26 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 28, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Adams visits Life’s WORC’s group home in Little Neck
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Brooklyn Borough President Eric
Adams, the front-running candidate for
mayor of New York City, visited Life’s
WORC group home in Little Neck to
learn more about the life changing services
the nonprofi t provides for individuals
with disabilities and their families.
On Saturday, Oct. 23, Adams joined
Life’s WORC’s Founder and Honorary
Board Member Victoria Schneps,
Life’s WORC CEO Janet Koch, Board
Chairperson Lynne Koufakis and staff to
tour the organization’s fi rst group home,
located at 251-40 Gaskell Rd. in Little
Neck.
Th e group home is named the “Geraldo
Rivera Home” in honor of the noted
journalist who played an important role
alongside Schneps and other activists in
exposing abuses at the Willowbrook State
School on Staten Island. Rivera’s reports
of Willowbrook’s infamous history of
mistreating and neglecting thousands of
disabled residents brought about public
outrage, and eventually led to the facility’s
closure, with its residents relocated to
smaller group homes.
In fact, the fi rst residents at the Geraldo
Rivera Home were former Willowbrook
residents.
Life’s WORC is dedicated to supporting
people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities as well as autism, and has
group homes throughout New York City.
Adams recently received criticism
aft er he said that closing Willowbrook
was a “mistake” during an interview on
“Morning Joe” on MSNBC.
“A few employees harmed those who
were patients at Willowbrook on Staten
Island. Th ere was a reaction from the
advocates to close down Willowbrook,
deinstitutionalize those who needed
around-the-clock services, but we didn’t
balance that with real programs to give
it to them,” Adams said in that interview.
Adams later clarifi ed through a spokesperson
that while he was “disturbed
by the mistreatment at Willowbrook
decades ago,” he meant that “since then,
Democratic mayoral candidate and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams listens to the concerns of advocates and representatives for the intellectually
and developmentally disabled at a Life’s WORC’s round table hosted by Victoria Schneps.
New York has systematically eliminated
mental health beds that can be greatly
benefi cial to those who need constant
care, leaving our city unable to provide
for them,” according to amNew York
Metro.
Schneps, whose daughter Lara had
been a patient at Willowbrook, invited
the Brooklyn borough president to
learn more about Willowbrook and Life’s
WORC.
During his visit, Adams again referred
to his comments about Willowbrook,
saying that he felt that aft er the institution
closed, the city and state “did not
give support to the families.”
“I just really felt as though the city,
the state just abandoned those families
with children with special needs, because
behind every child with special needs is
a special parent,” Adams said. “Th e challenge
of what it takes — that love and
nurturing and you just want your child
to have the dignity and respect that they
deserve, and that’s what every parent
wants. And I believe in it.”
During his visit at the Rivera home,
which included a tour of the inside and
outdoor facilities, Adams met with residents
of the home and spoke with staff
about the many services they off er beyond
their residential group home, including
behavioral analysis services, community
habilitation, customized employment
services, day habilitation, school-based
services, respite and family support services,
and trust and fi nancial services, as
well as the programs and services off ered
by its Family Center for Autism.
Th e Life’s WORC team spoke with
Adams about the challenges they face,
particularly relating to workforce
shortages.
Adams offered to set up an
Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
advisory committee to help address some
of these challenges at the city level, if
elected mayor.
“If we could put together a group like
this, a cross section … and just say,
‘Eric, here are the low hanging fruits
that we can do now, here are some of the
things that we can do later,’ and just start
putting us on a pathway,” Adams said.
“We need to be pouring our resources
into those who have barriers.”
Along with representatives from Life’s
WORC, the event was attended by
InterAgency Council of Developmental
Disabilities Agencies Inc. (IAC) Executive
Director Th omas McAlvanah; AHRC
New York City CEO Marco R. Damiani;
and Quality Services for the Autism
Community (QSAC) NY Chairperson
Yvette Watts.
Disclosure: Victoria Schneps is publisher
of QNS and Schneps Media.
Democratic mayoral candidate and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Victoria Schneps
(front) pose for a photo with healthcare leaders at Life’s WORC group home in Little Neck.
(From l. to r.) Life’s WORC CEO Janet Koch, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Life’s WORC
Founder and Honorary Board Member Victoria Schneps and Life’s WORC Board Chairperson Lynne
Koufakis at Life’s WORC’s fi rst group home in Little Neck.
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