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[toc]October 2016
Tiny house villages are about to be the next big housing trend, according to researchers | Country Living
Tiny homes are growing in popularity for adults on the autism spectrum. “According to researchers at Kansas State University, tiny house villages are environmentally friendly, they promote a sense of community, they encourage healthy lifestyles and habits, and they’re a safe and affordable housing option for the masses.” >> read more
September 2016
New apartment complex combines housing and services for young adults with autism | WNYT
A first of its kind community, Mosaic Village, puts housing and help under one roof in Cohoes. >> read more
State OKs Orleans home for adults with autism | Cape Cod Times
Adults with autism are one step closer to having a supported place to live in Orleans after the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services determined a proposal by a nonprofit group met the criteria outlined in the Home and Community Based Services rules, according to an announcement from the Cape Cod Village Board of Directors. >> read more
You can choose where you want to live… unless you have autism | SF Autism Society Blog
Jill Escher of Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area shares her concerns as CA STP public comment comes to a close next week. >> read more
Lawsuit against Cuomo aims to add housing for adults with developmental disabilities | 13 WHAM
A federal class action lawsuit was filed against Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday to add more certified residential living opportunities for all adults with developmental disabilities. >> read more
A letter to my autistic son about where you will live as an adult | The Mighty
“As I accept the fact that none of this is an easy fix, all of me knows I love you and want for you the three things I’ve wished since your conception: for you to be safe, happy, and loved.” >> read more
New nonprofit forms to assist adults with autism | libn.com
A new nonprofit organization has been launched to address the need for supportive housing for adults with autism. >> read more
August 2016
New home for adults with autism opens | Cape Cod Times
Congrats to Cape Abilities! This new home will be the first run by Cape Abilities that is specifically designated for adults with autism. >> read more
July 2016
Education, jobs, friends a reality for adults with autism | differentbrains.com
Today, when families hear “autism” or other disabling conditions for their children, they can also imagine futures that include lifelong education, jobs, homes, friends and a supportive community- a much different future worth working, saving and living for, thanks to the work of the Phoenix-based Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC) and its sister nonprofit, First Place AZ. >> read more
June 2016
After nearly 3 years in hospital, young man with autism finally gets a home | CBC
Michael Neve lived in The Ottawa Hospital’s psychiatric ward for two-and-a-half years while waiting for a room in a group home. >> read more
Group homes for adults with autism unaffordable and inaccessible, parents say | CTV News
Some Ontario parents of children with autism say they are struggling to pay for support workers and housing once their child becomes an adult and several provincial supports they relied on disappear. >> read more
The Autism Housing Network: Turning parents into project starters | jasonsconnection.org
Jason’s Connection featured the Autism Housing Network! >> read more
May 2016
Resources scarce for adults with autism | The Gazette
Kevin is severely autistic and still lives at home with his 62-year-old retired mother. He’s been on a waiting list to get into a group home since 2004. >> read more
April 2016
The glaring need for special needs housing | housingfinance.com
“In the wealthiest nation in the world, I believe we have a moral obligation to house our most vulnerable citizens. Much more housing like this is needed as the Autism epidemic continues to grow.” >> read more
For autistic adults, a chance to come home | Hartford Courant
“In its largest project in its history, Chapel Haven, already considered an economic engine in the Westville neighborhood, is poised to start a $41 million transformation of its campus- one that will include 30 assisted-living apartments so graduates from 30 and 40 years ago can return to the place that set them on the independent course in the first place.” >> read more
Disabled and looking for housing? Here’s a how-to guide | nj.com
The 64-page free guide, “The Journey to Community Housing with Supports,” offers more than a dozen ways supportive housing works and how to find the money to help pay for it. >> read more
March 2016
Apartments evolve for adults with intellectual disabilities | Orlando Sentinel
“Florida is leading the nation in funding a new type of housing option that gives adults with intellectual disabilities the chance to live largely on their own- with a few safeguards and a supportive environment.” >> read more
Families of disabled adults find hope in Santa Cruz housing project | Santa Cruz Sentinel
“An alliance of 11 families from around the Bay Area have purchased a 7-acre parcel near the Pogonip open space that will serve as both a working farm and as affordable housing.” >> read more
February 2016
Menendez seeks commitment for supportive housing for those with autism, developmental disabilities | menendez.senate.gov
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro requesting the prioritization of community-based supportive housing needs of those with autism and other developmental disabilities. >> read more
Opinions fly over housing community for people with disabilities | The Mighty
