Everyone Deserves a Loving Home

We pride ourselves in our excellence in quality of care and independence in living.

Dignity. Choice. Personal and Spiritual Growth.

“He never even turned around and said goodbye to us, he was just so happy to be with his friends,” said Maureen Sage, the mother of a resident of Noah Homes, as she described the day her son Ryan moved in. “And you know, that’s what you want for your kids. You want them to be happy, you want them to be surrounded by people who love them… and I would have to say that all of the hopes and dreams that you have for a normal kid, have really come true at Noah.”

Home Is Where the Heart Is

The average age of a resident is 48-years-old, with 26-years-old being our youngest and 75-years-old being our most senior. We’re working hard to open our doors to more people.

About Noah

Since 1983, our mission as a nonprofit has been to provide exceptional residential services and opportunities to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This now includes advocacy and community partnership. Our goal is to maximize each individual’s independence in a community environment that fosters dignity and respect, as well as personal and spiritual growth.

Our Homes

Today, there are 90 men and women we like to call “the folks” that chose a home at Noah Homes to call their own. Ten homes each are named to reflect the strong Hispanic culture of San Diego, such as Casa de Flores and Casa de Felicidad. Noah Homes is an oasis of peace as well as a hub of activity, offering residents continued opportunities for personal growth and fulfillment. The folks are our inspiration in action, helping us to understand how we can best support all people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Noah’s Ark Angel Foundation

Noah’s Ark Angel Foundation (the Foundation) is a single purpose charitable foundation supporting the work of Noah Homes. Pillars of the community and the Noah Homes board of directors established the Foundation to raise awareness of Noah Homes and to strengthen Noah’s present and future financial stability. Please visit the Ark Angel Foundation website for more information.

Daily Life

Residents leave their homes each weekday morning to work in the community with the support of a job coach, or to participate in a variety of community activities. Weekends are opportunities to enjoy San Diego and the outlying areas. There are plenty of choices every week for recreation, enrichment, and worship. Each member of a house is carefully selected based on their personal needs and ability to contribute to the house and to their housemates. Some favorites include ice skating, Padres baseball games, karaoke and bowling.

History

Though developmental disability is the thread common to all the folks who live at Noah, the reality is that once a person arrives, the diagnosis quickly fades into the background. Freed from the label, some very interesting people come into view.

In 1979, a group of Catholic parents met to brainstorm areas of concern for their daughters and sons with disabilities. The secret dream of each of the parents was that a faith-based home for their children could become a reality. After much persistence and hard work, the parents, community and Sister Kathryn Jennings managed to incorporate a facility and enter into escrow on a property.

In 1982, with the help of Walter Fitch III, Noah Homes, Inc., purchased eight acres in Spring Valley and in 1983 opened Casa de Felicidad with six residents and four people on staff. Becoming a model of best-practices for supporting people with disabilities and their families, Noah Homes has added three more acres, seven more houses and many more residents. Through fundraising and private donations Noah Homes has remodeled, expanded, and become a successful environment promoting a place of refuge, safety, and acceptance exactly like Noah’s ark.

The history of Noah Homes has included celebrating graduations from school, cashing first paychecks and shopping for a formal dress or tux for the Harvest Ball. It has called for supporting those whose parents have died and seeking solace when one of “the folks” dies. It has included walking with several of our friends into the darkness of Alzheimer disease. There have been moments of exhilaration, as well as profound sadness. It is all part of life and the wonder of being human. It is all an expression of love.