Links

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General information on adulthood and creating housing
Groups working on housing and adult living: New England
Groups working on housing and adult living: Elsewhere
Skills for living

General information on adulthood and creating housing

The Current State of Services for Adults with Autism Presented at the Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism: Think Tank in 2009.

The Road Forward Put out by DDS, The Road Forward outlines the transition process from school to adult services.

Planning for Life After Special Education This is an online manual for transitional services, produced by the Disability Law Center, the Federation for Children with Special Needs, the Institute for Community Inclusion, and Massachusetts Advocates for Children.

Unlocking the Door to Community Living This publication of Jewish Family and Children’s Service is a comprehensive approach to transitioning to adulthood. Housing is treated as one subject among many, including support services and social networking.

Alternative Housing Options for Individuals with Disabilities: A Guide for Forming and Implementing Community Partnerships This guidebook walks families through the steps of putting together a group of families and working with the community to create housing. It was published by the Center for Independent Futures in Illinois.

Building a Future: A Handbook for Families Put together by the Arc of Massachusetts, this is an excellent place to start on creating housing. However, it is easy to underestimate the difficulty of tapping into some of the funding sources identified for property acquisition.

Opening Doors This collaborative, comprehensive study out of Arizona looks both at what works and what the barriers are to creating appropriate, affordable housing for adults with autism.

Priced Out: The Housing Crisis for People with Disabilities This is the latest edition of a series of reports from the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. It demonstrates that, nationally, rent for a studio apartment is 99% of a monthly SSI check; in Massachusetts the figure is 116%, and in Boston it is 141%. These figures have all worsened since the 2014 report.

Moving Out: A Family Guide to Residential Planning for Adults with Disabilities Moving Out was written by Dafna Krouk-Gordon of TILL, a provider of innovative housing, and special needs lawyer Barbara Jackins.

Passport to Independence: Home, Work and Community Passport to Independence was written by Specialized Housing, a provider of innovative housing, by financial planners Cynthia Haddad and John Nadworny, and by lawyer Harry Margolis.

Coming of Age in Massachusetts: A Legal Resource Guide Coming of Age in Massachusetts was written by special needs lawyer Frederick Misilo, Jr.

Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change (MFOFC) MFOFC holds a statewide housing conference, “Building a Home” approximately every two years, and maintains a database of families looking for housing, “Housing Connections”.

Groups working on housing and adult living: New England

Cape Cod Village Cape Cod Village hopes to create a campus-style residential community that is integrated into the wider Cape community.

The Katydid Foundation Katydid was started by a parent whose daughter with severe behaviors had difficulties in a traditional group home setting.

Specialized Housing, Inc. Specialized Housing uses a condominium model to create housing for individuals who can function somewhat independently and whose behaviors can be managed with the level of staffing agreed upon by the family. They have been in existence since 1983. They also provide services for individuals in rental apartments.

SAGE Crossing Foundation SAGE is interested in creating a rural farmstead model. They plan to have a year-round day program up and running by December, 2013.

Farmsteads of New England Farmsteads has two rural locations up and running in New Hampshire.

Supportive Living, Inc. This organization serves people with traumatic brain injuries, but their model appears transferible to people with autism.

3LPlace 3LPlace is interested in creating an urban living model. “3L” stands for life-long learning. 3L does not plan on providing housing, but will work with members to locate housing. 3L is now taking applications for a transitional program, “3LPlace Life College”, that will include a residential component.

Step By Step Supportive Services (formerly Side by Side Supported Living) Step By Step will meet weekly with individuals in their home (including dormitories) to provide support. They also have a residential setting on Beacon Street in Brookline that provides studios and one-bedroom apartments.

Groups working on housing and adult living: Elsewhere

ARCHway ARCHway describes itself as offering a roadmap to help families use person-centered planning to create quality living arrangements. It is a project of the Foundation for Autism Support and Training. Autism Housing Pathways is the Massachusetts affiliate of ARCHway.

Bittersweet Farms The granddaddy of all farmsteads, Bittersweet has been serving adults in Ohio since the 1970s. It is the model for SAGE Crossing Foundation.

Center for Independent Futures This Illinois group works with families to create options for community living. They have a strong relationship with a Massachusetts organization, TILL. Center for Independent Futures has developed a tool to assess readiness for independent living.

Partners4Housing Based in Seattle, Partners4Housing works with families on housing options. They have a particular focus on “clustering”, which involves renting apartments or buying condos in existing developments, and sharing the costs of supportive services.

Skills for living

Community-based Skills Assessment (CSA): Developing a Personalized Transition Plan! This assessment was developed by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center with funding from Autism Speaks.

How do I Autism Housing Pathways has compiled a list of useful links, showing techniques for performing basic living skills. Some are descriptions with pictures, others are videos.

Visual supports AHP has developed visual supports for 11 basic self-care and household activities. These supports include both step-by-step written directions and picture directions.

Hygiene and cleaning schedule, and how-to guide: This basic checklist, put together by AHP, can be used by individuals to maintain basic hygiene, and a clean kitchen and bath. It includes a list of basic supplies. It may be useful to individuals, families, and property managers.

Functional Planning System This app costs $4.99, and you can make in-app purchases for .99 each of video directions for different tasks (like taking out the trash, treating a cut, etc.)

Smart Steps This app supports decision making by walking users through decision trees. There is a free version and a $14.99/mo version that allows you to create your own decision trees, upload pictures for buttons, and store emergency numbers.

Look, cook, and eat An online magazine featuring new picture recipes and helpful videos every other month. A one year subscription is $30.

Everyday Life Tutorials Free online games help you practice cooking, money, employment, and other daily living skills.

Six helpful apps for cleaning your disgusting house These apps let you schedule and organize household chores, and send helpful reminders. One even functions as a role playing game, with avatars, quests, and loot.

8 Great Apps for Daily Living Lots of variety here: everything from a picture scheduler and a shopping list generator to a med scheduler and an OCD symptom manager.

Lifecents An online financial education program endorsed by the National Disability Institute.

5 Ways to Teach Money Management to Older Children with Special Needs Suggestions and links for teaching skills.

Got Transition Tools to help your family member learn to handle their own healthcare. Be sure to check out “My ‘Must Have’ Papers”.

Keep Your Housing! A Guide to Help Massachusetts Tenants with Mental Health Issues Maintain Their Housing From the Northeastern University School of Law and the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee.