Access to safe, affordable and inclusive housing remains one of the most urgent challenges for adults with autism and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Recognizing this, a bold initiative from the First Place Global Leadership Institute (First Place Global) informs the marketplace about what’s needed for neuro-inclusive housing (Resnik, D., Adesoye, T & Kameka Galloway, D., 2025).
Housing Market Analyses Data
Through a collection of A Place in the World® housing market analyses (HMA) (Resnik, D. & Kameka Galloway, D., 2020), First Place Global is charting housing needs, barriers, design features and solutions across the nation in collaboration with local leaders and stakeholders, including policymakers, builders, support providers and donors.
More than 1,800 individuals in search of housing and representing nine markets have responded. Survey participants represent self-advocates, family members, support coordinators and friends. They have expressed what they want and need in home and community options through data collected from surveys with the goal of establishing realistic recommendations and tangible outcomes.
HMAs are fueling local development while promoting system change by educating developers, policymakers and the broader community on how to meet the housing and support needs of this overlooked population.
Map of Housing Market Analyses across the U.S.
Based on findings from nine HMAs to date, more than 60% self-identified as having autism or serving as a caregiver to someone on the autism spectrum. Additional disabilities noted include Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, anxiety, epilepsy or seizures, and various other physical or mental health challenges. Most respondents reported having multiple co-occurring physical or mental health conditions, the most common being autism combined with intellectual disability or autism with a mental health condition such as anxiety, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Level of support needs among respondents varies. Some require high levels of support, such as one-on-one or two-on-one 24-hour care; others need moderate support, with staff assistance at different times during the day or for specific tasks; and some have low support needs, requiring contact every few days.
Levels of need may also be influenced by changes in personal health, employment, relationships and/or family life cycles. Regardless of age, those with low- and moderate-support needs are as likely as those with high support needs to report living with their parents and equally as likely to experience loneliness. HMAs indicate that nearly 30% of all respondents live with caregivers over age 60.
Two major concerns indicated by respondents are loneliness and the inability to go places. Main barriers to friendship identified include that respondents do not know how to turn potential friends into long-term relationships and that people in their communities do not know how to support them. Lack of transportation is also a significant barrier to friendship and community involvement.
Most adults with autism and/or I/DD are either unemployed or underemployed due to varying challenges with healthcare, physical limitations and/or executive function. Another reason noted for unemployment is the lack of supportive services to help gain and maintain employment. Only 38% of study respondents either volunteer or are employed.
Across all analyses, those with low support needs are less likely than those with moderate or high support needs to receive waiver services. Only 46% of survey respondents report access to publicly funded Medicaid services through a home- and community-based services (HCBS) waiver for long-term support services. The majority earn less than $900 a month, making housing unaffordable for this severely cost-burdened (spending more than 30% of income on rent and utilities) population.
HCBS waivers are prohibited for room and board; those in group or host homes must give most of their income to their service provider. Even when working and receiving public benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), this population still requires assistance to secure housing.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (2020), over a third of U.S. renter households are cost burdened as rent increases are outpacing wage growth. Households that spend more than 30% are considered cost burdened (Airgood-Obrycki, W., Hermann, A. & Wedeen, S. 2021).
Cost burden is not limited to renters. The combination of high demand and limited supply over the last decade has led to a drastic increase in home prices. Nationwide, home prices have soared by 40% over the last four years (Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2021). The price of single-family homes rose from 4.2% in the first quarter of 2020 to 13.2% in March 2021. Between early 2020 and early 2023, rent rose 23.9% while home prices rose 37.5% (Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2023).
When developing housing for adults with autism and other I/DD, several factors must be considered, including affordability, access to supportive services or amenities, physical features such as accessible public transportation, biophilic and/or durable design elements, and types of housing and community settings.
Other noteworthy data points indicate that:
- 52% of respondents want to live in a mixed-use or planned neuro-inclusive community.
- About 65% want to rent or buy a home.
- 41% of respondents have no future financial plan.
Some respondents expressed a desire to stay in their current family homes. Many also prefer to live in an accessory dwelling unit attached to their family homes. However, local zoning ordinances and permit costs may prevent this. For families planning to bequeath homes to their adult children with autism or I/DD, more options are needed to ensure access to resources for future planning. Reasons for lack of a plan include insufficient income and limited access to resources or expertise.
Adults with autism and/or I/DD seeking to move out of their family homes face barriers like unaffordable housing, insufficient housing stock with essential amenities or accessibility features, and complex/underused benefits systems that include limited housing voucher availability. Such barriers represent elements proven to improve social outcomes.
Other factors such as workforce shortages, demographic shifts, an aging population and increased prevalence of autism and/or I/DD require policymakers to expand housing and service options.
For those living with aging caregivers, losing that caregiver is not a matter of if but when. Such a loss can threaten their housing stability, leading to trauma, health decline or extended stays in skilled nursing facilities or other ill-suited, emergency housing placements. Innovative, adaptable models with physical and supportive amenities are essential for individuals with autism and/or I/DD to thrive along with their neurotypical peers.
A Place in the World housing market analyses is a vital tool for addressing a significant but often hidden housing crisis. By highlighting the needs, preferences and challenges of adults with autism and I/DD, these studies establish essential groundwork for innovative housing solutions mapping out an empathetic, data-driven way forward. As HMAs expand across North America, they serve as both blueprint and catalyst to inform and empower communities to build homes and futures where every adult—regardless of ability—can find their place in the world.
Toyosi Adesoye, JD/MPA, is Associate Director for Applied Research and Avery Mickens is Research and Public Policy Analyst at the Colonel Harland Sanders Center for Applied Research at the First Place Global Leadership Institute. Email them at toyosi@firstplaceaz.org and avery@firstplaceaz.org.
References
Airgood-Obrycki, W., Hermann, A. & Wedeen, S. (2021). The rent eats first: Rental housing unaffordability in the U.S.. Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/research-areas/working-papers/rent-eats-first-rental-housing-unaffordability-us
Harati, R., Emmanuel, D., Renzi, K., Aurand, A. (2025). The gap: A shortage of affordable homes. National Low Income Housing Coalition. https://nlihc.org/gap
Harvard Graduate School of Design & Harvard Kennedy School. (2021). The state of the nation’s housing. Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_State_Nations_Housing_2021.pdf
Harvard Graduate School of Design & Harvard Kennedy School. (2023). The state of the nation’s housing. Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_The_State_of_the_Nations_Housing_2023.pdf
Resnik, D. D., & Kameka Galloway, D. (Eds.). (2020). A place in the world: Fueling housing and community options for adults with autism and other neurodiversities. Phoenix, AZ: First Place AZ; Madison House Autism Foundation; the Arizona Board of Regents for and on behalf of Arizona State University and its Morrison Institute for Public Policy at the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions
Resnik, D. D., Adesoye, T., Kameka Galloway, D. & Mickens, A., (2025). 2025 Cincinnati housing market analysis: Data driving a place in the world for adults with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities | First Place Global Leadership Institute. http://www.firstplaceaz.org/leadership-institute/housing-market-analyses
Resnik, D. D., Adesoye, T. & Kameka Galloway, D. (Unpublished manuscript, 2026). Housing market analyses: Data driving a place in the world for adults with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities | First Place Global Leadership Institute. http://www.firstplaceaz.org/leadership-institute/housing-market-analyses
United States Government Accountability Office. (2020). As more households rent, the poorest face affordability and housing quality challenges. [GAO-20-427]. GAO. https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-20-427.pdf
U.S. Social Security Administration Research, Statistics & Policy Analysis. (2022). Monthly statistical snapshot, June 2020. U.S. Social Security Administration. www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/
