A Place to Belong: Where Independence Begins and Love Grows

Mike Haynes Resident of Over The Rainbow Midtown Crossing.

“I’m still young,” Mike says. “I want to be active with my life. I’m glad there are programs at Midtown that help me grow.”

-Michael Haynes at the OTR Challenge Tour

Mike Haynes was born with spina bifida and raised in Chicago in incredibly difficult circumstances. His childhood was shaped by instability, both of his parents struggled with addiction, and after his mother passed away, Mike entered the foster care system at 17. With no family to turn to, and few options for accessible housing, he was eventually placed in a nursing home.

It was a place where he felt stuck, with no privacy, no freedom, and no real sense of control over his life. ‘Living at Midtown is so much better,” Mike says. “I can go out more and have my own time. Before, I felt trapped.”

For years, Mike’s only option was a nursing home facility, a place that met his basic needs, but not his desire to live independently. In 2010, he moved into Midtown Crossing, and for the first time, he had a space that truly felt like his.

For the first time in years, Mike had his own apartment. He had freedom, peace, and people who truly cared.

At Over the Rainbow, Mike met Julianne, another resident. Their friendship grew over time, bonding through shared interests like watching Chicago PD together. One day, in her kitchen, Mike proposed. Mike helps Julianne get ready in the morning, rolls with her to work, then spends the day enjoying his own routine. They reunite in the evenings for dinner and quiet time, just like any couple building a life together. They love spending time together and take comfort in each other’s company.

For Mike, OTR means more than housing, it means possibility. The freedom to go outside, to feel calm, to fall in love, to build a future. It’s a life filled with dignity, connection, and purpose.

At Over the Rainbow, adults with disabilities don’t just find a place to live.

They find a place to belong.