About Us

Inspiration for SonomaLife

In 2017, SonomaLife, LLC was founded by concerned families who were faced with the universal question . . .

“Where will our special needs adult children live when we can no longer care for them?”

Many of the potential housing options embody transient rental arrangements where property owners can easily evict residents or sell-off the properties when valuations become attractive, putting our vulnerable special needs residents at-risk for loss of continuity of residency and potentially egregious rent increases.

Other options that we explored did not adequately provide for communal shared living settings resulting in isolation for the individuals without opportunity for socialization, friendships, community integration, life enrichment and access to vendorized ‘synergistic supported living care teams’ provided via the North Bay Regional Center.

After several years of exploring numerous housing models, our member families adopted a shared vision and Key Founding Principles portraying a compelling future for our special children – A Lifespan Supported Living Community.

Key Founding Principles

  • Develop a supported living community that provides life-long housing for our special children
  • Foster a ‘home-like’ communal setting vs. institutional setting
  • Provide a setting that is fully-integrated and accessible to the broader local community
  • Facilitate a comfortable and positive transition from the parental home to a new ‘forever’ home
  • Provide a setting that promotes independent living skills and opportunities for socialization in the broader community
  • Establish a legal structure that enables transfer of ownership from member families to individual’s special needs trusts

Lifespan Supported Living Community

SonomaLife’s Lifespan Supported Living Community model is built on the principle of ‘ownership’ by LLC member families who jointly invest in the acquisition of the property, subsequent improvements and provide ongoing maintenance.  Our adult children enjoy the benefits and safety of having a permanent home they can reside in for as long as they need or desire.  Our special needs residents pay a nominal monthly rent amount supported by their public benefits provided by government SSI or SSDI payments.

At some point in the future, the ownership held by aging LLC member parents will be transferred to their children’s special needs trusts ensuring continuity of residency while preserving access to essential comprehensive supported living services provided by federal, state and local public benefit agencies.

SonomaLife’s Lifespan Supported Living Community serves adults with a wide variety of developmental disabilities. As the SonomaLife community is fully experienced over time, a lasting sense of well-being, peace of mind is fostered, creating a vibrant and nurturing community for the benefit of all.