The nonprofit organization Rehoboth Acres began has begun making a place for people with special needs by opening a Longview day center for adults.

The organization’s name comes from one of the stories in the book of Genesis in the Bible, when Isaac named a well “Rehoboth,” meaning that God had made a place for him and his family. The organization is starting with the day center but plans to open a residential facility.

Board member Shelley Scraver said organizing board members are families of people with special needs.

“We’re looking to their future, because it is challenging to take care of them — and then what happens to them when we’re gone?” she said.

Rehoboth Acres is inside a building that houses a Vietnamese church on the Mobberly Baptist Church property off Tryon Road.

Information on the organization’s website says the private, faith-based program is designed for adults with an intellectual or developmental disability. Enrollment is limited to 20 people, with full- and part-time spots available.

“So many of the group homes are shutting down or are so poorly run in this area,” Scraver said.

The day center will be staffed by three paid employees and two volunteers. Participants are called Rehoboth Citizens, and the staffing levels ensure a ratio of no more than four patients to one staff member.

“This above-average ratio ensures that each individual receives the care, engagement, and encouragement they deserve,” the organization’s website states.

Scraver said the Rehoboth Acres day center will help answer the question of what happens to special needs people when they leave high school. It will provide them a place to interact with their peers in a safe environment.

Rehoboth Citizens “will engage in a wide variety of purposeful activities including physical exercise, communication development, spiritual growth, enterprises, life skills training, recreational and social activities,” the website states.

Rehoboth Acres will operate 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The organization will charge tuition and will not accept Medicaid. Additional funding will be provided through financial partnerships, gifts and “enterprises that our Rehoboth Acres participants will create in our day program.”

Nichole Huggins, a certified special education teacher and licensed children’s minister, is director of Rehoboth Acres. Laney Wootten is founder and board president.

Visit rehobothacres.org/ for more information.