Opportunity Enterprises shows helping those with special needs can have huge economic impact
As Opportunity Enterprises nears 60 years of serving people with various disabilities, its leader is thinking about the nonprofit's broader impact on Northwest Indiana's economic development.
OE President and CEO Neil Samahon, who left the private sector to lead OE in 2019, said demonstrating how the organization helps so many people and families can help draw businesses and development to the Region.
“To be influential or significant in conversations, you have to speak that language (of business),” he said. “You have to relate to how we are beneficial to the economy or economic development, and what is our piece of that puzzle.”
Launched in 1967, OE's mission is to “create inclusive and equitable opportunities for people of all abilities. OE offers an extensive array of programs, support services, residential facilities and more for people with disabilities. Expanding on the impact OE has on economic development makes sense,” Samahon said.
With as many as 1 in 4 Americans reporting a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many families take seriously a community's commitment to helping care for their loved ones who have disabilities. Providing a range of quality services to those individuals and their families who are considering playing, working and living in Northwest Indiana is about quality of life and economic development, Samahon said.
One of OE's examples of serving people with disabilities and building the local economy is its 3-year-old Lakeside Respite Center in Valparaiso. Samahon pointed out numerous details during a tour of the 16,000-square-foot building and a uniquely designed treehouse.
Lakeside is roomy, comfortable and drenched in warm earth tones punctuated with welcoming messages. It's designed to fit people of all abilities, including people who use wheelchairs, and it offers a brief home-away-from-home for people with disabilities and peace of mind for their families.
With 11 sleeping rooms with double beds and each designed with specific themes, a large kitchen and dining area and staffed by 50 OE employees, Lakeside is a place where locals and visitors can spend time together or use as a base for touring the area. It sits on 158 acres and includes Lake Eliza.
Lakeside stays busy with guests and even locals who use the facility, and it's a key asset for what Samahon called “disability tourism,” a trend toward creating tourist destinations that are accessible for all people. For example, families can count on their disabled loved ones receiving top-level care at Lakeside while they tour the Indiana Dunes or visit Chicago, Samahon said.
“Families want to find a place, potentially, that is friendly to neurotypical loved ones or those with a disability and still be able to have a great day together in one place,” he said. “Or, if they're looking to visit the area, they may utilize our respite center, knowing they can leave their son or daughter here at our respite center and then partake in various activities throughout the Region.”
OE also contributes to economic development by employing about 400 people. It funnels about $15.3 million in payroll to the regional economy. Many of those employees are OE clients who work in its three “social enterprises,” or special businesses that serve the public and help OE clients develop work and social skills: Clean Team, which offers janitorial services; Do Goodies, which makes and sells popcorn and fudge, much of which can be found on grocery shelves; and, Secure Shred, a paper and electronic recycling program.
Samahon said OE is in talks with Purdue University researchers to determine the full economic impact of OE's social enterprises and other work on the local economy.
“I think it's going be a pretty significant number that can illustrate the other value OE brings to the community,” Samahon said. “But, always, first and foremost, our focus is on how we are serving the individuals with a disability.”
Part of OE's economic development push is partnering with HealthLinc, a nonprofit made of more than a dozen community health center across Northwest Indiana.
OE and HealthLinc next year will open a 7,500-square-foot health care facility adjacent to OE's Valparaiso headquarters.
“At HealthLinc, we believe that quality health care should be accessible to everyone,” said Melissa Mitchell, CEO of HealthLinc, in a press release. “This partnership with OE is a model for how we can provide the best quality of care by meeting the needs of our patients. Together, we are building healthy communities.”
The facility will be fully accessible for individuals with disabilities, including larger exam rooms, specially designed equipment and other ways to accommodate those individuals, said Samahon, who has a daughter with a disability and listed the challenges of seeking care at traditional health care facilities.
The clinic can be a big draw for businesses considering relocating to Northwest Indiana, Samahon said.
“(The clinic) will be another example of asking, ‘How do we do something here at OE that benefits the people we serve in this organization? After that, how does it benefit the community,’” Samahon said. “I would submit that having a purposeful built health clinic for individuals with disabilities would benefit the entire community.” •
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