There is a crowd gathered out in front of Joshua Walton's home, but he flies around it and into the place he moved into a few days ago.

Things are going to be much easier for him at Walton Crossing, he said.

"I was on my own before I got hurt," he said from his wheelchair. "And I'll be on my own again."

Walton Rehabilitation Health System and Hammond Grove Baptist Church used a $1.1 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to create the new 12-unit complex for the disabled in North Augusta. The complex hosted an open house Thursday.

It is the 10th such development for Walton, which has 188 units for the disabled and elderly, and the second in North Augusta in cooperation with the church. It sits on West Five Notch Road across from housing for the elderly, Vincent Village, which opened last year.

"It facilitates the management and the delivery of supportive services," said Wayne Wells, the director of the Columbia Multifamily Program Center for HUD in Columbia. "It makes it easier."

It also fosters a sense of togetherness among the residents who have been through similar ordeals, said Andrea Perkins, who also will live there.

"I feel it will be more than just a community but a place where we can encourage each other," she said.

For Mr. Walton, 27, it is a chance to show what he can do. His daughter, Kayla, was 18 months old when he was paralyzed, and since he left the hospital he has lived with his parents in North Augusta. The 7-year-old girl will have a bedroom in his new home next to his.

"It means a lot to get back, to be independent again," he said. "To show her that I am capable of being the father I was. And show her that I'm totally capable."

The new units will feature roll-under sinks and stoves and have a mirror over the stove so he can see into the pot he is using to cook. The shelves and light switches are lower to be easily accessible. If anything turns out to be a barrier or could be done better, Mr. Walton might have a hand in changing it. He is in school to become an architect and one day hopes to work on accessible projects.

"The end of my old life is behind me," he said. "Today starts a new beginning."