Maya's Story: Why We're Building Hilltown Oaks

Maya is 28 years old. She has autism and Down syndrome. She works three days a week at a local grocery store, where she has been employee of the month twice. She loves her coworkers, her routine, and her independence. She also lives at home with her parents — because there is nowhere else for her to go.

Her parents, both in their early sixties, have been on Pennsylvania's Medicaid waiver waitlist for six years. The current average wait is 40 months — but that is the average. For families in Bucks County, the wait is longer. There are 11,837 people on Pennsylvania's waiting list today. Four thousand seven hundred and seventy of them are in emergency status, meaning their primary caregiver has died, become incapacitated, or is no longer able to provide care.

Maya's parents are not in emergency status. They are in the category the system calls "planning." They are planning for the day they can no longer be Maya's primary support. They are planning for the day Maya needs a home of her own. They have been planning for six years.

What the Waitlist Doesn't Capture

The 11,837-person waitlist is a count of people who have applied for a Medicaid waiver. It does not count the people who have not yet applied, the people who have given up, or the people whose families are quietly managing — until they can't.

It does not count the 700,000+ adults with I/DDs across the country who are living with caregivers over the age of 60. It does not count the families who have never been told that home ownership is an option for their adult child.

It does not count Maya.

What Hilltown Oaks Changes

Front Porch Cohousing is building Hilltown Oaks in Hilltown Township, Bucks County — seven single-family homes where adults like Maya will own equity in their homes, live alongside neurotypical neighbors, and receive supportive services through the PORCH℠ Framework.

Ownership matters. When Maya owns her home, she builds equity. She has a permanent address. She has a legal right to be there that does not depend on a lease renewal, a program budget, or a caregiver's health. She has a home.

Community matters too. Hilltown Oaks is not a group home. It is not a facility. It is a planned community — seven homes on a shared street, with shared outdoor spaces, designed so that neighbors know each other by name. The research is clear: social isolation is one of the most significant health risks facing adults with I/DDs. Hilltown Oaks is designed to make connection possible.

270 Families Are Waiting

More than 270 families across Pennsylvania have signed Letters of Interest with Front Porch Cohousing. They are waiting for Hilltown Oaks to be built. They are waiting for the capital campaign to close. They are waiting for the founding sponsors who will make it possible.

Maya's parents signed their Letter of Interest in 2023. They check in every few months. They ask when the first homes will be ready. They ask if Maya will be able to get one.

The answer depends, in part, on whether Pennsylvania businesses step forward before May 29.