Our Guiding Statements
Our Mission
We believe that by creating an environment where people with intellectual and physical disabilities can share their gifts, we are affecting a positive change in the world. We believe that these shared gifts have the power to transform the lives of those who are open to receiving them. We celebrate the unique value of every person and recognize our need for one another. We resolve to explore and appreciate the diverse cultures and faith practices within L’Arche and to work together toward a more evolved and caring human society.
Our Vision
L’Arche is about TRANSFORMING lives one story at a time, living out SPIRITUALITY in a concrete way, and long-term COMMITMENTS to each other.
L’Arche is a bold response to society’s assumptions about people with intellectual disabilities.
L’Arche strives to create a radically inclusive space where people with intellectual disabilities are placed at the center of community.
Core members are celebrated and respected for their unique gifts, wisdom, and insight.
In L’Arche, core members and assistants mutually need one another.
What is life at L’Arche like?
L’Arche is a nonprofit community for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities.
We have four homes where people with intellectual/developmental disabilities live, and a workshop where people with disabilities create pieces of art to display and sell.
Our assistants help people with disabilities with their everyday needs, such as cooking, chores, daily routines, and recreational activities. Some of our assistants live in our homes as well. We value choice and independence.
In L’Arche, we aim to create a community of belonging that goes beyond the traditional “service provider and service recipient” model. Our philosophy is that people with disabilities have a lot to teach us, and we are not just here to provide a service to them. We are open to learning, listening, and forming reciprocal friendships with them.
The Language of L’Arche
Core members=Residents=Members of our community with intellectual/developmental disabilities
Assistants=Direct Support Professionals=Members of our community without disabilities
Sharing life=working=assisting core members with daily life activities
Intentional Community=residential community=group home=assisted living Facility
In L’Arche, we use intentional language to reflect our mission. We are more than just a facility of service providers and service recipients; we are striving to create a community of belonging for people with and without intellectual disabilities. The language we use reflects that.
Our Network
L’Arche Jacksonville is accountable to the high standards of L’Arche USA and L’Arche International.
L’Arche Jacksonville is a part of L’Arche USA which is a part of L’Arche International. L’Arche communities in the United States provide homes and workplaces where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together as peers; create inclusive communities of faith and friendship; and transform society through relationships that cross social boundaries.
L’Arche is a world-wide social movement, bringing individuals with a disabilities into the hearts of their societies, making their voice heard, providing a true home and the opportunity to develop their unique gifts to the fullest. Today, there are 159 communities of L’Arche in 38 countries. They are united by a common vision and a shared mission expressed in the official Charter of L’Arche.
The Federation seeks to foster solidarity among communities, ensure unity in diversity, establish the conditions for membership, and to create conditions for trust, service, dialogue, and mutual support.
