About Life Skills Centers, Inc.

Life Skills Centers, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization incorporated on September 23, 1983. Operations began with the assumption of administrative responsibility for three vocational programs from Northwest Regional Residential Centers, Inc.
Mr. Dale Wagner, the current Executive Director of Life Skills Centers, Inc. had originally opened and operated these facilities for Northwest Regional Residential Centers, Inc.
When Mr. Wagner left the employment of Northwest and founded Life Skills Centers, Inc. these three programs became the base of the new corporation.
Services and programs have changed and evolved over the years, from work activity to day activity to skill building.
Starting with the original three:
Macomb County Life Skills Center – 14150 23 Mile Rd., Shelby Twp., MI. This program served 65-70 multiply physically impaired, developmentally disabled adults. Primarily a day activity center, with work components, this facility functioned at this address from 1980 until September 1, 2000, when it was sub-divided into two facilities: Macomb Community Life Skills Center and Shelby Community Life Skills Center. Both facilities are still operational.
Westland Life Skills Center – 725 & 749 Manufacturers Dr. This program served an average of 135 persons in two neighboring buildings. Consumers served were severely physically impaired, developmentally disabled adults. The program was primarily a day activity center with a fairly comprehensive community program. During the last eight years of existence, approximately fifty participants were active in the community daily. The facility was in operation from May 1981 until September 29, 2000, at which time it was closed due to lack of funding.
West Bloomfield Skills Center (formerly Oakland County Life Skills Center) – 3160 Haggerty, Suite G, West Bloomfield, MI. Opened in May 1983, this program has primarily served multiply physically impaired developmentally disabled adults. Focus has primarily been on facility and community based skill building. In October 1999, this facility was sub-divided into two smaller facilities (approximately 30 persons each). The second facility, called Walled Lake Life Skills operated until members dwindled, and through attrition, was relocated to the original facility in December of 2004. The original facility moved to Walled Lake in 2012, and is now called Life Skills of Walled Lake.
Since assuming the operation of the above three programs, Life Skills Centers, Inc. has opened or assumed responsibility for eight other programs as follows:
Life Skills Vocational Training Center – 16460 East 13 Mile, Roseville, MI. This program is a training center for sixty-eight developmentally disabled adults. Components include: Activities of Daily Living, Independence Training, Janitorial, Social/Recreational, and Community Awareness. This program is currently under contract with Macomb County Community Mental Health and has been since October 1984. The program currently provides facility and community based skill building services.Life Skills Community Connections (formerly Westland Work Activity Center) – 3757 Commerce Court, Wayne, MI. This program had only two components: Community Awareness and Supportive Employment. Program participants spent the majority of their time in the community either working or learning valuable community skills and independence skills. This program was in operation from August 1985 until April 4, 2001, at which time Life Skills opted to relinquish the contract due to Agency’s unwillingness to adequately fund the services.
Macomb Drop-In Center – 37 Church St., Mt. Clemens, MI. Administration of this program was assumed December 1988 from Dynamic Alternatives. This was a volunteer drop-in center for chronically mentally ill persons, as well as, homeless mentally ill persons. Life Skills turned this operation over to a consumer run corporation in December 1990. Life Skills helped the new corporation, Liberties, Inc., become incorporated and then handed the administration over to the new director. This program was funded by Macomb County Community Mental Health.
Activity Place – 21151 Thirteen Mile, St. Clair Shores, MI. Also assumed from Dynamic Alternatives in December 1988. This program was a day program and social/recreational program with several psychosocial components. Instruction took place in self-care, compliance and maintenance of prescribed medication regimen, knowledge of medications, health concerns, instruction on community resources, community outings, social-recreational activities, and arts and crafts. Sponsoring agency, Macomb County Community Mental Health, supplied case management, nurse, and doctor. This program closed in November 1995.
Choices – 64541 Suite 104 Van Dyke. This program began as a foster parent initiated project through MORC, Inc. The parents were not satisfied with current programs and approached MORC to open a special program to fit the specific needs and dreams of a few persons being served by MORC. A committee of foster parents, agency leaders, supports coordinators, and personnel from Wayne State University selected Life Skills Centers, Inc. as provider. Opened in July 1998, this was the first program at MORC to be started via a person-centered initiative. The program originally served twelve persons. The program still functions primarily as a community based skill building program, with facility based support. Currently, the program serves twenty-one individuals. All community based activities are requested and scheduled by consumers, with staff support. This program is funded through MORC, and Macomb County Community Mental Health.
Assumption of Three Programs
In January of 2003, the Executive Director of Buckingham Community Services announced his retirement and his desire to turn over his programs to another provider.
MORC formed a committee, for each facility, that included Consumers, Parents, Staff Members of each facility, the MORC Vocational Director, Directors from each facility, and a Supports Coordinator.
Interested providers were interviewed by each committee. Life Skills Centers, Inc. was proud of the fact that they were awarded all three programs. The names were changed at acquisition as follows:
• Romeo Life Skills Center – May 2003
• Oxford Life Skills Center – July 2003
• Pontiac Life Skills Center – August 2003

These programs were primarily facility based skill building programs. The most significant change made by Life Skills Centers, Inc. was an increase in community based skill building, which was and is a main outcome goal of Life Skills Centers, Inc.
The former staff of Buckingham brought to Life Skills Centers, Inc., a wealth of experience and expertise in service delivery. These three programs are funded by MORC, Inc.
In 2009 Pontiac Life Skills Center moved to 1091 Centre Rd., Auburn Hills, MI, and the name was changed to Life Focus Center.
Oxford Life Skills Center is still at the original location: 465 S. Glaspie, Oxford, MI.
Romeo Life Skills has moved but still remains in Romeo at 100 McLean St., Romeo, MI.
These three programs remain open.
New Programs
Starting Point – 110 E. Second St., Rochester, MI. Through a parent initiative borne out of a need for services for persons exiting Rochester Schools, Life Skills Centers, Inc. has been selected to operate a new program in Rochester, Michigan for twenty individuals. This program will be primarily community based skill building with facility based support. Life Skills Centers, Inc. was selected after a core parent group toured all facilities in Oakland County and Northern Macomb counties. They selected Life Skills Centers, Inc. and requested we develop a program similar to Choices for their sons and daughters. The newly formed Starting Point Advisory Council also assisted in site selection and hired the Program Director. The program opened on June 18, 2007. It is now located at 305 Barclay Circle, Rochester Hills, MI.
In Fall of 2008, a request for proposal went out from St. Clair County, Michigan for three skill building programs, all located in differing regions of St. Clair County. In January of 2009, Life Skills Centers, Inc. was awarded all three programs. Parents and CMH personnel assisted in hiring the directors and all three programs were opened in May of 2009, as follows;
Blue Water Choices – 515 S. Parker St., Marine City, MI.
Opportunities – 14962 Park St., Capac, MI
Bright Futures – 3031 Commerce Dr., Fort Gratiot, MI
All three of these programs are dedicated to persons served having many opportunities to have access to their communities, with between 35-60% of their time spent in the community, experiencing volunteer work and increased independence, while learning important safety and coping skills.
These three programs are still operating.