the Oak Park house will be home to four core members, ages 33 to 63. Of these core members, one member is new to L’Arche.

“The new member has a job in south Oak Park, and his parents live in southeast Oak Park,” Altena said. “He’ll be able to step out into independence in a way that feels safe and controlled.”

 The three other core members are moving from other L’Arche homes that did not meet all of their mobility needs. Their moves will open up spots for new members in the homes they are leaving.

L’Arche’s other area homes have been pre-existing homes, and while the organization relishes the opportunity to be integrated into established communities, Altena said that a newly constructed home offered more opportunities for core members. 

“The most fun part of the project was having a blank slate,” Altena said.

Before breaking ground in June 2023, Altena said he held meetings with staff and residents and asked what they needed and wanted in a home. They came up with a 20-page document of ideas that they shared with architect Bill Scholtens of Elements Architectural Group in Oak Park.

Altena said that Scholtens did a great job of meeting their needs. 

“It starts at the front door, which is at ground level. There are no stairs, lifts or ramps. Our residents can go in and out independently. Inside, there’s an elevator that goes to the second floor, so everyone has access to the entire house,” Altena said.

When core members went to visit the home prior to moving in, Altena said the benefits of the new construction were immediately visible. “Noah rolled right up to the island, and the counters were at the perfect height. He could make a full turn in his chair and access the bathroom on his own.”

 “It was really great to see how it works,” he added. “There was no need to worry about those things that we so often take for granted.”

The new house is also very efficient. A solar collector system with geothermal heat pumps will provide 100% of the home’s electricity and power the home’s heating, cooling, and lighting needs. The home also has triple-glazed windows and high-performance insulation, which will contribute to its efficiency. “We’re really excited about the energy efficiency,” Altena said. “It allows us to demonstrate that we want to be good neighbors.”

Being active, contributing members of the community is part of the ethos of L’Arche core members and their assistants. The members have jobs in Oak Park and are members of the YMCA.

Altena said that community is key to the success of L’Arche. 

“It’s very important for us to create places of belonging where people are known and respected and create meaningful relationships,” he said. “That’s really the L’Arche secret sauce.”

L’Arche is making a difference one house at a time, but Altena emphasizes that the need in Illinois is great. They received more than 100 applications for the four spots that opened up locally with the construction of this house.

“We’re overwhelmed by the level of need,” he said. “There’s an immense need in Illinois. There are over 10,000 people on a waiting list to receive funding.”

While the state provides pivotal funding, private philanthropy is the key to creating the small, personalized communities that L’Arche builds one house at a time.

The challenges are great, but Altena said that focusing on the good makes it all worthwhile.

 “Walking the house, picturing people sitting there, eating together, making their homes,” he said. “That is what is really exciting.”

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