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Article updated: 1/10/2013 11:06 AM

Understanding group homes

Misconceptions of specialized housing often create worry

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Little City Residential Assistant Howard Rogers helps resident Steve Bloom as he sets the table for dinner at a group home in Palatine for developmentally and intellectually disabled men.

photos by JOE LEWNARD | Staff Photographer

Little City Residential Assistant Belinda Mason discusses the events of the day with residents gathered at the kitchen table of a group home in Palatine for developmentally and intellectually disabled men.

JOE LEWNARD | Staff Photographer

Little City Residential Assistant Howard Rogers, left, helps Joe Flasch sort laundry in the basement of a group home in Palatine for developmentally and intellectually disabled men.

JOE LEWNARD | Staff Photographer

Howard Bynum is a resident at a Little City group home in Palatine for developmentally and intellectually disabled men.

JOE LEWNARD | Staff Photographer

Residents relax in the living room of a Little City group home in Palatine for developmentally and intellectually disabled men.

JOE LEWNARD | Staff Photographer

Little City Executive Director Shawn Jeffers talks about the refurbished porch at a group home in Palatine for developmentally and intellectually disabled men.

JOE LEWNARD | Staff Photographer

Little City Executive Director Shawn Jeffers talks about life in a group home in Palatine for developmentally and intellectually disabled men.

JOE LEWNARD | Staff Photographer

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Little City Home Supervisor Darlene Banks talks about living arrangements in a group home in Palatine for developmentally and intellectually disabled men.

photos by JOE LEWNARD | Staff Photographer

Carl La Mell

Bob Adams

Shawn Jeffers

About this Article

You'd be hard-pressed to pick out many of the hundreds of nondescript group homes throughout the Chicago suburbs. But the uproar — from neighbors concerned about their property values and who will be living next door or from municipal officials who cite a number of nuisance and life safety issues — has kept some homes from opening, despite having federal law on their side. And there is the occasional problem home that reinforces negative fears.

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