Training and Outreach

Autism Housing Pathways is committed to helping families find and create new housing models and opportunities, and to increase the capacity of professionals to support individuals with autism in residential settings. While the opportunities presented below are classified by target audience, families are welcome to participate in opportunities for support personnel and vice versa. None of our trainings is intended to constitute legal, financial, or other professional advice. For a complete legal disclaimer, please click here.

• Families
• Individuals
• Transition professionals
• Support professionals

Families

• Thinking about housing
• Applying for housing for people with disabilities in Massachusetts
• Learning about housing
• Section 8 sign-up clinics
• 18th Birthday Club
• Family consultation
• Housing application assistance

Thinking about housing:

This presentation is “Housing 101” for parents. “Thinking about housing” introduces families to the range of public funds available to pay for housing and supportive services (including for those without DDS supports). Some examples are given of how these can be combined with private funds to create housing. We can bring this presentation to your group anywhere in the state. It can be customized from 1 to 2 1/2 hours in length. Please contact us using our contact form, by email at AHPhousing@comcast.net, or by calling 617-893-8217. More information is available here.

The presentation schedule appears in the calendar section of this website.

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Applying for housing for people with disabilities in Massachusetts

This presentation walks families and professionals through the range of affordable and subsidized housing options available to people with disabilities in Massachusetts. A strategy for completing a basic set of applications and tracking them over time is presented. We can bring this presentation to your group anywhere in the state. It is about 90 minutes in length. Please contact us using our contact form, by email at AHPhousing@comcast.net, or by calling 617-893-8217. More information is available here.

The presentation schedule appears in the calendar section of this website.

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Learning about housing:

Learning about housing (formerly the day long workshop) is a five part Zoom series in which families are guided through materials that will help them to determine what housing options might be appropriate for their family member. It takes place on alternate Saturdays from 9:00 until noon. Current 2022 dates are: Feb. 26th; March 12th; March 26th; April 9th; and April 23rd.

• Part 1 – Resources for housing;
• Part 2 – Roadmap to housing (part 1): Assessing skills & supports, and applying for housing;
• Part 3 – Roadmap to housing (part 2): Applying for benefits and services,building skills, and moving in;
• Part 4 – Paying for housing: Developing assets, what you can afford, housing models, ownership models, and financing;
• Part 5 – What does it look like? Location, design, construction, service providers,staff training, creating a vision, and next steps.

The cost for the series is $100 per family; hardship scholarships are available. You must register for the full series; it cannot be broken down into individual parts. Worksheets will be emailed to participants before each session; slides will be emailed after each session to those who logged in.

Tickets must be bought in advance at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/learning-about-housing-tickets-258966474697

The presentation schedule also appears in the calendar section of this website.

Questions? Please contact us using our contact form, by email at AHPhousing@comcast.net, or by calling 617-893-8217.

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Section 8 sign-up clinics:

For those 18 and older not currently on the Sec. 8 waiting list, and wishing assistance to sign up, Autism Housing Pathways holds free Sec. 8 sign-up clinics through our institutional members.

The clinic schedule appears in the calendar section of this website. Clinics are usually described as “Housing application assistance”.

You must sign up in advance for a 50 minute appointment.  There are no appointments between 12:00 and 1:00.

You must have available the amount of the individual’s income and his/her Social Security number.

You must be able to check your email to confirm website registration during the appointment.

Neither Autism Housing Pathways, nor its officers, nor its directors is in any way promising, offering, or guaranteeing housing or supportive services through this initiatives. Click to read the complete legal disclaimer.

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18th Birthday Club:

Meet with Cathy Boyle of Autism Housing Pathways to get started on housing options for your child:

• 60 minute: Complete the two statewide Section 8 applications, review other housing waiting lists to consider, and learn how and when to apply. ($100)
• 90 minute: Same as the 90 minute, plus review the basics of supportive services and how they work (or don’t!) in different housing settings. ($150)

18th Birthday Club appointments are held on Friday mornings. You may schedule your appointment on our Booking page.

