Your Life, Your Choice

Our story begins with disability rights advocacy…

All DON companies share the same mission initially set forth by Chris Lloyd: To generate local economic development with an emphasis on assisting persons with disabilities to live as independently as they choose.

Following medical retirement from the US Navy in 1998, DON's founder Chris Lloyd became active in the Independent Living Movement, which champions the rights of people with disabilities to choose to live independently.  Chris created Disability Options Network (DON) in 2002 in Lawrence County, PA as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). Initially, the CIL provided disability rights advocacy and community-based services in 4 counties.

In 2005, recognizing the limited federal financial support offered to CILs, Chris created a second organization, DON Services, Inc., as an additional funding source for Disability Options Network (DON).

DON Services, Inc. is a non-profit corporation and the largest of the DON entities. This entity allowed the CIL to expand into 9 counties. DON Services, Inc. also helped address the tremendous need facing persons with disabilities as they transition from institutional living to more independent, self-directed living.

DON Services, Inc., a waiver service provider, offers in-home attendant care under the Pennsylvania Department of Services Program for Persons with Physical Disabilities, Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA), Independence COMMCARE, in addition to Private Pay, Veterans services, and ACT 150 programs. DON Services, Inc. employs over 1,000 people, providing services in 9 counties. The company is currently expanding to reach a total of 27 counties in which DON is licensed to operate.  This will give DON a geographic footprint stretching from Lake Erie to West Virginia.

As DON has grown, the tremendous scope of the issues in our region has become more clear.

Which Led to Affordable Housing…

Chris observed the growing number of blighted properties and vacant houses in New Castle (over 800 dwellings on the demolition list). He also knew that thousands of persons with disabilities remained in nursing homes or sub-standard housing. From these understandings, he had the idea of DON Enterprises.

In 2011, DON Enterprises, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation was added to the DON family. The entity was formed to expand DON’s mission to address the need for affordable, universal housing. DON Enterprise, Inc., was the first successful applicant of Federal Home Loan Bank funding in the local area in over 22 years.  The entity has acquired over 58 properties and is currently constructing 17 new homes. To date, DON has completed and sold seven properties. 

And Business District Revitalization…

Acquisitions include the 77,000 square foot ‘Central Building’ located in downtown New Castle, Pennsylvania. DON also acquired five more buildings with over 180,000 additional square feet. These buildings are in various stages of renovation, with PA CareeerLink as an anchor tenant. 
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In addition to offering mixed-use residential housing, these buildings will house several other DON entities, including DON ReClaim!. DON ReClaim!’s mission is to support and promote conservation while offering employment by selling used and salvaged construction materials for less. 

Chris Lloyd:
“The recipe for success is replicable and scalable when inspired leadership, community buy-in, and smart investments coalesce around a common vision.  What is different, in my view, about our approach is that we built the foundational layers first, which took time because we did it organically without incurring debt.  We learned a lot and can help others to do the same critical foundation work, but probably faster by learning from our experience.”