The Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities plans to open its first group home outside of Wake County in Wilmington.

The home will serve four adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and is scheduled to open Nov. 1, according to a news release from the center.

Wilmington was chosen because "there's a huge unmet need," said Dan Daniel, director of development and public relations for the Tammy Lynn Center. 

The center works with managed care organizations, such as Trillium Health Resources in the Wilmington area, "to identify not only individuals that are in need of services but where there are gaps in the service provider network," Daniel said. "There's a gap in the Wilmington area for this type of service so that led us to see if we could address at least some portion of that gap." 

The Wilmington location, on Beauregard Street off Shipyard Boulevard, will mark the center's fourth community-based group home in North Carolina. The other three are in the Cary area.

Renovations to the single-family home are being funded by the N.C. Housing Finance Agency and a grant from the city of Wilmington. The project cost is $480,000, Daniel said. 

Tammy Lynn Center has been providing community-based group homes for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1974, the release stated. Other core programs include early childhood intervention services, North Carolina pre-kindergarten and primary educational services and respite services.

More than 400 individuals and their families take advantage of these services, the release stated.

“We see this move to Wilmington as a first step in partnering with Trillium and other partners to address gaps in services for individuals and families in eastern North Carolina,” said Heather Brewer, chief program officer at Tammy Lynn Center, in the release.