We secured a wonderful location in Wayne, New Jersey and were approved by the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) in August of 2020. The location will be home to two sections of our program. A staff to member ratio of 1:4 for an autism specific section and a 1:6 which serves autism and other developmental disabilities.

Due to the pandemic, our Day Programs were closed at that time this location was certified, however there was rapid growing excitement amongst our referral base and a growing need for recent High School graduates to have connections for their transition into adult programming. Since the pandemic was unpredictable and nobody knew when programs would re-open,
we decided to start our Wayne program virtually! On September 16th, 2020 we held our first session. Today we have 17 active participants who attend several virtual sessions a day that cover an array of life skill topics.

The creative staff have been able to engage our members virtually and help them build relationships with each other and with the staff. We are excited to open our doors on May 17th and meet our members face-to-face! We are pleased to share that we have already received positive feedback from our families who have noticed a difference and are looking forward to Friendship House providing in-person programming.

Our program will include Day Habilitation, Pre-Vocational and Supported Employment services for individuals twenty-one or older who are eligible for DDD support.

We are committed to always using best practices to help and support Adults with Autism and other Developmental Disabilities reach their highest potential personally, socially and vocationally.

For more info about our program or to schedule a virtual meet and greet, please contact Mala Spivack, Executive Director of Autism Services at mspivack@njfriendshiphouse.org.