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Ways to support L'Arche Nehalem:
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About L'Arche Life in the Homes
Assistants who live in the homes share life together, working to create a homelike environment for themselves and the others in the house. Assistants receive room and board, plus full medical and dental coverage and a personal stipend each month. Much of the life in the home centers around helping our core members with varied activities of day-to-day life. As much as they are interested and able, assistants participate in the planning, maintenance and administrative care of the homes and community. All of us share in the larger family of L'Arche to which we belong, attending training, retreats, and celebrations with the other L'Arche communities in our region and around the world. The assistants agree to live and work cooperatively, seeking to act toward each other from a place of "no scarcity" and with deep respect for our equal dignity. Practically, this means to ask for what we want in our life together, to commit to hearing and sharing our concerns and appreciation, and to honor the unique person each of us is. A key focus of the community is our faith-based commitment. We share a strong belief in the giftedness of each person and the belief that in our relationships we can trust in the active presence of a living, creator God. All are encouraged to share their vision and hopes in this community and for one's own life. We go on retreats together, have time to pray and be quiet. We celebrate, laugh and cry together, cook wonderful meals, have guests, get upset and make up, all in the belief that this small group of people called Nehalem is quite beautiful in the "eyes of God." Each of the persons with disabilities (core members) we have welcomed comes from very different backgrounds. Some have lived all their lives at home, in an environment filled with all the love and the struggles each of us receive from our families. Others come from institutions, bringing challenges and graces that are quite unique. Some have very little verbal language yet have developed a rich and full communication style of their own. Learning to "speak" to each other in each our own language is a key part of forming relationships here at Nehalem. All our core members need help, some more than others, in attending to the everyday things we take for granted: home care and cooking, self-care and hygiene, social skills and money management. Core members in L'Arche are developmentally challenged, not mentally ill. They face social adaptation issues and struggles, mostly because of how they have been treated in their past. Our commitment is to welcome core members who want to and can be in a home-like environment. The miracle of L'Arche is that in doing this, we find a gift of life and learning far beyond our expectations.
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