Bonus Family: The Kids of Specialized Housing
By Caity O’Brien
BROOKLINE and CAMBRIDGE, MA – They say families come in all shapes and sizes, and at Specialized Housing we believe that notion to be especially true of the familial bonds that form within our homes. In particular, live-in staff play a vital role in the operation of SHI, providing care and companionship for house members while living alongside them. It makes for a unique bond, and in a few special circumstances, our live-in staff have even expanded their built-in SHI families by having children, who quickly came to be beloved and cherished members of the house.
One such child is Cecilia, who lives in an SHI home in Brookline. Cecilia’s mother, Theresa, has been a live-in staff member for over 20 years. Ian, an original house member, remembers when Cecilia was brought home from the hospital almost sixteen years ago. “She was a nice and quiet baby,” Ian says.
Neal, a house member in Cambridge, has similar memories of Magali. “Holding Magali in my arms for the first time… that was wonderful,” he shares. Magali and her sister Irene, along with their parents Felix and Sara, have lived in an SHI home in Cambridge for over two decades. “Watching the kids grow up and turn into adults was nice,” Neal says.
House members in Brookline felt the same way about Cecilia as she grew from that nice and quiet baby into a high school sophomore, sharing how fun it has been to watch her find her passions, including playing music. “She’s really good at the viola and the piano,” Charles shares, noting that Cecilia often played her instruments for the house during COVID lockdown periods.
Cecilia herself remembers those days well, saying she “bonded more than ever before” with the house members during that time. “I remember doing fake hair dye, and having a Halloween party… it was very fun and I’m very grateful for that period of my life,” she says. Her favorite memories, however, are not the “big things,” she shares, but just day-to-day life in the house, “like when Sandy hugs me or hearing about their days.”
Magali shares memories of house members out in the community, saying, “I used to work at Starbucks and I work at a restaurant now. Every now and then, an SHI house member comes and they seem so surprised and happy to see me. It makes my day.” When coworkers ask how Magali knows an SHI house member, she says she typically responds, “What? He’s my bud!” Magali also shares, “one of my favorite days — we biked to Newton. It was so cool going from SHI house to SHI house and visiting folks, some of whom have known me my whole life.”
Cecilia, Magali, and Irene all believe that growing up in an SHI home has made them more empathetic people. “I’m super sensitive about people using the R-word and I always say something,” Magali says. Magali and Irene’s father Felix, who grew up with and cared for a developmentally disabled sister, says “having them grow up interacting with… the disabled community is priceless," and that he’s “so proud of the people they’ve [Magali and Irene] become. I think living here has contributed much in that regard.” Cecilia agrees with this sentiment, and says that interacting with house members on a daily basis has influenced her values and understanding of differences, especially in the context of her own friendships. “I have friends who are autistic and have disabilities. I just know that it’s part of them,” she says.
While the three girls have plans for the future that don’t necessarily involve working with the disabled community, their love for the bonus families they were born into shine through in their words and actions. Wherever their paths may lead, we are confident that being raised in SHI homes has instilled in them the very best of values and given them memories to last a lifetime!