Friday Forums at St. Mary's Home

Group Homes: Where Do I Start? 

Join us on Friday, Feb. 10, and enjoy some light refreshments as you learn about community options and resources for individuals with developmental disabilities. There will be time for Q&A. 

About the speakers: 

Tonya Carr joined the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) in 2014 and currently serves as a family resource consultant in the Division of Developmental Services. She provides education and support to individuals and their families, training center/facility staff, community providers, community services boards and personal support teams regarding community living options and resources related to transition and the community integration process. She also oversees connections to family and peer mentors, community living contacts and many other resources.

Tonya is from Richmond, Va., and is a graduate of Old Dominion University. She began her career  by working in ID Waiver group homes in the Hampton Roads area. Her experiences lead to supervising individuals at an ID Waiver pre-vocational workshop. The world of ID case management was the next stop for Tonya, and her knowledge base and expertise in the ID and MH communities grew exponentially. While at Norfolk Community Services Board, she assisted with the transition and discharge of more than 60 individuals from various facilities into the community, trained staff agency-wide in the Mandt System and implemented the ID/MH Supportive Living Program. She currently attends Old Dominion University and will receive her master’s degree in public administration in August 2017.

Benita Holland joined DBHDS in 2015 as a family resource consultant. Prior to DBHDS, Benita was a support coordinator with Norfolk Community Services Board, serving a diverse population of individuals. She also served as a crisis intervention team trainer, educating law enforcement on best practices when responding to individuals experiencing mental health crises. Additionally, Benita was elected by her peers as the CSB’s employee liaison for the City of Norfolk’s Employee Relations Committee. 

Benita is a native of Isle of Wight County, Va. She has worked in the field of mental health and developmental services for 18 years, starting in residential services. She is a graduate of Norfolk State University with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She also earned a master's of science degree in criminal justice and a master's of science degree in psychology with a specialization in applied behavior analysis.