In 2020, the Autism Housing Network estimated there are 7.37 million adults in the United States with Autism and/or I/DD. Of those adults, only 17% receive publicly-funded housing assistance, leaving 6.14 million without.
It’s clear we have an abundance of individuals who would benefit from affordable housing. In 2017 it was reported by the US government that 449,631 individuals with Autism & IDD reside in the state of Texas. Of these individuals, more than 300,000 live with an aging caregiver.
Providing affordable housing with intentional design, employment opportunities, and community involvement will help ease this burden on families as well as the demand on government funding.
We dream of creating a small pocket neighborhood filled with quaint homes where adults with Autism & IDD can live on their own or with friends. The community will see a clubhouse for events, therapy, and a work space. These friends of ours deserve to have security and stability in their lives, and their parents deserve to have the weight caused by uncertainty in what their child’s future will look like removed from their shoulders. We strive to offer them that.
There have been few developments pioneering embedding a community within a community to accommodate these individuals, while the population continues to grow. At the rate of growth of individuals with Autism & I/DD alone, residential development plans should be devised to include a safe place for this population to be cared for. Somewhere that won’t bankrupt families, while offering substantial value to its surrounding community – including the opportunity to share in the bigger vision of compassion and humanity.
That’s what we bring.
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