“Last year we reported about The Villages at Noah’s Landing, an affordable housing community for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Lakeland, Florida. Construction on Noah’s Landing is nearing completion, and Disability Scoop reports the community will be ready for residents by late April or early May.” >> read more
Once a pipe dream, disability community nearing completion | Disability Scoop
“Financed primarily with low-income housing tax credits, the project is expected to alleviate a waiting list for safe, affordable housing for adults with disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, and cerebral palsy.” >> read more
Parent organization provides happy and safe neighborhood for adults with autism | Parent Herald
A non-profit organization in South Knoxville has developed a neighborhood that allows adults with autism to live full, happy and independent lives. >> read more
Parents are developing this neighborhood to be a ‘utopia’ for adults with autism | The Mighty
“The nonprofit was started 17 years ago by parents as a way to provide for their children’s’ futures.” >> read more
Autism Breakthrough of Knoxville allows adults to live independent lives | WBIR
“We provide community living, community services, community recreation, and community employment. So we provide a full range of service for adults with Autism.” >> read more
Where will 4.903 million individuals live? | Youtube
Please take a moment to watch this animation to learn more about the current housing crisis facing those with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. >> read more
January 2016
Mother of adult with autism receives standing ovation for speech on housing | Vimeo
This speech by autism mom and attorney Lisa Parles recently received a standing ovation at the conference “Solving the Housing Crisis for Adults with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities”. >> watch here
Italy’s first home for autistic adults opens its doors | west-info.eu
The first residential home for autistic adults in Italy will be opened the day after tomorrow in Cavaso del Tomba (near Treviso). >> read more
Homesharing links up people with a disability to people looking for a room | The Canberra Times
“A lot of people with a disability live in a very unequal [place]…Their whole lives are lived where other people direct and dictate what they do, so it’s actually quite nice that homeshare gives the power to person.” >> read more
In West Roxbury, five men share more than a home | Boston Globe
“The men are not related but are bound by a common Chinese heritage and by intellectual disabilities that cause each of them to crave order. Four have additionally been diagnosed with autism, and another has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.” >> read more
December 2015
Nowhere to go: The housing crisis facing Americans with disabilities | The Atlantic
For millions of renters with limited mobility and other physical challenges, there are fews homes and apartments on the market that work for them. >> read more
Willow Glen couple’s generosity opens new doors for autistic adults | Mercury News
Thanks to one couple’s generous gift, Christmas came early this year for Shire House, a residential program serving high functioning autistic adults. >> read more
Family to build group home for autistic son | 13 WHAM
With so few options and waiting lists a mile long, many parents are taking housing their adult children with autism into their own hands. >> read more
November 2015
“You can’t care for Dona anymore” Mimi and Dona Video | PBS
This documentary shares the housing search of a 64-year-old woman with intellectual disabilities and her elderly mother. >> read more
Group homes for developmentally disabled lack room | Observer-Dispatch
As part of a statewide “It Matters to Me” grassroots advocacy campaign, Herkimer ARC is a hosting a meeting today between area state legislators and local families of people with disabilities who want to move their loved ones into group homes but can’t get them in. >> read more
3 Lesson in designing for autism | Healthcare Design Magazine
What design choices have you made to ensure your home environment is autism-friendly? >> read more
Man hopes to turn 33 acres into group home for autistic adults | Blue Ridge Now
There’s a vision for Swallowtail Summit Farms that’s been a long time in the works, and George Bean would like to get it off the ground as soon as he can. >> read more
October 2015
Local couple holds housing conference on needs of adults with autism | Mainline Media News
“There was a fascinating video presentation by Desiree Kameka, Director of Community Education and Advocacy of Madison House Autism Foundation in Rockville, Md. She showed us examples of all kinds of housing alternatives across the country, including one community where the bank had re-possessed 13 homes, and group of parents had purchased them.” >> read more
Parents building options for their son with autism | Democrat & Chronicle
With so few options available for adults with autism, parents are taking housing development into their own hands. >> read more
Creating housing options for adults with autism | SF Gate
Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area is hosting its second annual conference to address the need to expand lifespan options for adults with autism. >> read more
September 2015
Selectmen approve Dennis housing project for adults with autism | capecod.com
A housing project meant to provide a safe place for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities is one step closer to completion. >> read more
August 2015
Young adults with autism flounder in face of service gaps | spectrumnews.org
“Approximately one in four young adults on the autism spectrum…receive no services that could help them become employed, continue their education or live independently. More than one-third are ‘disconnected during their early 20s,’ the researchers found, meaning they never get a job or continue education after high school.” >> read more
July 2015
