The Homestead at Alder Cove will be situated on 45 acres in Vaughn, Pierce County, Washington. We will start by building a cluster of residences surrounding a common area for recreation and administration. The facility has been designed with approximately 192 beds in 8 separate residences and further divided into "dwellings". Each individual dwelling will house 8 or less children, as required by state license requirements for an estimated total population of 154 children, which includes a 20% vacancy factor. CLICK HERE to view the building plans for the commons building and residence.
The goal of The Homestead at Alder Cove is to have a bed reserved for each child, even upon return to their parents, so that if they should need to come back to the home, there will be availability for them. They should never have to move again, unless it is back with their families. Our plan for The Homestead at Alder Cove is to create a growing, interactive community to surround and support these children now and into the future. Both in the home and in the “village,” children will be encouraged to experience communication, teamwork, and opportunities to learn the life skills necessary to become productive, healthy adults.
Preliminary site planning work has begun on the 45 acre forested site. As we continue the planning and design process, we hope to break ground on the project during 2010. Check back often for updates to the building process and additional details. The master plan for the project includes:
- Recreational & inspirational facilities
- Dining areas
- Indoor activities
- Administration buildings
- Pool
- Theatre
- Gymnasium
- Equestrian facility
- Vegetable / flower gardens
- Ball fields and trails
These are the fundamental building blocks of The Homestead at Alder Cove:
- Safety (from night lights to comfortably-sized rooms to security standards)
- Community (environments and activities that encourage participation and build relationships)
- Love (all children will be respected, recognized, and understand that God loves them)
- Development (strategies to help kids understand their special gifts and realize their potential)
- Innocence (this will be a place where kids are free to be kids. Many of these children have had to be the “adult” in previous homes.)
- Hope (a child’s sense of personal worth, his hopes, her dreams are things to be nurtured)
