Humans were designed for community and belonging. It’s essential to personal and collective well-being.
For core members, L’Arche offers a lifelong home with deep relational connection. Relationships grow between community members, across differences, especially between people with and people without disabilities. Relationships are at the heart of L’Arche’s mission and one of the reasons our impact is recognized globally.
Daily life is centered on core members who take the lead in making decisions and setting schedules. Core members lead and co-lead household meetings, help plan meals, choose which faith community he or she wants to participate in, if any, and set annual goals for themselves. Core members also make presentations to professionals in the disability field, to students, government organizations, and faith communities. One of their most important roles is to orient new people to community living, including spiritual life, hospitality, and solidarity. The unique perspective of each L’Arche core member makes L’Arche homes a loving and exciting place to grow, learn, and live.
All of these little things we do every day together, add up to make these really big, impactful lives. We create home together, so we can go beyond just surviving. We want to thrive! Just like you. By choosing to care that people with I/DD experience belonging and home, we can shift the shape of society for all.
We believe it’s possible to shape a world that welcomes every person as a fully valued and meaningfully contributing member of society. Our way of life has the power to create a more human society by removing the barriers between people with and without I/DD. We believe the beauty of mutual interdependence, rooted in love and forgiveness, has the power to shape a more caring, human world.