Adults with autism to share housing with general population in Heidelberg complex | Pittsburg Post-Gazette
In what may be the first project of its kind in the nation, local developers are building an apartment complex that will house adults with autism alongside non-autistic residents. >> read more
Home for adults with autism opens in Aurora | Chicago Tribune
New home for adults with autism offers opportunities to socialize, be challenged. >> read more
June 2015
Disability housing: ‘How sweet it is’ to have choices | Huffington Post
“Yet, when we design social services- particularly services for individuals with disabilities- we often try to standardize, streamline, and scale. In doing so, we can unfortunately undermine the choice and freedom of those we seek to serve.” >> read more
Desiree Kameka- Coalition for Community Choice- Speaking in NJ | youtube
Check out Desiree Kameka’s informative discussion on the impact of the Statewide Transition Plan in New Jersey. (Desiree Kameka is Madison House Autism Foundation’s Director of Community Education and Advocacy.) >> read more
Here’s the hourly wage you’d need to afford a 2-bedroom rental in every state | someecards.com
Out of Reach is a program from the National Low-Income Housing Coalition that has focused on the problem of rent (un)affordability since 1989. >> read more
May 2015
Who decides where autistic adults live? | The Atlantic
For many intellectually and developmentally disabled people, large campuses or farmsteads may be better options than small group homes. But new state laws could make it hard for big facilities to survive. >> read more
Anxiety over “aging out” of autism services | CBS News
In the next decade, half a million young adults with autism will need jobs and a place to live. >> read more
April 2015
Campaigner Mary Dhonau hits out at refusal for home for autistic adults | Malvern Gazette
“Mary Dhonau, whose 18-year-old son Peter suffers from severe #autism, has hit out at a decision to refuse planning permission for a home for autistic adults at Upper Ford Lodge in Elmbridge.” >> read more
Parents decry proposed cuts to services for those with autism |ctpost.com
Like many 20-year-olds, Jessica Zangrillostands at the cusp of an uncertain future. But, unlike others her age, Zangrillo isn’t about to move from college into the professional world. >> read more
Adults with autism find few services after school ends | The Baltimore Sun
What can families do today to help create better futures for our autistic adult children and loved ones? >> read more
Young Adults With Autism More Likely To Be Unemployed, Isolated | NPR
“Starting in the early to mid-1970s, there’s been a historic shift in the balance of jobs in the manufacturing sector to the service sector. And those types of jobs, which require lots of social interaction, are exactly the types of jobs that people with #autism have difficulty with.” >> read more
March 2015
February 2015
For adults with autism, a lack of support when they need it most | Washington Post
Bundled up in a puffy green coat, Moore, 35 and sandy-haired, doesn’t stand out in the crowd seeking refuge from the winter cold in a drafty Starbucks. His handshake is firm and his blue eyes meet mine as we talk. He comes across as intelligent and thoughtful, if perhaps a bit reserved. His disability — a form of autism — is invisible. >> read more
Reynoldsburg mom seeks care for severely autistic son | The Columbus Dispatch
These stories just keep being told and retold by parents and caregivers all over the country. We need more options for individuals with #autism. We can’t put this off any longer. The need is urgent. >> read more
New Concept in Housing For Disabled to Emerge | The Ledger
Much of the money has been secured — nearly $14 million to date. The blueprints are being readied. A builder has been hired. >> read more
January 2015
Housing Development For Autistic Adults Takes Next Step in Orleans | CapeCod.com
How’s this for some exciting housing news? What an amazing community for supporting Cape Village Inc’s use of the Community Preservation Act funds. >> read more
Is the U.S. Prepared for a Growing Population of Adults With Autism? | US News & World Report
Are we ready? >> read more
December 2014
A Concerned Dad Asked Me, ‘What Will Happen to My Son With Autism When I’m Gone.’ This Is My Answer. | The Mighty
At an Autism Society autism conference I attended a few years back in Orlando, Florida, a father, probably in his sixties, approached me. He had a nonverbal son. We discussed his son’s need for an aide and several supports. Then he asked me one of the most difficult questions I’ve ever been asked as an autism advocate: “What do you think will happen to my son when I’m no longer here?” >> read more
Two sides of disability housing debate | Delaware Online
People with #disabilities shouldn’t be given a limited set of housing options. The regulations are in place to make sure individuals are in a setting they want to be in, that allows them to thrive with the supports they need individually. >> read more
November 2014
Residents at home for disabled in Pembroke worry new regulations could affect them | The Patriot Ledger
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in March published new rules related to Medicaid-funded home and community-based services, including residential programs for disabled adults. States have been given a year to submit plans showing how they will comply with the new rules, which emphasize access to community and integrated settings. >> read more
Federal rule change could be costly, change mission of autism program | The Blade
The rule states that waiver money cannot be given for programs in settings that aren’t considered ‘home and community based’ or are institutional or isolating. It has the potential to affect the nearly 6,000 facilities in Ohio that offer waiver services. These institutional settings include nursing facilities, hospitals, and intermediate care facilities. Settings in the same building or ‘adjacent to’ institutional-like settings are also not eligible for HCBS waivers. Well-intentioned as it is, the rule has left care providers across Ohio wondering what it means for their programming. >> read more
