October 2020 "A Community Thrives" Fundraiser

We need a new option for ways to live as we age.  We need new communities who are interested in learning about autism and being friends with people with autism.  

We need to change aging in America.  We need new housing concepts that connect people who want to connect with needs in the community.

We are facing an adult autism crisis.  Adults with autism are frequently misunderstood leading to homelessness or incarceration.

Let me tell you a story about a real person that illustrates an example.  "Tim" (not his real name) was 28 years old living in his own apartment for three years and had a job.    For most of us parents that is the beginning of a good trend to long term independence.

It had taken a lot of work to get Tim that far and just when one would think things were stable Tim was arrested for cutting the cords on the vacuum cleaner in his building for the second time.

For those of us who live with family members with autism we ask, "Why did it happen the second time?"  People with autism have several areas of vulnerability, in this case two autistic features together got Tim into big trouble.  First, the sound of the vacuum cleaner is painful for Tim because of his autism.  The second piece is the communication weakness.  Tim was not capable of identifying the problem and taking more socially appropriate action to protect himself from this painful experience.

Fortunately the judge in Tim's case recognized his autism as the issue and he was not incarcerated.  (That would have been an even worse disaster.)  Despite avoiding incarceration Tim lost his housing.

Tim's parents were able to secure new housing for him.

Without involved parents Tim could have been incarcerated or homeless. 

Autism is different in each person who has it.  It is referred to as a 'spectrum' disorder because there is such a wide variation in individuals.  That makes it very difficult for solutions that are 'one size fits all'.  

What if Tim's neighbors knew and understood autism?

What if Tim's Landlord knew and understood autism?

What if Tim could live in a community where everyone understood the aspects of autism and many knew him well enough to advocate for him?

Expecting parents to live forever is not going to work.

Our aging population 55 and above have large numbers of people who are willing to volunteer, who love helping and advocating, but are isolated.  If COVID has taught us nothing else we have learned how harmful (and awful) social isolation is.  We believe our aging population is an "Opportunity Generation" that can do so much good

We are passionate about building an affordable multigenerational community that is autism informed that will bring understanding, compassion and purpose to the lives of many.  We expect to outreach to the greater community as well for both volunteers and people who need advocacy.

The population of adults with autism is estimated by the Center for Disease Control to be 2.2% of the population.  It is the most common developmental disability surpassing Down's syndrome.  Many with developmental disabilities have autistic features that make them socially vulnerable as well.

The number of people over 80 will double between 2015 and 2035.  Living an active life with purpose improves health.

Donate now to create a new option for living and creating a safe living situation for our vulnerable citizens.

To learn more see our website at e-n-a-c.org.A