For the past ten years, My Possibilities has served as an invaluable resource to adults in Collin County with disabilities. What started as an idea conceived on a Starbucks napkin by three moms has manifested into a full-service educational and occupational facility with unmatched opportunities and programs. The next step for My Possibilities consists of a residential community, which has recently been approved for construction in Garland, Texas.
“We’re shifting from being an organization that has predominately served in education to one that is approaching it in more of a holistic perspective.” says My Possibilities Executive Director Michael Thomas.
The residential community will have 300 homes. Of the 300 homes, only 100 will be specifically designed for people with special needs. The other 200 will be available to anyone who wants to live there.
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“It’s a unique residential community,” Michael Thomas says. “What makes it unique is that traditionally most special needs communities are only for people with special needs. As a result, they’re all private pay, which makes them very expensive, and parents aren’t always able to afford to have their children live there.”
The My Possibilities residential community will be located along the northwest corner of Lake Ray Hubbard. Everyone who lives in the My Possibilities residential community, regardless of ability, will have access to all of the same amenities. These amenities include on-call nursing, on-call security, basketball courts, theaters, meeting rooms, six ponds, walking trails throughout, an amphitheater, and an event barn.
“Out of 180 acres, 45 percent of the community is being retained as open space,” Thomas says. “The vast majority of the community is remaining green.”
Michael Thomas hopes that other cities will see what My Possibilities is doing and follow suit.
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“Once we build this, my hope is that we see a new national model,” Michael Thomas says. “Whether you’re older and have a physical disability, or a cognitive disability, or a parent of someone with special needs, the community is designed for everybody. I hope we actually bring back the concept of community.”
As of now, My Possibilities is slated to begin construction on the residential community in late 2019, with a projected opening date of early 2021.
