Services For People with Disabilities

With his love of cars and mechanics, 18-year-old Clifton knows a lot about mending things. It takes time, hard work and skill – the same things that have helped Clifton move forward from a broken past to a brighter future.

At age 15, Clifton entered Bremwood Residential Treatment Center in Waverly after troubles with fighting, graffiti, running away and drugs.

But now in his third year of partnering with LSI, Clifton is finally on track.

"He's just a success story in and of himself," said Laura Wulff, LSI program supervisor at Bremwood. "He came into PMIC with a lot of aggression from lousy things that had happened to him. He did a whole lot of work."

While at Bremwood, Clifton participated in Exodus Exchange, a transitional living program to prepare him for adulthood through skills such as money management, cooking and teamwork.

But living on your own at a young age isn't easy, so Laura helped Clifton find a great solution to support him after leaving Bremwood—another LSI program in Ames.

Clifton moved to Ames last August, partly to be closer to his mother, and he now participates in an independent living program through LSI's Services for People with Disabilities (SFPD) and Iowa's habilitation waiver. The program is both supportive and client-determined.

It was important to him to stay with LSI, Clifton said about his move to Ames.

"The staff is a big help," Clifton said. "They're there whenever I need something. If I had the option to leave, I wouldn't go anywhere else. I have caring staff who want the best for me."

Clifton currently shares an apartment with two roommates. His new LSI caseworker, Travis, helps him with household goals, such as cleaning and chores, and supports him in his daily living. Travis and one of Clifton's former teachers also were instrumental in supporting Clifton's decision to finish high school.

"The most important thing is Clifton is involved in the decision-making about his goals," Travis said.

The power of choice means everything to Clifton.

"Pretty much all my life everyone in the court system made decisions for me," he said. "I didn't have any say in the matter. Now I have a lot of people backing me up in all my decisions."

Clifton's future goals include attending community college to pursue his love of cars and mechanics.

"I want to make something of myself."