LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Did you know a new Opportunity Village campus is coming to the Northwest Valley?
WATCH | Guy Tannenbaum has the details:
The nearly $60 million project is set to open this fall, and will bring workforce training for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, an art studio and gallery, thrift store, cafe and more to almost 20 acres of land near Rome and Thom boulevards, which is north of the Costco at North Decatur and the 215.
Opportunity Village board member Patty Aguilar's son, Nicholas, has been going to OV for years, and shared her experiences with reporters after a roundtable with Rep. Susie Lee last month discussing funding and an update on the future Northwest Campus.
"Honestly, without this program, I don't think my son would be here," Aguilar said. "He's led a fabulous life, and has probably done more than most have been able to do; he's a true blessing."
"What I'm truly looking forward to [about the new campus] is all that's going to be provided," Aguilar continued. "Everything is going to be provided that my son's in need of."
When it's completed, the Northwest Campus will be Opportunity Village's fourth in the valley, and it'll be home to Betty's Village North — their second residential community — providing more than 100 residents like Nicholas with accessible, affordable housing that has direct access to support for their needs.
"Opportunity Village provides those resources now, and I think by living there it's going to provide more independent resources for him," Aguilar said.
The first Betty's Village residential community opened next to Opportunity Village's Engelstad Campus near Russell Road and Buffalo Drive in 2021, focused on transforming the lives of those with disabilities through independent living.
"It's tremendously humbling to see that need being met, but equally humbling to see that there are literally hundreds of people just like Nicholas that need more accessible, affordable options," said Chuck Neuwohner.
Neuwohner is Opportunity Village's Chief Program Officer, and says the goal of their new campus is to really welcome the northwest Valley in.
"For the entire neighborhood — those with and without disabilities — from the park, to the shops, to the many events that we'll be hosting on site, it's a way to really invite the community to be a part of the experience of integrating with not just the folks we serve, but the people who support and love them too," Neuwohner said.
"It means my son is going to live a full life with care," Patty Aguilar said. "It gives me so much security to know that they're expanding — they have been phenomenal in my son's life."
Opportunity Village officials say they're hoping to welcome in new residents to Betty's Village North this December — for more information on the project, visit their website by clicking here.
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