January, 2025
MFP and the WISH Collaborative: A Buncombe County Success Story
When Adam C. experienced a severe medical condition that severely limited his movement and ability to perform activities of daily living, his family feared he would have to live in a nursing home for the rest of his life. However, his mother Pam would not accept that fate for her son in his 30s, so she quit her job at Mission Hospital and set about finding ways to care for her son in their family home, a modest manufactured home in Buncombe County.
As a Money Follows the Person client, Adam did qualify for home modification funding through that program. However, the repairs needed would take every dollar away from the MFP budget Adam had to address other needs to support his transition home. While utilizing support for repairs through Vocational Rehabilitation programs was also possible, working through that program could delay Adam’s return home for up to eight months, leaving Adam in a nursing home throughout that time.
Given the stress and drain living in a nursing home had on both Adam and Pam, the WISH Collaborative stepped in with resources to facilitate a faster return home. Utilizing home modification grant funding WISH pursued and secured through Dogwood Health Trust, contractors completed the work necessary to help Adam transition out of a nursing home and back to his family home. Within weeks, crews removed carpeting and installed new flooring, which allowed Pam to easily move Adam's wheelchair and medical equipment around the home. In addition, a local contractor installed a ramp outside the home, allowing Adam to move in and out of the home while seated in his wheelchair.
About one month after the MFP Transitions Coordinator supporting Adam’s transition reached out to the WISH Collaborative for help, Adam and Pam celebrated his return home with family and friends.
