Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Nocon.
Hi Molly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started at Noah Homes in 1995 looking for a home for my brother Herbie, a gentleman with Down syndrome. Our father died suddenly and our mom was ill. Herbie needed a place to call his home and be with friends. He was fairly independent, but needed oversight on daily needs and being sure he was cared for in an environment of supporting his quest for independence.
Noah Homes is celebrating 40 years of service this year to adults with disabilities. The organization started with one home and 6 residents, and has grown to 10 homes, 90 residents and a staff of more than 130 to support their needs. Herbie spent 14 wonderful years and affectionately was known as the sheriff of Noah. He was deeply concerned about safety and he also loved putting up the flag every morning; our Dad had a long career in the Navy. One day he forgot to put the flag up and staff knew something was wrong. Doctor’s appointments and new research on Down syndrome adults soon confirmed he was developing Alzheimer’s. His journey through this disease cemented my career path at Noah Homes, first as family support, then board member participation and ultimately as the CEO. It has been a fulfilling and challenging pathway, in my 16 years of understanding needs, asking for expertise and funding to fight this disease, and the basic aging needs of adult with disabilities. Within 6 years of my brother’s death, I developed the first Memory Care Homes in California specifically for adults with disabilities now living long enough to be dealing with Alzheimer’s.
When my brother was born in 1949, his life expectancy was 25 years. He died a few months shy of his 60th birthday. The average life span of a person with Down syndrome now is 48, and we are seeing that number moving into late 50’s routinely. Unfortunately, this also means they are 6 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s because of their genetics that created Down syndrome.
Thanks to the creation of Memory Care Homes, Noah Homes can now take care of an adult with a disability, that qualifies them to live at Noah Homes, through end of life. We can assure the family this will be their loved one’s home for the rest of their lives, if that is their choice. In my time at Noah Homes there have been only a few that moved due to extreme health issues we were not able to support.
Through the success of these homes, and the training we created to support them, I have been on a national path to encourage more Memory Care and to educate government agencies, nonprofits and families of the importance to include long term care in their loved one life plans. The oldest resident at Noah Homes is now 73. We have used our 35+ years of medical records to team with researchers at UCSD to see if there is a pathway to helping the cure for Alzheimer’s. As people with Down syndrome are almost certain to get Alzheimer’s, if they live long enough, it makes sense there could be a cure for all who are dealing with this yet incurable disease.
My career path has taken a turn to include research, and to address the national housing crisis, especially for those with disabilities. Almost 80% of those with disabilities are not employed. The majority of this population lives at home with aging parents as caregivers. The need for supported housing is critical and I have partnered with colleagues across the county to develop housing models and case studies to make it easier for developers to plan for this population as they build more low income housing. It is encouraging to see the willingness to support this population once people are educated on the needs and their abilities, instead of their disabilities.
I hope to continue in my quest to see this housing come to life across the country and see people with abilities afforded the same right to choose their life long homes as any other person in the United States.
I have been fortunate enough to share my message of housing and research successes as a speaker at National Conferences, through podcasts, and in partnership with other organizations who also want to accomplish these goals for those they serve.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This has been an extremely rocky road. As the sister of a brother with Down syndrome, I was not equipped with a background in disabilities; rather a business background that included marketing and accounting. While it is always important to keep the mission of the organization front and center it is just as important to keep funding, staffing and community support flowing within the organization.
While I was supported as being a family member, I was challenged in my desire to have others see the needs for a business model to fund the homes, and the important people they served, into perpetuity. My goal has always been to seek a balance between the two, and continue to educate our supporters of the process. I have raised more than $40 million during my tenure, and keep Noah Homes debt free and on the road to doubling our reserves.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
It was a conundrum to me as I started in the nonprofit world, that nonprofits kept close guard of their successes, their donors, and their best practices. As I learned that California permitted nonprofits to exist as long as they were serving the needs of its citizens, I was surprised at how many I approached did not see the benefit in sharing resources and partnering to collaborate on a variety of projects. As I continued to reach out to others, there has been a lessening of the territorial mind-set and an understanding of the importance of “not” reinventing the wheel every time an issue is raised. I hope this process continues and helps all of us to do more in a timelier manner.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I started my career as a jack of all trades and conqueror of none . My small business allowed me to spend time raising my two children and devoting time to their activities. When I was called to leadership at Noah Homes, I was not sure I had the skill set to accomplish all this organization needed; could I ramp up my many diverse skills to answer the needs of a multimillion dollar company with more than 70 staff?
I spent the first 6 months of my role as CEO asking lots of questions and quietly learning. I knew the expertise surrounded me, and I had to be a servant leader to make staff comfortable enough to share their knowledge and see themselves as leaders. It worked and I am very proud of the tenure of management staff at Noah Homes.
Contact Info:
- Website: Noahhomes.org
