itto be, ashe put it,“a sheep in wolf’sclothing.” It
neededtolooktothegovernmentlikeanursinghome,in
ordertoqualifyforpublicnursinghomepayments,and
alsotocostnomorethanothernursinghomes.Itneeded
tohavethetechnologiesandcapabilitiestohelppeople
regardless of how severely disabled or impaired they
mightbecome.Yetitneededtofeeltofamilies,residents,
and thepeoplewho workedthere likea home,not an
institution.Withfunding fromthenot-for-profitRobert
WoodJohnsonFoundation,hebuiltthefirstGreenHouse
in Tupelo, Mississippi, in partnership with an Eden
Alternativenursinghomethathaddecidedtobuildnew
units. Not long afterward,the foundationlaunched the
National Green House Replication Initiative, which
supported the construction of more than 150 Green
Housesintwenty-five states—amongthemtheLeonard
Florence Center for Living that Lou had toured.
Whetheritwasthatfirsthomeforadozenpeopleina
Tupeloneighborhoodorthetenhomesthatwerebuiltin
theFlorence Center’s six-story building,the principles
have remained unchanged and echo those of other
pioneers. All Green Houses are small and communal.
None hasmore thantwelve residents.At theFlorence
Center,thefloorshavetwowings,eachcalledaGreen
House, where about ten people live together. The
residences aredesigned to be warm and homey—with
ordinary furniture, a living room with a hearth,
family-stylemealsaroundonebigtable,afrontdoorwith
adoorbell.Andtheyaredesignedtopursuetheideathat
a life worth living can be created, in this case, by
focusing on food, homemaking, and befriending others.