PLACE

OHANA. Designed for Everyone.

Home and neighborhood can have a profound impact on health and wellbeing, especially when it is designed with all of us in mind. For individuals and for families, for people of all ages, incomes, backgrounds and abilities to flourish in private homes and shared spaces, indoors and out.

OUR COMMITMENT

Purposeful Neighborhood Design

Purposeful, inclusive design requires a commitment — from the overall work of site planning to the smallest detail — to create every opportunity for deep and meaningful connections to people and to place. OHANA will be built in a series of four “pocket” or “micro” neighborhoods, each embracing a supportive living home where up to three individuals requiring care will reside. These micro-hoods will surround the heart of the community, the “common house,” a large second home designed for all the residents, a welcoming place for meetings, social gatherings, meals and hospitality.

OHANA HOMES. Where our way of life begins.

OHANA homes will be variously designed to support healthy, accessible living for adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as for people of all abilities, ages, and lifestyles. This means right-sized homes for families, individuals, and housemates; single-level homes for zero barriers to independent living; and accessible entries and universal design in every home to encourage hospitality throughout the neighborhood. OHANA homes will be places of welcome to our neighbors and to all those visiting OHANA village.

SUPPORTIVE LIVING Homes

At the center of OHANA will be four Supportive living homes, each connected to it’s own OHANA micro-hood and specially planned for individuals with I/DD needing part- or full-time care. These homes will be fully accessible, spacious, and comfortable to ensure in every way possible that both residents and their caregivers will thrive.

CO-LIVING Homes

Two cooperative living homes will each contain shared living spaces and six private mini-apartments. Some of the residents in each building will be individuals with I/DD who are able to live in supported independence. Other residents may be university students, older singles or anyone interested in providing friendship and support in a co-living environment.

MARKET-RATE AND AFFORDABLE Housing

A range of affordable and market rate homes will make up the majority of the OHANA neighborhood, designed to support a diverse population and priced for a broad range of buyers. The homes will be spacious and comfortable, incorporating universal design to ensure accessibility for people of all ages and abilities.

The Common House

A large common or community house sits at the heart of OHANA, a central gathering place for neighbors to connect in both formal and informal ways. Equipped with a large kitchen and meeting space, activity rooms and guest facilities, the common house will be a hub of intentional neighboring in OHANA Village.

Simply designed…

for comfort, connection and caring.

Good for the senses…

A typical neighborhood can include visual, auditory, tactile, and even olfactory elements that promote stressful responses — especially when we are sensitive or when our environment is confusing or disorienting to us. We can feel overstimulated, crowded, isolated, lost or unsafe simply in response to our physical surroundings. OHANA aims to transform the experience of living in home and neighborhood for every resident by exploring how humans respond most successfully to our environments.

We are gratefully directed by the many individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities who share their experiences as they navigate the barriers and complexities of our world. With comfort and connection in mind, Ohana Village will be designed with simplicity of architecture and healing landscapes to calm and please the senses. In the privacy of our houses or in the joy of gathering with our neighbors, we will know that we are home.

Designed for Whole Health Living

We spend most of our time in our homes and neighborhoods, but we don’t often think about how they can impact our wellbeing. The places where we live can affect every area of our lives — transforming our social, emotional, environmental, financial and even spiritual health. OHANA is committed to the intentional design of neighborhood to address every one of these dimensions of personal and social health.

Healthy Homes

Growing data links health outcomes such as asthma and other chronic illnesses to substandard housing and the materials we use. We now know that homes built with healthy materials and good ventilation help to prevent chronic illness, especially for the most vulnerable among us. We believe all people deserve safe housing that promotes life, and that’s why all homes in OHANA Village will be built with HEALTH in mind for every resident

Financial Health

The rising cost of housing prevents many people in this country from home ownership. In response, OHANA has created a new attainable housing model giving people of all incomes a chance to purchase a home. This cooperative and planet healthy model will also help to reduce the financial stress of high monthly utility and maintenance costs, making the experience of home ownership a positive one across the years.

Social Health

Health and happiness are inextricably linked and both are dependent upon the deep and reliable daily relationships we have with friends and family. OHANA’s built environment will promote both serendipitous and intentional social connection, from chats on the porch, to a neighbor lending a hand, to a community celebration in the common house. Removing the barriers that isolate us and building clear pathways between us will create endless opportunities to connect and foster deep and lasting OHANA relationships of support and care.

Emotional and Spiritual Health

How do we create a physical environment that will contribute to the emotional and spiritual health of all OHANA residents? By designing a walkable neighborhood where people meet on morning walks and gather to know and support one another in the experience of daily living. By planning with our shared values in mind, and by building vision and purpose into every nook and cranny. By mindfully creating common spaces in which we can celebrate and create memories. By including sacred spaces of prayer and meditation and plenty of natural landscapes to feed our souls. And, by remembering that humans are made, first and foremost, for connection.

Planet Health

Why does a healthy planet value inform our OHANA neighborhood design? Houses powered by solar panels reduce our dependence upon fossil fuels and protect the air we breathe. Homes built to conserve water helps to ensure this precious natural resource for generations to come. OHANA will be a community committed to responsible stewardship of our land, our local resources and beyond for sustainability and for our future. It’s the right thing to do.

BUILDING OHANA is working diligently right now to secure property in the greater Spokane area. We are committed to a location that is walkable to schools and accessible to transit and urban amenities to support a thriving lifestyle and connection between OHANA residents and the broader community. Currently we’re working with landowners in the hope of securing OHANA land this year.

Buildable land is scarce and expensive. Just this year, thanks to the generosity of donors who believe in our mission, our project donations have grown to

$1,100,000

Place: Resources

A Deeper Dive…

OHANA’s approach brings together elements of different models to build something not yet created. Understanding the complexities of the challenges we are solving and the data we are using to inform our path is important. We think you’ll find the following resources helpful if you want to explore the salient issues around designing a diverse, inclusive and intergenerational neighborhood where all people can thrive.