About US

The mission of New Avenues to Independence is to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to become more independent and productive members of society by offering the highest quality support services and developing innovative and inclusive programs. Our organizational values support this mission.

With a caring and dedicated staff, we continue to provide quality services and programs.

New Avenues provides a variety of services, including aquatic therapy.

As a pioneer in the field, New Avenues’ mission includes assisting individuals in their family homes, and developing homes in established communities where there are greater opportunities for individuals with disabilities to grow and to become more independent and productive members of society. We likewise assist and support families in achieving these goals.

History

A group of dedicated parents founded New Avenues as the Parents’ Volunteer Association in 1952 with the intent to provide a variety of experiences for children who lived in institutions. As the children grew, so did their need for additional opportunities which were unavailable elsewhere, such as education and social interaction.

It was then that we began to seek out alternatives to institutions – warm, comfortable places able to offer even more opportunities.

We believed a group home setting would provide a pleasant living environment for the individuals and would promote the development of daily living skills, physical abilities and interpersonal skills. So, in 1971, New Avenues became the owner and operator of the first private, non-profit group home in Cuyahoga County.

Since then, New Avenues opened six more group homes throughout the county, offers additional facility-based services, and provides home-based services to individuals with disabilities and their families in Cuyahoga, Lake, and Ashtabula counties.

Services

New Avenues currently serves more than 500 individuals with a variety of disabilities. New Avenues offers habilitative, therapeutic (music, language, art, occupational, physical), medical, nursing, and a full recreation program, in addition to residential services. New Avenues also offers a Transitional Respite Program, a Vocational Services program, a Seniors program, Children's programs, and a Mainstream Housing Program.

Each individual served is evaluated to determine which services are needed and wanted. A program is then tailored to that individual in such a way that enables them to develop the skills necessary for independent living and to obtain personal goals at the same time.