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St. Gerard House 'Expanding Hope' in new space

St. Gerard House will expand its autism treatment programs at 705 Oakland Street across from its existing space.

St. Gerard House has launched a campaign to raise $935,000 to expand autism programs in a house it bought across the street from its Grotto School.

The new program, Expanding Hope, would enable St. Gerard House to add autism evaluation, education and treatment program for more families, said Carolyn Long, the founder and executive director of the St. Gerard House, one of the most successful and respected autism centers in the region.
The Grotto program now serves children 2½ to 7 years old. The expanded program will serve ages 8 to 12 on the bottom floor of the house at 705 Oakland Street. It’s scheduled to open by April.
“The second floor will be used for an expansion of ‘feed the need’ with a teaching kitchen for teens and young adults and a community room and offices for adult services coordinator,” Long said.
St. Gerard House received a grant from the Cummings Foundation earmarked for classrooms in the new building. It also received $173,000 from the state Department of Health and Human Services to expand its autism treatment programs in Western North Carolina. That grant supports its four core program areas — The Grotto Therapeutic Center, Connect: Social Skills training, Feed the Need and Family Group Night — and provides scholarship assistance.
Architect Ken Gaylord and Blackhawk Construction, which also built the St. Gerard House, is doing the renovation work.
“He just really gets what we do,” Long said.
The Grotto program currently enrolls 12 children. The Expanding Hope program could teach as many as 20 older children.
“We have two consultative rooms,” she said. “Now that the autism insurance bill has passed (in the N.C. Legislature) there are going to be people that need assessments and consultation in need. They can come in for an hour or two at a time and get services, instead of being enrolled in a program.”
The autism insurance bill, guided through the General Assembly by Sen. Tom Apodaca in the Senate and Rep. Chuck McGrady in the House, both Hendersonville Republicans, requires insurance coverage of autism treatment in larger plans but not smaller ones and individual plans.
“It’s a shift in the right direction,” Long said. “We hope to get individual and small business (insurance) plans added on in the future. Tight now it’s just large group plans. And the state employees plan covers it. It’s all good but it doesn’t solve every problem. I’m always careful because donors say, ‘Oh, now insurance covers what you do, you don’t need donations.’”
St. Gerard House and its Grotto School offers resources and training to families and professionals navigating the complex course of autism and offers evidenced-based treatment for individuals of all ages with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other behavioral health needs. For more information or to donate, call 828-693-4223 or visit www.stgerardhouse.org.