A Day in the Life: Independence, Community, and Belonging
What does life actually look like at WeBUILT Wilkes? It looks like mornings spent however you choose. It looks like cooking in your own kitchen or grabbing lunch in town. It looks like evening meals with neighbors who become friends. It looks like having your own space to retreat to when you need it.
Most of all, it looks like living—not just existing.
Living Full and Independent Lives
WeBUILT WILKES is a private intentional community designed for individuals of all abilities who desire a more predictable and supportive environment and who seek an opportunity for increased independence and safe social activities.
Residents:
- Must be 18 or older
- Will live alone, unless they choose to have a roommate.
- Must be able to manage some time alone or bring personal support specific to their needs. Support can include care that they receive through Medicaid waiver services or through private support they bring with them to the community.
- Should be able to live without 24-hour support but may require 24-hour passive supervision.
- Live in privacy but have the benefits of connection empowering everyone to reach a higher level of independence, confidence and contentment
- Need a sensory-friendly, predictable environment to thrive
- Want to develop or maintain independent living skills
- Seek social connection with others who understand their experiences
- Desire more independence
- Pay a modest monthly fee that covers the cost of staff, utilities, building and grounds maintenance, most group activities and dinner every night. This amount will be set yearly and will not change unexpectedly.
What Residents Are Excited About
When we asked Trent what he's most excited about, his answer was beautifully simple:
"Having my own space, at least having friends, being part of a good community."
Support When You Need It—Not When You Don't
Being part of a supportive community provides guidance to individuals in achieving their highest level of independence.
Help is available when you need it, but your independence comes first.
Our support team includes:
- Live-in Community Manager: An intentional long-term neighbor
- Activities Coordinator: Plans social events and outings—participation is encouraged, but always optional
- Chef: Prepares evening meals in the community center—join in when you want
- Maintenance Staff: Keeps the property beautiful and functional
- Nonprofit Agency: LivingHope will maintain an office on site.
Although someone will always be available for general support and encouragement, we will not be providing 24-hour support.
"You have more say over how your day is structured. And if you have special needs, there's someone you can ask, but they're not looking at you all day, which is stressful."
— Karolen Bowman
Many need minimal assistance but benefit greatly from the safety net of having trained, caring staff nearby allowing them to simply come across the sidewalk for whatever support they may need.
Your Home, Your Way
Each resident has their own complete living space—You decide when to cook, what to watch, and when you need solitude.
Each 600 square foot home is thoughtfully designed to reflect the unique interests and personalities of the individuals who will live there.
"I'm into animation, superhero movies."
— Trent
Each unit in our triplex homes is a complete, private residence with:
- Kitchen equipped for independent cooking
- Open Concept Living area for relaxing or entertaining
- Private bedroom that's truly yours
- Full bathroom with sensory-friendly fixtures
- Washer/dryer just for you
- Study Nook for your computer or workspace
- Covered Front Porch for true southern charm and hospitality!
Residents who live in a home designed to meet their specific interest creates a sense of happiness that spreads easily into a very empathetic community.
"If you had a whole kitchen to yourself, do you think you'd enjoy cooking for yourself? Oh yeah and also a microwave and an air fryer."
— Trent, Prospective Resident
Customized with Unique Sensory Features
Every detail is intentionally designed to minimize sensory stress and maximize comfort. Meeting each individual's sensory and specific needs to create a more soothing space improves overall health and wellness.
The thought is …if your home feels exactly how you need it to feel, everything would be easier making life more manageable.
WeBUILT is able to meet unique sensory needs by:
- Using high quality soundproofing
- Eliminating unpredictable sounds
- Choosing calming materials and lighting
- Providing swings, hammock and trampoline options in living areas
- Creating spaces where you can truly relax
- Addressing any needed repairs promptly to avoid anxiety associated with something not working correctly
Living Life as You Choose
You decide how to spend your day.
WeBUILT Wilkes is a member directed community where individuals are supported in living life as they choose by making their own decisions in regards to staff, activities, daily routines, meals, social connections and personal life decisions.
Wake up when you're ready. Eat what you want, when you want. Work, volunteer, pursue hobbies, or enjoy a quiet morning at home. The choices are yours.
