OTR is dedicated to increasing the quality of life for individuals with physical disabilities through the creation of affordable, accessible, barrier-free housing solutions and person-centered services that encourage independent living. These parents, who were not wealthy, were faced with the dilemma of where their children would live as they reached adulthood and could no longer live at home with
their aging parents. After visiting the only existing options -- state-funded nursing homes and other assisted-living facilities, these parents were heartbroken. Residents could not come and go as they pleased. They could not choose when to get up, what to eat, and could not choose their own personal care attendants. Also, work or further education in these settings seemed impossible. After years of fundraising, research, and determination to develop a better housing solution, Over the Rainbow Association was born. OTR pioneered a new housing concept with the completion of an affordable, barrier-free, eight-unit apartment building in the trendy Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago in 1982. The Belden Apartments was the first of its kind in Chicago, and received the 1982 Governor's Award for Excellence in Housing for the Disabled and the American Architect’s Award for Disability Design. Today, OTR owns, manages, and provides person-centered services to 12 apartment communities and 5 more in progress serving over 350 adults across Northern Illinois.
