Cardinal Timothy Dolan paid a visit to ArchCare at St. Teresa’s on Staten Island Wednesday, greeting residents, parents, and staff of the independent living for adults with autism facility.

“I’m so happy to see it because I’ve been watching closely and following the progress, but this is my first time here. But not my last!” Cardinal Dolan said.

A former convent, the two-storey building next to St. Teresa-St. Rita STREAM Academy is currently home to nine residents. Each has his or her own apartment with a kitchen, and residents work or attend school as able.

The residents maintain their own residential council, which organizes activities in cooperation with administrators and supervisors, including a restaurant club.

“We’re very excited that the second one is under development right now in Tuckahoe. It’s about halfway done, and we’ve had about 60 applicants for tenants there,” said Scott LaRue, president and CEO of ArchCare.

Cardinal Dolan previously visited in 2020, when the site was newly opened. The first of its kind, ArchCare at St. Teresa is serving as a model for other independent living facilities, including the Tuckahoe site LaRue mentioned.

“There is a tsunami of people with autism that need housing,” said Donna Maxon, an independent housing consultant for ArchCare at St. Teresa’s, herself a mother of an adult with autism. “This provides a welcoming and supportive environment,” she added.