Steven’s Life is Action-Packed
When staffing shortages forced another provider to suddenly close the group home serving Steven Strennen, his mother Leanne Carpenter turned to Mosaic for support.
Leanne said she called Mosaic “in a panic.” The staff there, who already knew Steven from supporting him previously, recommended an emergency placement with former Mosaic direct care professional Cody Matula, who had become an experienced Mosaic at HomeⓇ shared living provider. “I knew Cody and his husband Jonny and their wonderful background,” said Mosaic Independent Contract (i.e., “Provider”) Program Supervisor Roxane Beisch, “they were already successfully supporting a gentleman who was doing very well and continues to have a good quality of life in their home today.”
Within days, Cody said Leanne met him and Jonny through a virtual video conversation. “We got along so well, we decided to have lunch the next day,” Cody remarked.
After getting to know Cody and Jonny and seeing how well Steven interacted with them, Leanne gave the okay for Steven to move into the Matulas’ house. “He knew if he didn’t like our home, he had other options. But once he settled in, we discovered we had a lot in common,” said Cody.
Steven, now 33, has been with the Matulas for more than two years. “Being a mom and the compassionate educator she is, Leanne instilled good values and the importance of caring for other people in Steven,” said Cody. “She helped him grow into a wonderful man, and I’m grateful for the honor to continue her work. Steven has become like another brother to me.”
While Steven started life being shy and not talking much to others, Leanne said he’s become “much more verbal,” and she credits part of that to Cody and Jonny. “During one of Steven’s Mosaic support team meetings, we began chatting around the table,” recalled Leanne. “Then suddenly, Steve said, ‘well, let’s talk about [my] goals, shall we?” While it made all of us laugh together, it dawned on me he was picking up figures of speech and common phrases he was hearing in Cody’s and Jonny’s home.”
Left to right; Cody, Steven and Jonny
As Steven has become more independent in choosing and doing the things he wants to do, his life is now action-packed with a busy schedule of participating in sports year-round—such as bowling, softball, baseball and track and field to name a few—and he often watches professional games with Cody. “My favorite is football,” Steven said with a luminous smile. “I would say I like to watch college football the best.”
Steven also likes the food industry: He works at the local Palmer’s Deli bussing tables, doing dishes (he’s even learned to use the restaurant’s industrial dishwasher), taking out trash and performing general cleaning. “I like Palmer’s Deli, because it’s a good pace for me. One day, I even got a tip from a customer!” he proudly exclaimed.
“We were so happy we found Palmer’s Deli, where he does what he loves,” Leanne said. “Steven gets to work with a kind, dynamic team and connect with customers by opening the door and greeting them. He’s very much a people person, and his best happiness comes from being around people—no matter what he’s doing or where he’s going.”
“Steven is always happy and never down,” said Palmer’s Deli General Manager Mindy Buxbaum. “He helps me and his colleagues when needed, and if there’s something new for him to learn, he figures it out. He’s a good asset to our team.”
In addition to being part of a bible studies group and a member of a church choir, Steven participates in his community in other ways as well. He likes volunteering, and because he loves cats—the Matulas have one named Sofia—Steven volunteers at Coffee Cats, a local cafe that partners with an animal rescue and adoption group, where he takes care of the felines in the “cat lounge.”
According to Cody, Steven’s activities do not stop there. “When he wants to—which is almost all of the time—Steven goes on vacations with us. We recently returned from a vacation in the Ozarks with almost 30 of our blended family members, and he learned all of their names by the time we left! We’ve also taken him to Minnesota where he visited the Vikings football Museum, and he wanted to go to Chicago for his birthday.”
“What I want for Steven is for him to be happy,” said Leanne. “He needed a purpose in life, and I believe he’s found one by doing things he loves and making other people happy as well. He’s just the light of my life—he’s such a joy.”
The success Steven has found while living with Cody and Jonny is not uncommon. There is growing evidence proving highly personalized, one-on-one support through shared living improves the health and quality of life for people with IDD. Mosaic at Home is now Mosaic’s largest 24/7 residential service.
If you’re interested in Mosaic at Home for someone with IDD, go here on our website.