WeBUILT supports:
- Allowing residents to choose the services and supports that best fit their personal needs and goals determining when, where and how those services are delivered and whether they hire support through an agency or privately and by using Medicaid waiver funds or private pay.
- Families ensuring residents have the skills, choices and assistance needed to thrive while experiencing a sense of happiness, independence and feeling like they truly belong.
- Residents in living life as they choose - believing they should be given choices and be allowed to choose where they want to live
Once we know who will be living with us, we will be able to design specific programming and activities with the help of team members and the community that will be both interesting and beneficial to them.
Community Connection Without Forced Togetherness
Activities and Social Opportunities
The activities coordinator ensures there's always something happening:
- Monthly friendship groups (third Thursday)
- Outings to local venues
- Hobby groups based on interests
- Holiday and other celebrations with friends and family
- Volunteer opportunities
- Karaoke, movie and game nights
- Greenway walks
"A movie night, like a movie marathon with some friends and family at your own place. How would that be? Oh, yeah."
— Trent
Participation is encouraged but is always your choice. Some residents will be involved in everything. Others will prefer quiet time at home. Both are perfectly fine.
Building an Active Healthy Lifestyle—Housing is Health
WeBUILT provides daily opportunities for a healthy lifestyle by encouraging new experiences through recreation, leisure and volunteer activities that affects the whole person.
The lifestyle is categorized as a health and fitness oriented live-work-play community.
Our property sits adjacent to the Yadkin River Greenway, giving residents immediate access to one of Wilkes County's most beloved recreational resources offering:
- Safe walking and recreation on paved paths
- Natural beauty with river views and mature trees
- Social opportunities with other community members
- Accessible exercise without needing transportation
- Stress reduction through natural settings
- Trails that extend for miles that will improve and maintain the mental, physical and emotional well being of our residents
For residents who thrive on routine, the Greenway offers a consistent, predictable activity.
"It's going to allow for the kids to go in and out easily and in a safe environment."
— Tabitha Hudler
Our community is located within walking distance of many businesses that focus on health and wellness.
A "Live and Learn" Working Community
On-site responsibilities help our residents gain the skills and confidence needed for securing and maintaining future employment of their choice off campus and also creates hands-on learning activities to help individuals understand and reduce their footprint and serve as a model community for others.
Centered around an expansive permaculture design, we offer a self-sustaining opportunity to live and learn within an edible landscape. Planting and harvesting of vertical and hydroponic tower gardens or teaching others how to catch water for a second use creates an opportunity unlike any other.
Each resident has a container garden in front of their triplex they tend to. The vegetation offers the residents volunteer and job opportunities on the grounds, healthy food for meals and will help generate income to make the community self-sustaining.
Convenient access to transportation for employment and volunteer or day programs in town allows our residents to thrive in a larger community setting.
"My brother's held down a job for, I think, about 15 years now at the Stone Center. So that's quite an accomplishment."
— Trevor, Sibling Perspective
Some residents may choose to work, volunteer, or participate in day programs off campus while others may choose to use their talents for responsibilities on campus.
The Community Center (a.k.a. "Party Barn"): The Community's Heart
Located in the center of the community is a multi-educational community center ("Party Barn") that provides a vibrant "hub" for socialization, entertainment, planning recreational activities and learning about employment and volunteer opportunities.
The community center sits at the property's heart and includes:
- Catering Kitchen: Where our chef prepares evening meals
- Dining and Meeting Area: Comfortable space for community meals and a great place for friendship groups and family visits
- Activity Spaces: For movie nights, game nights, and social gatherings
- Office Space: For the live-in community manager and staff
Everyone Has a Seat at the Table
- Large wooden slab tables where everyone will gather at a set time each evening to share dinner prepared with fresh fruits and vegetables grown in their very own hydroponics garden.
- Residents direct the dinner menu and have access to food prepared to their personal preferences with no food selection restrictions.
- Residents prepare breakfast and lunch in their own homes or ask for assistance from on-site staff or personal support workers.
- Hydroponic towers and an edible landscape full of fruit bearing trees along the privacy fence provide healthy food choices.
