According to the City of Calgary, 20% of Calgarians need affordable housing. Unfortunately, only 3.6% of Calgary’s housing is affordable, much lower than the national average of 6%. We need a total of 15,000 additional affordable housing units in Calgary.
Added to that, 1 in 66 Canadian children and youth have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD.) 85% of adults with ASD are unemployed and cannot afford market rate housing. Households in need of affordable housing spend more than 30% fo their income on shelter, and earns less than 65% of Calgary’s media household income, which is $63,267. Clearly, we need to work together to fill this gap.
The Autism community would like to open 500 of these doors for persons with Autism through existing affordable housing units, by advocating for additional rental subsidies, repurposing property, or joining with the private sector to develop new approaches, fund and build new construction.
People with Autism and developmental disabilities face unique challenges. Besides lower rental costs, they need a choice of homes in a variety of locations with a variety of service models that are both accessible and affordable, with a sense of belonging and flexible supports. In order to meet their needs, housing choices should meet certain standards, such as:
- Access to community services, facilities and activity
- Well-located for public transport
- Close to good neighbourhood amenities and access
- Highly functional kitchens, bathrooms and social spaces
- Integrated living, specialized supports and housing
With three months of seed funding, Autism Calgary partnered with us to create the Council for Affordable Housing for Persons with Autism and Disabilities. Leaders and top officials from the private sector, the Autism community and all levels of government met between September to December 2019 to create synergies, spur action and coordinate efforts. Within this short time, five Working Groups were formed, and over 120 units opened up.
We also developed a think piece that outlines four new models of private-public partnerships to meet needs for 500 persons with moderate, severe and very severe forms of ASD. Click here to read it.
