The History of GNI
In 1978, The Bureau of Mental Retardation (BMR) asked Western Maine Counseling Service (now Tri-County Mental Health) to open a 6 bed Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded (ICFMR) on South High St. in Bridgton. Western Maine Counseling created an Ad Hoc Committee to facilitate this. BMR was in the process of closing Pineland Center under the new 1978 Community Consent Decree. Through negotiations, BMR upped the number of clients to twelve, sighting cost efficiency as the reason. The original twelve people were to be divided 6 from the community and 6 from Pineland Center. Preference was given to the Lakes Region Area; however, there were no local clients needing services and the community people came from all over southern Maine.
In early May of 1980, the ICF facility opened. People came to live there at a rate of two at a time, every two or three days. The first administrator lived in the connected apartment in the rear. All the residents of the ICF attended a local day service.
Through the years, various people were identified to no longer require ICF levels of service. Therefore Good Neighbors purchased a home on Gage St. in Bridgton to become an Assisted Housing Program. Four people moved from the ICF into their new home on Gage Street in the fall of 1986. GNI/Gage St. continues to provide supports to three of our favorite bachelors downstairs and one special lady upstairs.
In it’s second venture beyond the ICF, Good Neighbors then built a specialized four person State licensed home on Sandy Creek Rd (old Meadow Road) in 1993. This home was specifically developed for older people who could reside there for the rest of their days. The home is ideally suited to older people and has wide hallways, accessible shower and wide doors. Four of our finest folks call this “home”.
At this time, Good Neighbors was challenged by the state to create a day service that would better meet the needs of the people and after much consideration I.D.E.A.S. was born. This was a non-facility based/community integration focused day service that provided 1-1 services for 6 hours per day. I.D.E.A.S. became a model that the State referred any new folks to. At it’s height, I.D.E.A.S supported 19 people.
Next was Ingalls Rd. home, opening in 1996. Though smaller than others, this two person home is totally wheelchair accessible and has been modified to fully support the needs of the two gentlemen living there now with unlimited possibility for any future needs as well.
In 1995, the leadership of Good Neighbors initiated closing their ICF on So. High St. It was felt that the people served by Good Neighbors would be better supported in smaller homes and become part of their individual communities. In the fall of 1998, three Assisted Living homes opened; one in Naples, So. Paris, and Cornish, providing a warm and individualized home for 4 at each location. The next year and a half saw the So. High St. ICFMR facility converted into a 14 person Alzheimer Residential Living Facility which has since been closed due to State budgetary constraints.
In 2002 Good Neighbors was asked to provide supports for people in the community under the Personal Supports model. This continues to be the model of service that Good Neighbors utilizes for supporting new clients. Currently, Good Neighbors supports three Personal Supports locations.
In the fall of 2007, Good Neighbors started a process to convert all of it’s services to a Whole Life format , with the year 2008 earmarked for this process to be complete.
