Apartment Living

Participants of the LifeWorks Transition Academy have a private bedroom in one of our 16 apartment suites. Our residential apartment complex – the Julie & Gary Ransdell Living and Learning Community – is located directly behind the LifeWorks Education & Administrative Building. The entire campus, including buildings and grounds, was completely renovated in Spring 2020. The apartments are fully furnished and contain all appliances, including a washer and dryer.

Apartment units are assigned by LifeWorks staff. Participants do not select their apartment. All participants are required to share an apartment with another participant. The apartment complex consists of three apartment buildings with a total of 16 apartment units.

Building #1 has eight 2-bedroom, 1-bath apartments, with laundry closets. There are four apartments on the ground floor and four apartments on the second floor. The stairway to the 2nd floor is located in the center breezeway.

Building #2 has four 2-bedroom apartments. Two of the units have two full bathrooms and the other two units have 1 and ½ bathrooms. The townhouse-style apartment includes a full kitchen; full or ½ bathroom; living quarters; and laundry closet on the first floor, and two bedrooms and a full bathroom on the second floor.

Building #3 has four 2-bedroom apartments. The townhouse-style apartment includes a full kitchen; ½ bathroom; laundry closet; and living quarters on the first floor, and two bedrooms and a full bathroom on the second floor.

Furniture & Appliances

• All apartments contain basic, essential furniture items and appliances:

• Bedroom: bed (full or twin size), dresser, mirror, nightstand, lamp.

• Livingroom: couch, recliner chair, side table, lamp.

• Dining Area: dinette table and four chairs

• Kitchen: refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, electric stove/oven

• Laundry Closet: full-size washer and dryer

• Limited Household Items: tableware (4-set), bed linens, kitchen and bath towels, trashcans, utensils, and cookware.

Participants may request to bring furniture items – requests must be approved in advance by the LifeWorks Executive Director and the Homeland Property Manager.

Each apartment is occupied by two same birth-sex participants. Learning to successfully share space is an essential life skill for all adults. Living with another person not only provides an opportunity to develop a friendship but also provides real opportunities to practice social and interpersonal skills, conflict management, cooperation, emotional regulation, and compromise.

An integral part of the LifeWorks Transition Academy is the opportunity to practice living independently in a typical apartment. Each participant is responsible for the following:

• Maintaining a clean and orderly apartment and practicing appropriate safety precautions.

• Preparing meals, doing laundry, and completing routine household tasks (i.e., taking out the trash, operating thermostat, etc.).

• Participating in weekly scheduled Apartment Upkeep & Safety Check Inspections by LifeWorks staff.

• Compliance with apartment inspections required by the property management company.

• Informing staff of any concerns.

• Expenses related to rent, utilities, and Wi-Fi are all included in the participant’s tuition and fees. Cable television is not included but can be purchased directly from the local cable provider.

• Participants are responsible for purchasing their own groceries, household supplies, and personal items.

• Participants are responsible for personal spending money and leisure expenses.

The safety and well-being of all LifeWorks participants is paramount. The following is a list of measures LifeWorks has taken to help ensure participant safety:

• The grounds and exterior of all buildings are well-lit. Exterior lighting functions by photocell, not timers.

• The apartment complex is equipped with 16 security cameras.

• A Bowling Green Police Department officer resides onsite.

• A LifeWorks staff member is on-call for emergencies at night and on weekends.

• WKU Campus Police provide safety & self-defense training.

• Fire and storm safety drills are facilitated quarterly.

• Participants are required to subscribe to WKU emergency text message alerts.

Regarding Participant Safety & Supervision

It’s required that LifeWorks participants and their parents fully understand and agree to the following information. All participants and their parents must read and sign the LifeWorks Supervision Acknowledgment & Release Agreement upon enrolling at LifeWorks:

• LifeWorks is not a residential care facility, staffed residential home, or group home facility.

• There is no 24-hour supervision at LifeWorks at WKU.

• Participants must have the safety skills/maturity level necessary to live without supervision.

• Participants must be able to function safely without direct supervision while in their apartment, in the community, or at their place of employment.

• Unless there is a scheduled event or activity, LifeWorks staff are not present during nights and weekends. A staff member is on-call for emergencies, but participants are otherwise expected to function independently during the evening and on the weekend.