New Jersey’s always contentious affordable-housing scene got even more charged with the release a week ago Monday of two reports by the New Jersey State League of Municipalities that question the validity and practicality of obligations calculated by advocates earlier this year.
Current support systems need to be expanded, and new options considered. Families need to be educated about the lifelong cost of caring for a child with autism, and offered strategies to prepare. As the next generation of children with autism reach adulthood, the pressure on the current support systems will become apparent.
In the summer of 2013, Autism Speaks conducted a survey of over 10,000 people from various socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, including over 400 individuals with autism, to explore the current state of housing and support for individuals with autism in the United States. The results show a clear need for more housing, services, and education for family members regarding planning for the future.
According to The National Housing and Residential Supports Survey Executive Summary,
“There is a housing crisis right now in the United States and changes must be made and options must be created to keep it from growing even more out of control. It is our hope that the numbers and information gathered from the National Housing and Residential Supports Survey will go a long way in demonstrating the overwhelming need for housing options and support services for the growing population of young adults and adults with autism.