Causes: Developmentally Disabled Centers, Disabilities, Human Services

Mission: To provide quality services to the needs of people with disabilities and their families.

Programs: Residential services -- options owns and operates 4 community homes. There are 24 residents(6 individuals in each home), and the homes are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The residential services program provides individualized training and support in a warm and nuturing home-like living arrangement to the residents. Support is also provided in the areas of daily living, work training, healthcare, medication administration, psycho-educational support and social skills training. Participants in this program also benefit from 24 hour emergency services and disaster preparedness planning.

vocational services -- the vocational program provides a variety of employment opportunities and employment related training to approximately 200 people with disabilities. Different vocational skill training and jobs offered monday-friday include horticulture, weaving, mardi gras bead sorting/packaging, shredding, laundry service and assembly/packaging. Options also provides job support for men and women with disabilities who work at independent jobs in the community and on crews such as ironing crews, cleaning crews and yard maintenance crews. The ironing crews are located inside churches in hammond and amite plus inside options fabulous finds in ponchatoula, la. The cleaning and yard maintenance crews work at businesses throughout the tangipahoa parish area. Transportation is also a very important part of vocational services. Options operates and maintains 22 vehicles to take people with disabilities where they need to go. Options vehicles travel approximately 38,274 miles per month. During the workweek (m-f), there are 15 morning routes, 18 afternoon routes, 5 evening routes and a special route that brings people to community jobs. There are also saturday & sunday routes to bring people to community jobs, churches and other outings like grocery shopping. Options serves the following areas of tangipahoa and livingston parishes: robert, goodbee, husser, ponchatoula, springfield, albany, holden, pumpkin center, independence, amite, tangipahoa, roseland, natalbany, tickfaw and hammond.

supported independent living & family support services - this program provides support for approximately 60 people with disabilities to live as independently as possible in their own home. Some participants live independently and receive support with obtaining housing, transportation, managing finances, medical care, job support, daily living activities and other services necessary to maintain their independence. Participants in this program also benefit from 24 hour emergency services and disaster preparedness planning. Options also provides family support services which enables approximately 60 people with disabilities to remain at home with their families as long as possible through the support of options personal care attendants. This program frees their family members to be employed themselves rather than having to provide care for their loved ones at home.