New Horizons Group Home

Daily expectations emphasize residents’ participation in their own routines and household. Residents are expected to manage their personal needs and contribute to housekeeping in their residence. Those who are able are expected to work at a business in the community or attend a day program. The organization says it helps each person pursue goals based on personal choice and needs; it does not specify particular employment placements or day-program activities.

Residents also have social activities. New Horizons holds an annual barbecue and silent-auction fundraiser, a separate organization event that raises funds for its program. The available details do not identify a schedule of resident activities or particular outings, so the description of daily life is limited to the stated household responsibilities, work or day-program expectations, and social activities.

The organization began in 1992, when parents, teachers, and friends connected with the Special Ministries Department of First Baptist Church Brandon identified a need for long-term homes for people with developmental disabilities. The Mary Lou Creamer Home opened in 1999 with six women. The Alice Storms Home was completed in 2002 and began housing six men that September. The Peter and Brenda Watkins Home was completed in 2017, and six men moved in that December.

Together, the three homes reflect the organization’s development from that initial effort into a multi-home program on Clay Avenue. The homes share a focus on group living, resident participation in household responsibilities, and individual goals. New Horizons’ stated mission centers on residents’ development and well-being, while the specific support described publicly includes person-centered goal setting and expectations for personal care, housekeeping, and, when possible, community work or a day program.