Today we’d like to introduce you to Onslow Williams Dejuan Bridges.
Onslow Williams , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When founding Close 2 Home Residential Care Facilities LLC, Dejuan and I wanted to be in the position to be financially independent, serve the communities , and also give opportunities to others for employment and career development. We thought of different ways on how we could do all of the above and we decided on opening a group home for ambulatory elders. As we embarked on that journey , we had little no knowledge on which route to take. Along the way outside of us doing our own research we got connected to a few individuals in the industry or in similar industries.
When starting the group home we ran into obstacles and we had to take a step back and reassess. While we were in the midst of that, we spoke with one of the people we got connected with and he suggested that we take the Homecare Provider agency route since we already had multiple qualifications and it made more since for our vision, given we wanted to touch a more broad demographic of people and it gave us more of an opportunity to do more services than just housing.
After that we took the next steps in becoming a Homecare agency. It took us about 10 months to finish the process and complete the application with all of the required documents and certifications. We kept getting things kicked back becuase they weren’t correct.
Once we were finally certified we hit the ground running , learning the industry as we moved forward. As we grew , we wanted to make sure we can grow but at a nice pace and create a culture within our agency for employees to develop and be given advancement opportunities !
We then hired an agency coordinator to help out with the structure of the agency and employee development. Since then our business has grown in many ways and still learning and growing til this day !
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
With building a business it’s Often times more challenging than , smooth. We have had challenges of course and I’d say the biggest challenge was learning the industry and how to maneuver. As well as hiring the right staff and not just individuals who are looking to collect a quick paycheck, but someone who cares about giving support to the individuals.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Specialized services for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Which include :
homemaker personal care
Adult day support / Adult workshop
Non medical Transportation
Residential Respite services
What sets our agency apart from others is the genuineness from the head and the leaders of the agency. The culture and standard of the services we provide. The expectations of the staff and efforts from the team is always all hands on deck even from Dejuan and I being the owners.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
With the presidential election there are discussions of how the changes to Medicaid could effect the industry , but with this being such a essential industry in healthcare , I believe that the industry will continue to grow and a demand for Homecare providers will still be at a high.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.Close2homercf.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/close2homercf/profilecard/?igsh=bm8zdm95eGx4Z21m
