Tuesday, February 11, 2025
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Big dreams

by CAROLINE LOBSINGER
Staff Writer | February 2, 2025 1:00 AM

SANDPOINT — Panhandle Special Needs has big dreams for the future.

The dream? A modern, state-of-the-art facility, one that encompasses PSNI's varied services aimed at helping those with developmental disabilities in Bonner and Boundary counties. As part of the first steps along the road to making that happen, PSNI recently unveiled plans for a multi-phase project that would expand both the number of clients it can serve and the services it can offer.

All told the five-phase project — including organizational and endowment phases — will cost an estimated $7.3 million.

The agency has been working with North Root Architecture since 2021 to create that long-range vision that will take it into the future, opening the door to additional services, room to grow and the ability to serve a growing population.

The project's first phase would strengthen and expand PSNI's board, add a grant writer and finalize development and fundraising plans. A second phase would focus on the construction of facilities for its core services, including continuing use of The Cottage for resale items, its adult day care, Life Skills and administrative units. Estimated to cost $4.25 million, the phase is the project's most expensive due to infrastructure work needed for the entire project.

A third phase would build space for an expanded retail space, a new greenhouse and a work services unit. The phase would consolidate the work services unit and would reunite all of the programs onto one campus. PSNI officials estimate the phase will cost roughly $1.85 million.

The fourth phase of the project would expand the adult day care and Life Skills units, adding a cafeteria and kitchen area. Landscaping, parking and large vehicle areas would be completed. It will cost an estimated $1.2 million.

Once the campus is complete, PSNI officials said they would launch a fifth and final phase to create an endowment fund to ensure the agency's financial security and set the stage for the future.

"PSNI just feels like home," executive director Trinity Nicholson said. "It feels like family. And I really think we're going to see this through but it's going to take a lot of us at this stage. We need you as much as we need money. We want to move forward thoughtfully. We have just under 10 years to see this come to fruition. … I'm really confident that we're going to be able to do this."

In the past 50 years, PSNI has grown from a handful of clients and a core of determined parents, to serving more than 200 clients a year through its broad base of programs. While there are roughly 45 people on its waiting list, the number of those needing its services is likely much higher.

The amount of services PSNI can provide is directly tied to its space. A hodgepodge of buildings, cobbled together over the years since the organization was founded in 1975, PSNI officials say they've long outgrown their available space.

"It was such an amazing group of parents fighting for their person, to say we need something for our child after school, after they graduate, what's next," Nicholson said of PSNI's founding and the determination of the small group of parents who were determined to create a safe, productive environment for disabled family members.

But now, Nicholson said, PSNI is at a crossroads. It needs additional space to help more clients and to expand programs. Its lease with the city for its current site expires in 2033. Knowing the city has long-range plans for the property that would extend a two-way road from N. Boyer and Baldy Mountain Road to connect with U.S. 2 to the east, PSNI began preparing for what's next for the organization several years ago.

When city officials let them know the lease for the property would not be extended, Nicholson said PSNI began looking to the future. The organization purchased the site at 1407 N. Boyer and moved The Cottage onto what will be its new campus. They hired North Root to help them map out that plan, creating the multi-phase approach to create a campus that blends retail space, work services and its greenhouse as well as its adult day and Life Skills programs.

Moving onto the new campus in phases allows them to fundraise for each project, moving PSNI's services over from the old campus at 1424 N. Boyer to the 2.4-acre site across the street. That measured approach to growth gives them time to apply for grants and seek donations to turn the project from a dream into a reality, PSNI officials said.

That makes programs like PSNI critically important, helping those with challenges navigate the transition from school to work, become integral members of their community and live their best lives, Nicholson said.

"Our core purpose is to enhance economic opportunities, to promote social inclusion, to provide tailored services that we approach holistically to promote what we do and to foster community engagement. So how do we do all this, you might ask," Nicholson said. "We do this through a dynamic range of services."

For some, that might mean starting with the basics — showing up on time, being well-groomed and arriving ready to work. As clients gain skills and confidence, they transition into PSNI's center-based work program, such as in its retail space, The Cottage.

"They're still on campus, but are getting a little more touch with the community, maybe an opportunity to do some customer service, learn a little bit about retail," Nicholson said.

Other programs also offer an opportunity for clients to gain skills, PSNI's greenhouse program, its cardboard business or partnerships with local businesses — roughly 50 at last count — which match clients with various partners. An adult day health program offers opportunities for clients and their families to socialize and have fun, being a part of their community.

Underlying all of those efforts is PSNI's Life Skills training, teaching everything from shopping to cooking, budgeting and more. The goal is to help clients live an independent life, Nicholson said.

Working in close conjunction with families, PSNI helps younger clients navigate the transition from school to adulthood, exploring what's next for them and creating a path into the future. The path for those without disabilities is often clear-cut — graduation, school or work and an endless array of options and paths to get there. However, for those with challenges, that path can be a "scary time," one filled with uncertainty about what's next.

PSNI helps its clients — and the community — navigate that path.

"The profound truth is that disabilities are entirely unbiased," Nicholson told those gathered. "They transcend age, race, religion, economic status and culture, reminding us that at any time, you could meet someone with a disability in your personal life."

Information: panhandlespecialneeds.org

    Panhandle Special Needs executive director Trinity Nicholson poses with a client at a personalized training session.
 
 
    A trio of Panhandle Special Needs clients pose for a photo during a recent outing.
 
 
    David, a Panhandle Special Needs client, shows his joy at demonstrating his typewriting skills during a recent outing.
 
 
    Panhandle Special Nees clients pose for a photo as they prepare for a recent wood raffle.
 
 
    An architect's rendition showing the proposed campus for Panhandle Special Needs, Inc., showing a mix of retail space, work services, greenhouse and services. The Sandpoint-based organization has announced plans for a capital campaign to raise $7.3 million to find the project's construction.