Agency History

Community Living, formerly Spring Acres Group Homes, is a private non-profit agency which was started in 1969 by a handful of Yakima parents. These parents wanted a local alternative to having to place their developmentally disabled children outside of Yakima into a large State operated institution. Their efforts resulted in the opening of the State’s first group home in Naches, which was home to six young women.

In 1979, the board voted to sell all but one of its existing traditional group homes and implemented the State's first "pilot program" that served people with developmental disabilities in their own homes (i.e., apartments, houses, mobile homes, etc.) located throughout the City of Yakima. It was and is the Boards’ belief that people with developmental disabilities have the right to live, learn and work in the community just like everyone else. Furthermore, it was felt that the corporation would be far more successful in teaching people to meet most of their own needs, if they could be taught on a one on one ratio and have the opportunity to use these skills on a regular basis.

In March 1981, Community Living was asked by King County's Division of Human Services to replicate its residential support system for people living in their own residences in Bellevue, Washington. The Bellevue office opened on April 6, 1981. Community Living has since received National and International recognition for this program model. The Kent office was opened in July 1990. and the Sunnyside office was opened in September 1990.

Community Living currently serves 124 individuals, of which, 47 reside in Yakima, 20 reside in Sunnyside, 29 reside in Bellevue and 28 reside in Kent.