Program areas at L'arche Tahoma Hope Community
L'arche Tahoma Hope operates four group homes that are also licensed as adult family homes (ananda, farmhouse, hopespring, and anawim). We support 16 residential core members (individuals with intellectual disabilities) with activities of daily living; maintaining health, safety, and optimum power and choice. Support is provided by live-in and live-out certified home health care aides, who are a mix of recent college graduates, second- career individuals and those who have found their life-long vocation in l'arche, all desiring to share meaningful work and faith-based Community life with core members.
Welcome center programs offer residents and those living in the wider Community the opportunity to come together in our Community center building for classes and activities several times each week. The welcome center is a 7,800 square foot facility built in 2018 with public financing and privately-raised funds. In addition to accessible and supportive spaces for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities and their caregivers, the welcome center houses our agency offices and it infrastructure.
L'arche farm & gardens, a retail nursery and farm, is a group supported employment site for individuals with intellectual disabilities through a contract with pierce county. It is the mission of L'arche Tahoma Hope farm & gardens to provide a safe and welcoming environment that provides meaningful agricultural work to persons with intellectual disabilities. There are eight farm core members working on average 9 hours per week, supported by over 2,500 volunteers annually. Working in an integrated setting with people of a variety of abilities and gifts, each farm worker, whether core member, assistant, or volunteer, is affirmed in dignity and self-worth. The watchword of the farm is, "growing people, growing plants."