Parkview Services History
Stella and Norman Chivers, Parkview Founders, were recipients of the Housing Hero Award in September, 2002, at the Housing Washington Conference for their pioneering efforts in housing. Parkview was started by Norman and Stella 1967 with the purchase of the state’s first group home located up on Capitol Hill. It was the Chivers’ vision that this home would provide families a community-based alternative to institutionalizing their son or daughter. Creating community based options for persons with developmental disabilities was considered a new and bold residential option in 1967. Thirty-five years later, the Chiver’s vision lives on and 6 young adults still live in the Group Home on Capitol Hill.
Parkview Homes for the Mentally Retarded was incorporated on June 15th, 1967. The Chivers purchased the Capitol Hill home in 1967 where Parkview still provides residential services. With live-in parents and support staff, the mission was to provide families with a community-based alternative to institutional care for their child with a disability.
Highlights
1967 Parkview founded as Parkview Homes For The Mentally Retarded.
1968 Name was changed to Parkview Homes for Exceptional Children.
1973 Parkview built two group homes to provide residential support for 12 children.
1994 The state changed its approach to services to children from the therapeutic approach Parkview used to a more custodial approach.
1995 Parkview leased out the two group homes and changed the Capitol Hill program to serve adults.
1997 Parkview sold its two group homes and began working on its Affordable Housing Program. Since 2003, Parkview has acquired 32 homes.
1998 Parkview took over the New Horizons summer camp program on Vashon Island and renamed it Camp Parkview.
1999 Parkview started Stepping Out for Fun, a program to match people still living with their families with interested volunteers, to go out and have fun.
2000 Parkview changed the name it had for 32 years to Parkview Services to reflect the current diversity of the agency.
