Before our grandmother passed away, she had my uncle Jose enrolled in this program with Avenues. When no family member, other than his niece and her close family wanted to take care of him, Avenues picked up that duty. Give that they weren't his family members, they did an exceptional job as having him live on his own, taking him to excursions, always keeping an eye on him. I don't think there would of have been a better program for him somewhere else. It was a relief to our family in knowing that there are programs for our special needs community out there. That our grandma was able to get help and know that her son was being taken care of. Thank you Avenues for helping our uncle, many of us could've been there and helped more, but we relied on Avenues for that, for that we are very thankful. Sending you prayers and very positive vibes so that you could continue in helping out the community, as companies like yours are very scarce now, especially since the Covid19 pandemic.
As an employee of Avenues for nearly 10 years, I am very proud to be a member of the Avenues team! I can honestly say that this is the best company I have ever worked for. I have always admired and respected Directors Scott and Lori Shepard for their knowledge, experience, guidance, patience, and for the amazing services they provide for persons with intellectual disabilities. They truly care about people, and this is always evident in the quality of support they and their excellent staff provide. I love the family atmosphere they foster and the feelings of community that is ever present in the day to day operations of Avenues. The Avenues staff is very committed to building relationships with the people they support and in maintaining the highest level of service that can be provided. I am very happy to be a part of Avenues, and plan on continuing my employment with them for many years to come!
As a professional that has worked in the field of social services for twenty eight years. I can honestly say that I have never met and worked in partnership with such a driven group of professionals. They walk the walk in this agency. They provide exceptional services with a real focus on the individuals they serve at a pace the client is comfortable with. They never tell people what the “should” be doing. They guide them, they teach them and they assume client competency. They are leaders in developing and managing Supported Living Services for people with Intellectual Disabilities. And they do it based on relationship, strong ethics and a true sense of family. With a mantra that agencies should stay small to focus on the quality of services that each person receives. They love to share their knowledge and the values of this work with others and have mentored a number of other successful providers. Their passion for this work is admirable and infectious.
Review from Guidestar
I am the mother of a 32 year old daughter who has intellectual disabilities and mental health challenges. We experimented with two different group home placements for her, but neither one met her individual needs. She didn’t like having to share a room and bathroom with someone else; she didn’t like eating food that she didn’t like that was served; she didn’t like having to go to bed and wake up at specified times of the day; and she wasn’t able to visit her friends and family as much as she would have liked to.
We are blessed to have her in the Community Based Day Program and the Supported Living Program provided by AVENUES. Our daughter lives in her own home with 24/7 outstanding direct support staff provided by AVENUES. She gets to choose where she lives; who she lives with; what healthy meals she wants to cook; when she wants to go to sleep each night; and what activities she participates in. She likes to sit outside in her backyard after a busy day and just relax and watch the birds and squirrels in the trees.
Staff provide her with transportation and support so she can go to church activities; special events; movies; trips; shopping; and more. She LOVES that she gets to choose how she spends her days, instead of being told what to do, such as when she lived in a rigid institutional residential setting. She is able to be actively engaged in the Santa Clarita Valley, which is her home community. She volunteers at an animal rescue facility and she goes to the gym daily. She bakes cookies and brings them to her neighbors.
Our daughter has learned so much from the well-trained, compassionate staff at AVENUES. She now knows how to do her own laundry; grocery shop and prepare her own meals with assistance; do household chores; and more. She is still learning many new important life-skills all of the time.
Having our daughter in the AVENUES organization provides such peace of mind for my husband and I. We simply don't know what we would do without Directors Scott and Lori Shepard and the AVENUES’ programs. Our daughter’s Supervisor and direct support staff are all wonderful and benefit from on-going educational training to help meet our daughter’s social, emotional, educational, recreational, and vocational needs. Knowing our daughter is safe; healthy; and happy means the world to us...especially as my husband and I are getting older.
Review from Guidestar