- Interested residents assist the chef in creating a healthy unprocessed dinner and options for dining that are consistent with our desire to sooth sensory challenges in groups.
- Optional activities allowing residents the opportunity to taste new foods and flavors.
- Although each resident is encouraged to eat with the group in the dining room at least twice per week, they may also request take-out or choose to prepare dinner in their own home.
The beauty of our evening meal tradition is its simplicity—you show up, and your community is there. Over time, these shared moments naturally grow into lasting friendships.
Fostering True Friendships— We all thrive when we are with our people!
Friendship and social communication are markers of quality of life.
WeBUILT was founded on a belief that when natural friendships exist and neighbors have an intentional desire to help everyone succeed, the need for paid staff is reduced. Eliminating the wait for help to arrive reduces anxiety and builds on a more natural unpaid relationship between residents.
WeBuilt is designed to help residents know their neighbors, form natural friendships, learn about each other, depend on each other and do life together!
WeBUILT offers:
- An increased chance to find someone home and interested in activities that support a variety of interests and needs.
- Engaging social opportunities through community activities which are shared to encourage natural opportunities to create friendships and work/life experiences, keys to healthy living.
- A planned community where neighbors are sensitive to sensory needs and intent on sharing life together
- Opportunities for social access to their friends as well as daily living support for tasks that are difficult.
- A decreased chance of experiencing loneliness.
"We all like to choose our friends and who we hang out with. When you have people that get you, who understand where you're coming from, it's a supportive environment. People really do come to lift up other people."
— Karolen Bowman
With onsite learning and social opportunities, natural friendships can replace paid support. Living near friends while having social activities and work/volunteer options available to them has been very successful in bridging the gap between government paid support and natural support.
Friendship Groups Already Meeting
Monthly friendship groups have been meeting since the project began, allowing future residents to form genuine connections before move-in.
"We've already had a friendship group that's been meeting for months, the third Thursday of every month, and it has been so good for them. They've made friends."
— Tabitha Hudler
By the time residents move in, they're not moving in with strangers—they're moving in with friends.
Feeling Safe, Healthy and Able to Thrive
Our intent is to provide a safe, predictable environment where individuals can find neighbors selected specifically for their desire to live in support of the group.
Safety and Security
WeBUILT Wilkes is a gated, walk-in community providing security without feeling institutional.
Safety Features:
- Low traffic area away from busy roads
- Gated entry for security and peace of mind
- Walk-in design (no vehicle traffic in residential area)
- Well-lit pathways and common areas
- Community-focused layout where residents look out for each other
Residents maintain a personal whiteboard message station inside their door that allows families, staff members and personal support workers to know where they are and when they might return.
Although free to come and go as they choose with their key, the gate will be locked at night to keep others from coming in that don't belong. Individuals who are not safe roaming freely will always have someone to help keep them safe.
Someone will always be available for general support and encouragement. This person will give choices rather than directives, but still provide a safety net to prevent residents from harm and/or being taken advantage of.
Inclusive environments can be intentional communities when the residents are allowed self-determination as to what feels like a safe community of friends for them.
A Place to Call Home for Years to Come
WeBUILT Wilkes isn't temporary—it's a permanent community— where residents will largely be able to "age in place" as long as the support that they need can be provided over time.
The property and buildings are designed for:
- Long-term durability
- Accessibility accommodating changing needs
- Adaptability adjusting to evolving support requirements
- Stability through member ownership
- Sustainability based on the proven WeBUILT Clackamas (Oregon) model
When you move to WeBUILT Wilkes, you're not just finding a place to live for now. You're finding home.
WeBUILT Wilkes By the Numbers
22 Residents
Individual, private homes for adults 18 and older seeking greater independence and a more predictable lifestyle.
8 Triplex Homes
Modern, sensory-friendly living spaces arranged around a welcoming community center
1 Beautiful Location
1478 Willow Lane in West Park, nestled next to the Yadkin River Greenway in North Wilkesboro
24/7 Support
Live-in community manager, activities coordinator, chef, and maintenance staff available when residents need them
Evening Meals Together
Nightly dinners in the community center build connection without sacrificing independence
Monthly Friendship Groups
Already meeting on the third Thursday of each month—building bonds before move-in