Finding Independence at Momentum – Josh’s Story

Walking into the Horwitz home, a resident named Josh will greet you with an eternally youthful smile and immediately introduce himself. He has an incredibly welcoming demeanor that creates the feeling you’ve been friends for years.

Josh is one of five people living independently in the Santa Ana home operated by Momentum. Josh has autism, and at the age of 48, his mother, Barbara, has deemed him the “old man” of the group. But, regardless of his mother’s impression, he and the four other residents have developed a strong bond.

“Josh is a very interesting person,” Barbara says of her son. “He’s very smart; he’s good at picking up languages, and has a very good memory, and is an avid sports fan.”

Before living in Horwitz, the Cohen’s sought independence for Josh. “It started with him living in a condo we purchased. It worked pretty well for the first few years, but the biggest issue is it’s rather isolating. And he still had to rely on us for any social activities,” she says.

Barbara says that finding a group home that would offer her son independence while creating a sense of community was a tall order.

“You’re hard-pressed to find a high-quality group home,” Barbara says. “One where there is a home feeling that is really well run and people can still be independent.”

So Barbara and her husband and a few other families went to the Jewish Federation to fill that need. After some work, several donated homes became available in 2014. These structures are the genesis of the Horwitz and Mandel homes. In 2021, Momentum took over the management of the two locations. Both houses, steeped in Jewish tradition, do not require residents to be Jewish to live in the home. “It gives them an extra connection, that level of warmth,” Barbara says.

“His independence is immeasurably important (and) until we had that feeling again, I just couldn’t relax,” she says. Josh currently holds an office job through a work program. Momentum collaborates with other agencies to help find the right fit for the people supported to give them the best chance at success.

“One of the things I tell people, a lot, is that when you’re the parent of a child with any kind of disability, your biggest concern is what happens to your child when you get to the point that you can’t take that good care of them or you’re just not here anymore,” Barbara says. “Here is a population of people who are getting tremendous benefit from living in these houses. They achieve independence with a strong sense of self, living independently with the resources they need. Momentum has done such great work. It’s important to us knowing he’s in a safe and enjoyable place.”

Barbara explains that supporting opportunities for people with disabilities is an investment in the whole community. When people with disabilities “become nurtured by Momentum, they start becoming more productive, and that makes for a better society.”

You can donate to Momentum and help people like Josh continue to live their best life. View more stories of how you are impacting people here.