E N C Inc

ENC, Inc. stands for Everyone Needs a Community.  We were formed by friends and family of people with developmental disabilities.  Did you know that adults with autism are frequently misunderstood?  A young man in a neighboring county had a job and had been living in his own apartment for three years when he was arrested for cutting the cords on the vacuum cleaners for the second time.  Those of us who live with people with autism are alarmed that it happened the second time.  With the sensory issues of autism the sound of the vacuum cleaner was probably excruciating for this young man.  Something could have been worked out, like vacuuming when he was at work, or warning him so he could put on a headset.  Unfortunately part of autism is a weakness in communication and a limited or absence of the ability to self advocate.

Cutting the cords on the vacuum cleaner was the only way this young man knew to communicate and remedy his distress.

Fortunately the judge recognized that this was not a crime, it was a disability.

Unfortunately this young man lost his housing.  People with autism are at increased risk of these kinds of encounters with the law, and increased risk for homelessness.

Fortunately this young man has parents who found him housing or he would have been homeless.

ENC, Inc. would like to create a community with a community center that understands autism.  We want to create a neighborhood that understands autism and can help create a safe nurturing understanding community that is good for everyone.

We want to create an affordable multigenerational, autism informed, healthy aging community where people know one another and can live with purpose.

We believe it is not only a desirable way to live but will save societal costs in decreasing unnecessary police calls, court time, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, healthier aging with lower health care costs and  create a vibrant life for two under appreciated populations, our seniors and our special people with developmental disabilities.

Our "Opportunity Generation" are those people who have the time to roll up their sleeves and get involved.  Many people over 55 have the time and the energy but are isolated and unengaged.  Loneliness is as hard on health as 15 cigarettes per day.  Imagine if we could tap into this energy, improve health, naturally increase activity and abolish loneliness in our community!

We have given talks to many groups of all kinds as we tested the possibilities for our community model and have uniformly gotten encouragement from families, organizations, Seniors and others that this concept is a fruitful one.  We are modeling after Treehouse Community in Easthampton, MA that brought seniors together with families adopting children who have experienced foster care.  This is a multiple award winning model with so much good that we can bring into our interpretation for a multigenerational community that is prepared to advocate for those with developmental disabilities.

Please help us on our way!  Every little bit helps!  We will eventually need millions in order to build the primary community, and then long term steady donations to support the advocacy and education in the community center.

Please help.  It will do so much!