Branching out
Rooted in community, growing together, Branching Tree is committed to providing inclusive housing and meaningful daily experiences for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Massachusetts. We foster independence, dignity, and well-being. We empower individuals to lead fulfilling lives through strong community connections and a true sense of belonging.
Located in Williamsburg, MA, just 10 minutes outside of Northampton on 12.5 acres surrounded by 288 acres of preservation land, learn more about Branching Tree and the inclusive community that we’re creating, and why we’re creating it.
An inclusive Community
Values at heart
Branching Tree community is committed to creating a true sense of community, not simply filling a service slot or offering a room. Each person is known, valued, and missed when they're not there. They are a part of the setting.
Daily rhythms prioritize connection, with shared meals and welcoming common spaces. Relationships are nurtured beyond the service system, creating a full and diverse social circle, and ensuring decisions are made with individuals, not just for them.
Belonging over placement
Supports are designed with and around each individual, honoring unique preferences, strengths, dreams, and needs. Every person actively shapes their own life and services at Branching Tree community.
Person-centered supports
Relationships are essential to well-being, joy, and community life. We cultivate deep, reciprocal friendships in and out of our community that enrich every day.
Meaningful relationships
Dignity & respect
Interdependence
We believe everyone thrives from mutual support and shared community life, creating Interdependence within our community.
Families, self-advocates, and allies co-create this vision and its future. People with disabilities and their families hold real voice and power in shaping the community through shared decision-making.
Shared leadership & decision-making
We honor each individual’s gifts, passions, history, and hopes, seeing the whole person beyond a diagnosis.
Respect for the whole person
Sustainability and stewardship
We care for our resources, land, and relationships with intention and love.
Why Branching Tree?
We’ve created Branching Tree because we believe in belonging over placement. Across Massachusetts, there’s a housing crisis for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Not nearly enough housing options are rooted in connection, choice, and community. Families often wait years for placements, only to find that availability is prioritized over individuality, and routine is prioritized over relationships.
Branching Tree is a small, inclusive, person-centered community where adults with and without disabilities live, grow, and thrive together. Our housing models combines a shared living philosophy with group home supports and self-directed choices. We’re not just creating housing, we’re cultivating a home environment with connection, choice, and contribution. At Branching Tree, we believe that every person deserves more than just a placement, they deserve belonging.
Events & Updates
View the Latest Edition of Roots Newsletter
Read about the latest news and updates from Branching Tree! To view the most recent edition of our digital newsletter, please CLICK HERE.
Dr. Casey Fein Joins the Branching Tree Board of Directors
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Casey Fein has joined the Branching Tree Board of Directors. Raised in Saratoga Springs as the son of an orthopedic surgeon and child psychologist, Casey grew up with an older brother diagnosed with nonverbal autism. He experienced both sides of the healthcare system, professionally through his parents and personally through his brother who required care and services.
While studying physics and engineering at Tufts University, Dr. Fein developed a passion for teaching and education through tutoring colleagues and volunteering in local elementary schools. He worked as a lab technician and an academic tutor before identifying medicine as a perfect blend of his interests in education and science.
Casey completed his pre-med coursework at Hunter College in New York, then medical school at Boston University. His training and chief residency were completed at UMass Medical Center in Worcester. Casey has a particular interest in children with complex medical and developmental needs and pediatric mental health. He has worked as a Pediatrician at Northampton Area Pediatrics since 2021.
Dr. Fein and his wife found the Pioneer Valley to be a perfect place to work and raise their two daughters. They enjoy the vibrant Jewish community, and like to explore the culture and nature of the area. In his free time, Casey enjoys running, singing, playing piano and guitar, and most importantly, spending time with his family.
“Dr. Casey Fein’s lived personal history with an older brother with nonverbal autism, and his medical expertise working with children with complex medical and developmental needs, make him an invaluable resource to our Board of Directors,” proclaimed Dotty Foley, Co-founder of Branching Tree. “Casey also possesses an intimate understanding of the local culture and residents, helping Branching Tree to build collaborative relationships and thoughtfully integrate into the community. We’re thrilled that he’s joined our organization!”