MOUNT VERNON — Change is constant. Sometimes it’s unexpected, sometimes it’s planned for. It’s how you react that’s important.
When the Knox County DD board decided to sell New Hope Industries’ former building at 1375 Newark Road, it was sudden and disconcerting news. On the one-year anniversary of NHI’s move into its new facility at 12200 Upper Fredericktown Road, NHI staff and clients have adapted and are looking ahead.
“It was the end of June 2019 that we found out we would need to relocate,” said NHI CEO Angie Wise. “We identified a building in August of 2019, and then we successfully closed on it in November 2019. Renovations started in January of 2020, and we moved in in April 2020.”
The former doctor’s office side of the building has become office space and the former Montessori preschool serves as the program side.
“We expanded the parking lot in the rear of the building and removed the playground areas to create an outside common area,” Wise said.
Other renovations include knocking down walls to open up space, adding walls on the office side to create private space, and new flooring throughout the facility. A virtual tour shows the extent of renovations.
The move-in date was April 15, 2020. Wise said it took a week and a half to actually make the move. After that came the organizing, set-up, and putting away phase.
“We started to plan the move way ahead, then COVID hit and we had to adjust,” Wise said. “COVID really was kind of a silver lining for us. It gave us more time not only to plan for the move, but it also gave us more time to make the move.”
The move was not without its challenges.
“Our key challenge has been the downsize in space. Our vocational services were affected the most. We had to discontinue our shredding program along with woodworking services due to space constraints and improper electric,” Wise said.
“COVID is still limiting the number of people we can serve at our site, and it eliminated large group meetings and onsite meetings,” she continued. “Until we are finally up and running [100%], we maybe have not seen all of the challenges we may face. But I am not concerned about that. COVID being a silver lining, it’s allowed us to take a more measured approach to things to allow us to adapt and change.”
Wise said NHI staff planned way ahead to create a solid plan to ease folks into the new facility.
“Things like this can be very disruptive for people with disabilities. We really wanted to make this move a positive experience for everybody,” she explained. “ I think we accomplished that. Their resilience has been incredible.”
As unexpected as it might have been, Wise said there are benefits to moving to a new facility.
“Our new facility is more welcoming and more inviting. It has an abundance of natural light. It’s a more comfortable atmosphere that everybody can enjoy being in,” she said.
Another benefit is the reduced maintenance that comes with a more modern facility.
“The move, too, brought awareness,” Wise said. “Not everyone is aware of our services.”
The move also provided opportunities.
“There was an industrial look to the old facility. We updated our look and refreshed our services,” Wise said. “This can aid in motivation, retention, and recruitment in our staff and individuals seeking services.”
As with many businesses and organizations, New Hope’s day habilitation program closed on March 17, 2020, due to the pandemic. It reopened on June 22.
The adult day support assists clients with daily activities and offers recreational and leisure activities, but it also assists them with skills, self-care, and self-support.
“It includes reinforcement to help them with goals and objectives,” Wise said. “It’s person-centered to help reinforce skills necessary for them to be the best version of themselves.”
All of NHI’s services offered outside the facility — the employment services and homemaker personal care (HPC) program — continued throughout the pandemic.
“For our vocational services, we still have contracts with local industries, but they have been impacted by COVID as well,” Wise said. “We are still doing small parts assembly. We adapted and adjusted the building to allow for the products to come into and move through the building.”
Wise said that throughout the transition, staff, clients, and donors remained steadfast despite the unforeseen circumstances and short timeline. She noted that “the things we thought individuals would worry about, they didn’t care about.”
“This last year, it’s been an incredible journey for us,” she said. “Unforeseen circumstances forced us to relocate, and then we faced COVID. Nobody predicted that. We appreciate the generosity of our donors who have helped us continue to serve the individuals of Knox County in a safe and supportive environment.
“We’ve accomplished a lot and made some great strides, but we still have a lot to do. Our donors help make that possible,” she said, adding that all contributions go toward client services and profits are reinvested into programs and services.
Looking ahead, NHI Next Generation includes revamping the company’s website, getting back to full operational capacity after COVID, and continuing to adapt to whatever might come.
“You have to embrace change,” Wise said. “Change can be difficult, but it can be good. I feel this has been a positive change for us. It has not only given us a fresh look but a fresh start. We couldn’t be more excited for the future.”