Building a house for people with Autism | ABC
An Austin organization called The Autism Trust has been working on a house for people with autism, as previously reported by KVUE News. >> read more
Those with disabilities: Where should they live? | Delaware Online
“People aren’t things that can be put in nice boxes …” >> read more
October 2014
Where will 4.903 Million Individuals Live? | Youtube
Autism after high school | Medical Press
This mom has a great attitude. “I’m doing the same thing any parent would want for their child,’ his mother says. ‘We want to make sure our children are okay after we are gone. With Jay, it’s a more involved, complicated plan. I think it’s possible. I have got to figure out as a parent how to do it.” >> read more
October 2014
A New Nursing Home Population: The Young | NPR
What are the up-front costs to states of providing care at home, and why might states decide to cut budgets/shift the cost to private facilities and individuals? >> read more
A Couple Gaining Independence, and Finding a Bond | NY Times
“Peter Maxmean, 35, and Lori Sousa, 48, met five years ago at a sheltered workshop in North Providence, where people with intellectual #disabilitiesperformed repetitive jobs for little pay, in isolation. But when a federal investigation turned that workshop upside down last year, among those tumbling into the daylight were two people who had fallen in love within its cinder block walls.” >> read full article
What can be done to help parents of autistic adults? | PBS
Dr. Barry and Renee Gordon really nail the issues. Please post and repost. >> read more
September 2014
Americans With Disabilities Are More Likely To Be Poor, Report Finds | Huffington Post
“Jane, a 60-year-old single mother of five who has #autism as well as a neuromuscular disability and runs a small business, told the report’s authors that the time she spends advocating for herself and her children detracts from the time she has available to work. ‘The assumption is that disabled people are incompetent, and we don’t have family obligations, [and] that we are stealing from the system,’ she said. ‘But being poor is a full-time job.'” >> read full article
August 2014
TV Series To Examine Life During Transition | Disability Scoop
This is the kind of reality TV the world needs! Kudos to #OWN. The new documentary-style series airs September 7. >> read more
Fred Fiddle, Co-Founder of The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation, is Dedicated to Fulfilling A Mission in Memory of His Son | Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation
We thank Linda and Fred Fiddle for founding the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation in memory of their son, Daniel, and their dedication to carrying out his legacy to provide opportunities for the diverse adult autism community so as to raise their quality of life and give them a place in the world that would be better for them and their families. >> read more
Jean of Ark | PDF
In honor of the 50th anniversary of L’arche Communities, here is the incredible story of Jean Vanier and the international movement that stemmed from his one action. >> read more
June 2014
How Animal Farm Communities Create a New World for Many with Autism | Fox Business
In the middle of the English countryside, Lydia Otter has made it her life’s mission to work with people like Peter Griffin, a 26-year-old with severe autism. Griffin can hardly speak, but he has flourished at Pennyhooks Care Farm, a farm community focused on therapeutic agriculture, taking up woodworking and working daily on the land. >>read more
Urban Design Can Change The Lives Of People With Autism | Fast Company
Elizabeth Decker has designed a toolkit to make cities more inclusive. >> read more
Helping Adults with Autism Live Independently | Frontdoors News
First Place AZ is launching a new residential transition academy for adults with autism at 29 Palms Apartments in Phoenix. >> read article
May 2014
Surrounding My Autistic Son With Community That Matters | Blog Her
A mom explains how she envisions her autistic son’s future and the community’s involvement in it. >> read article
Many With Disabilities Find Choices Dwindle With Age | Disability Scoop
Monica’s story about navigating the difficult system and finding a place to call home. >> read story
April 2014
Benjamin’s Hope bursting with spring activity | Holland Sentinel
This article details all of the upcoming events and changes taking place at the special needs community, Benjamin’s Hope. >> read article
10 Things You Should Know about Housing | Disability.Gov
A feature on housing tips in the April Disability Connection Newsletter. >> read more
March 2014
Hiring a Caregiver: How to Ask the Right Questions | Autism After 16
“Hiring a Caregiver: How to Ask the Right Questions” by Rebecca Faye Smith Galli, mother of an adult daughter with #autism. >> read more
Newly renovated properties helping adults with disabilities | News8000
Newly renovated properties in La Crosse are helping adults with disabilities live more independently. >> read feature
February 2014
5-Star Rating Yields “Best Nursing Home” | Annandale Village
The D. Scott Hudgens Center for Skilled Nursing of Annandale Village has received the highest possible overall rating of five stars in U.S. News & World Report’s sixth annual “Best Nursing Homes”. >> read article
December 2013
North Lakeland Nonprofit Housing Complex Lands $14 Million Grant | The Ledger
The Villages at Noah’s Landing on the shore of Lake Crago in North Lakeland, complete with clubhouse and working farm, is a concept that took a giant leap forward Friday. >> read more