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Family consultation:

Autism Housing Pathways can provide families a single free phone call of up to 30 minutes to discuss their individual situations. This call is not meant to constitute legal, financial or other professional advice. Click to read the complete legal disclaimer. Please contact us by email at AHPhousing@comcast.net to book a free phone appointment.

A single free 50 minute appointment may occasionally be scheduled, but must take be scheduled through one of our institutional members on designated dates. Scheduling for these sessions is done through our institutional members. Our current institutional members that book counseling appointments are: the Autism Alliance of Metrowest (Framingham), the Autism Support Center of the Northeast Arc (Danvers), Bridgewell (Peabody), HMEA’s Autism Resource Central (West Boylston), Riverside Family Support Center (Woburn), and Lifeworks (formerly the South Norfolk County Arc) (Westwood). The schedule for counseling through institutional members appears in the calendar section of this website.

Fee for service consultation is also available, and can be booked directly through AHP on our Booking page. Consultation is also available through AANE, and is billed at a different rate schedule.

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Housing application assistance:

AHP offers assistance to complete housing applications for a range of housing programs. During a two-hour appointment, it is generally possible to complete two Section 8 applications and the Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Public Housing (the CHAMP); the latter application can include applying for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program. A second appointment can cover additional housing applications (such as federal site-based housing, private affordable housing, and the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program. Housing application assistance is booked in two-hour blocks and is billed at a different rate than housing consultation.

Please book appointments on our Booking page.

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Individuals

Housing application assistance for individuals without family involvement

Up to 6 hours of free assistance with applications for affordable or subsidized housing is available to individuals with autism without family involvement. There may be a limit on the number of individuals we can serve per year. In addition, we occasionally have grant funding that allows us to serve additional individuals; grant funding is available in 2022. Please contact us using our contact form, by email at AHPhousing@comcast.net, or by calling 617-893-8217.

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Transition professionals

Applying for housing for people with disabilities in Massachusetts

This presentation walks families and professionals through the range of affordable and subsidized housing options available to people with disabilities in Massachusetts. A strategy for completing a basic set of applications and tracking them over time is presented. More information is available here.

The presentation schedule appears in the calendar section of this website.

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Support professionals

Learning about reinforcement:

This free 12 minute video can be used to give a basic overview of reinforcement to anyone supporting a person with autism. Ideally, the viewer should take a short, multiple choice pre-test before watching, then take the identical post-test after watching. Those wishing to administer paper-and-pencil pre- and post-tests as part of a training  should contact us using our contact form, by email at AHPhousing@comcast.net, or by calling 617-893-8217 to get the .pdf file and answer key. Closed-captions are available on the linked YouTube video. Staff may find this infographic from Aubrey Daniels a useful crib sheet on how to deliver reinforcement.

Learning about visual supports:

This free 22 minute video can be used to give a basic overview of visual supports to anyone supporting a person with autism. Ideally, the viewer should take a short, multiple choice pre-test before watching, then take the identical post-test after watching. Those wishing to administer paper-and-pencil pre- and post-tests as part of a training should contact us using our contact form, by email at AHPhousing@comcast.net, or by calling 617-893-8217 to get the .pdf file and answer key.  Closed-captions are available on the linked YouTube video; for those needing audio description, a version with video description is available here. A downloadable first-then board is available here.

Learning about sensory regulation:

This free 23 minute video can be used to give a basic overview of sensory regulation to anyone supporting a person with autism. Ideally, the viewer should take a short, multiple choice pre-test before watching, then take the identical post-test after watching. Those wishing to administer paper-and-pencil pre- and post-tests as part of a training should contact us using our contact form, by email at AHPhousing@comcast.net, or by calling 617-893-8217 to get the .pdf file and answer key.  All words spoken during this video appear on the screen. A list of sensory break ideas and resources is here.

Recommended trainings:

There are a number of inexpensive, off-the-shelf trainings available, which are appropriate for different levels of employees, from new hires to house managers. Here is a listing of those Autism Housing Pathways feels would be appropriate for each level.