Black Water Acres
Harvesting purpose.
Black Water Acres is an accessible four-season site offering training, recreation, horticulture, and habilitative services. This project is the first of its kind in WNY and provides the ability to explore, discover, and engage your senses.
Come achieve with us - your trusted resource for over 75 years!
Features at Black Water Acres
Workforce
Training
Creative
Arts
Habilitative
Services
Outdoor
Recreation
Accessible
Horticulture
Beekeeping
At Black Water Acres, people will learn new skills while working toward their personal goals.
Learning happens by doing. This gives people the opportunity to discover new interests, develop skills, and be active members of the community.
Training opportunities:
Retail • Agriculture • Horticulture • Culinary • Hospitality • Janitorial
Our services include:
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Build skills. Gain confidence. Prepare for the future.
People learn by doing through hands-on experiences such as hydroponic growing, cooking/culinary classes, bee keeping, honey production, caring for the property, and helping plan community events. Along the way, they develop workplace skills like teamwork, communication, problem solving, responsibility, time management, and customer service.
Activities are designed to help people discover strengths, build meaningful relationships, increase independence, and prepare for future employment while participating and volunteering in the community.
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This program helps people learn new skills while being active in the community, which helps them explore their interests, build friendships, volunteer, and take part in more meaningful activities.
Each person’s experience is based on their goals, interests, and strengths. This helps them build confidence, become more independent, and stay connected to the community.
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This program helps people explore careers, build job skills, and prepare for employment.
Learning through hands-on experiences including job exploration, volunteering, worksite visits, and community activities, they discover their strengths, develop new skills, and gain confidence while exploring different career opportunities. The program helps each person identify their goals and take the next step toward finding a job and building a successful future.
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This program helps people build skills they need to live more independently and be active in their community. People work one-on-one or in a group with staff to build confidence and learn everyday skills based on their personal goals. Programming takes place in their home or in the community. Skills they could work on are budgeting, laundry, cleaning, socialization, and becoming familiar with community resources.
Built on an expansive property in Alden, NY, this hands-on farming space is made for our program members and the community to get their hands in the dirt, learn new skills, and connect with nature.
We are turning this property into a fully working agricultural spot where everyone can participate, no matter their ability level.
Here is a quick look at what our people will be doing on the farm:
It’s all about trying new things, building confidence, and growing together.
At Black Water Acres, we help people build rewarding careers through three specific, hands-on job paths:
Horticulture
Growing fresh food year-round inside our high-tech container farms and seasonal in-ground growing.
Hospitality
Working directly in our banquet facility to host events and serve guests.
Retail
Providing support and training for achieving success in a retail role.
Janitorial
Keeping our spaces clean, safe, and running smoothly through building maintenance.
Culinary Arts
An experienced Chef will provide learning through practical skill development and on-the-job practice in a culinary workplace.
With the right support, anyone can succeed in a regular, everyday job, and we provide the exact training, resume help, and on-the-job coaching needed to make it happen.
Our services include:
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The Arc Erie County New York works with local high schools to provide job readiness training and career preparation for students as they plan for life after graduation. With financial approval from ACCES-VR, these services help students explore the professional world, develop workplace skills, and take important steps toward competitive community employment. Services are available in classroom settings or through individualized one-on-one support for high school students with an IEP or 504 plan.
“Working with my job coach helped me through a hard time when I lost my job. This program helped me get a new job and helped me get my life back together.”
-Tim Troidl, UPS package handler
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The Arc Erie County Supported Employment Program helps people with disabilities find great jobs, learn new skills, and succeed in the workplace.
We look at each person’s unique strengths and choices to match them with the right local business. Our team supports people through the initial job search and hands-on training to long-term support as they settle in. Every job is in the community, and our participants are hired directly by the business and paid a competitive wage.
Our job coaches act as the perfect bridge between the employer and the employee. They make sure the worker is fully ready for the job and quickly help solve any challenges that come up.
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Through our Employment Training Program, participants can take part in a variety of paid internships right in the local community. These real-world work experiences give students hands-on practice, boost their confidence, and build a strong resume for their future careers.
Where We Work: Active right here in our community.
Who Can Join: Adults ages 18 and older.
Engagement in play is essential for people with developmental disabilities. It fosters cognitive development, emotional regulation, and communication. Black Water Acres will provide a variety of engaging and enjoyable activities for people of all ages.
We want people to get out and play, so we offer recreational programs, creative programs like art, music, movement, and gardening, as well as respite, if you need a break from the usual routine.
Our services include:
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Recreational Respite: This community-based program enjoys the wide range of events and activities available in the WNY community. Activities may include going to a movie, restaurants, bowling, parks, sporting events, concerts, fairs and festivals. A monthly calendar outlines available activities and participants are invited to attend events based on their interests.
In Home Respite: This program provides support for families and caregivers as it allows them to have a break in caregiving while a trained staff person provides supervision for their loved one. Services occur solely in the person’s home, giving family members the opportunity to leave the home to run errands or remain in the home and take time to relax. Waiver enrollment required for admission.
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Build skills. Gain confidence. Prepare for the future.
People learn by doing through hands-on experiences such as hydroponic growing, cooking/culinary classes, bee keeping, honey production, caring for the property, and helping plan community events. Along the way, they develop workplace skills like teamwork, communication, problem solving, responsibility, time management, and customer service.
Activities are designed to help people discover strengths, build meaningful relationships, increase independence, and prepare for future employment while participating in the community.
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This program helps people with developmental disabilities learn new skills while being active in the community, which helps them explore their interests, build friendships, volunteer, and take part in more meaningful activities.
Each person’s experience is based on their goals, interests, and strengths. This helps them build confidence, become more independent, and stay connected to the community.
Key Dates and Phases
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Receive final architectural drawings for Main Building.
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Issue RFP for contractor selection.
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Review contractor bids & complete vendor selection.
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Break ground for construction of Main Building.
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Construction of Main Building complete. Black Water Acres formally opens and programming launches.
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Ribbon Cutting Ceremony & Celebration event.
The Black Water Acres Story
The Black Water Acres name references the historic and curative “black water” mineral baths located in Alden, popular in the late 19th century.
2017
The Arc and Walter R. Musty Homes for Autism collaborated and built a 6-bedroom group home in Lakeview, NY.
2020
Walter R. Musty Homes for Autism visited a therapeutic farmstead program in Ohio founded in the early 1980s, called Bittersweet Farms. The Arc Erie County, Walter R. Musty Homes for Autism, and Wetzl Development decide to collaborate again to bring this new “model” of programming to Western New York.
2024/2025
Wetzl Development donated over 150 acres of land to The Arc Erie County in Alden, NY to create this new non-certified, community integrated opportunity. The Arc Erie County worked with an architect and civil engineer to create structural plans for the project.
We Are Here For You
Enroll in Services, Ask Questions, and Take Tours with our Intake Department.
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