An Adult Family Home

Point Roberts is located on the southernmost tip of the Tsawwassen Peninsula, south of Delta, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver, and can be reached by land from the rest of the United States only by traveling through Canada. It can be reached directly from the rest of Washington and the U.S. by crossing Boundary Bay by sea or air.

As a geopolitical exclave, we are not only isolated by distance but we are also isolated by geography and geopolitical borders and, as a result, we are a community of neighbors helping neighbors. As a tiny rural community isolated from the US mainland, the challenges to the elderly who want to stay in their homes after an illness or injury are vast – services and resources are limited or non-existent. Of the approximately 1100 people living in Point Roberts roughly 50% were 60 years of age and older.  We estimate, based upon census information and awareness of the community that as of 2023, over 50% of our population is now over 65 years of age and we anticipate that these numbers will only increase in the near future. 

What is an Adult Family Home?

"These are residential homes licensed to care for up to six non-related residents. They provide room, board, laundry, necessary supervision, and necessary help with activities of daily living, personal care and social services." RCW 70.128.010

Imagine that Point Roberts has an Adult Family Home or two or three dedicated to keeping people in our community, surrounded by friends and family who come to visit, gardens to enjoy and animals for support and companionship.

Circle of Care created this vision in January 2021 and set about making it a reality. We are in the process of doing just that. We have identified 3 possible locations, created a steering committee to develop a strategic plan, begun to identify sources of funding and succeeded in garnering support from county and state agencies and departments.

We have sought the support and advice of the Green House Project who have partnered with organizations and individuals to build and operate over 370 homes for elders since 2003. "Since the beginning Green House has protected the rights of eldercare communities by destigmatizing aging and humanizing care through the creation of radically non-institutional eldercare environments that empower the lives of people who live and work in them.”

There are a lot of questions we cannot answer yet, as we must complete phase one. We believe that we can realize our vision, with your support and participation. If you would like to know more about The Green House Project, we invite you to watch the video below and go onto their website. www.thegreenhouseproject.org. Let us know how you want to get involved – contact Galen Wood galen@point-alliance.com (303) 378-5393.

Listen to a Podcast with Galen Wood

https://thegreenhouseproject.org/podcast/