Charleston Housing Market Analysis Aims to Close Housing Gap for Adults with Autism and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities

Pioneering study from SOS Care sheds light on invisible housing crisis, provides market data on needs of neurodiverse families.

MURRELLS INLET, S.C., Jan. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A comprehensive Charleston report that provides the data needed to drive a more neuro-inclusive local housing supply has been released by the Make Waves Center for Community Development at the First Place Global Leadership Institute. Report findings recognize that current housing in Charleston cannot meet demand?financial, physical and cognitive?for adults with autism and/or other intellectual/developmental disabilities (A/I/DD).

The 2023 Charleston Housing Market Analysis: Data Driving a Place in the World for Adults with Autism and/or Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities was conducted by the Make Waves Center for Community Development, one of five centers of the Global Leadership Institute based at First Place® AZ, a charitable nonprofit in Phoenix with the vision of ensuring housing, healthcare and community options are as bountiful for people with autism and other neurodiversities as they are for everyone else. The study, commissioned by SOS Care of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, is the first ever in South Carolina to comprehensively address the housing needs and preferences of adults with A/I/DD. The analysis educated consumers on their potential options, collected data on their needs and preferences, identified barriers to meeting demand and explored how public, private, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors can work together on market solutions.

SOS Care is on the forefront of expanding housing opportunities for the local A/I/DD population, and is in the process of opening Oak Tree Farm, an affordable housing community designed for individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. This community will include access to transportation, life skills training, an amenities center, a swimming pool, and more. In addition, SOS Care collaborated with NFlyte who designed an app to assist individuals with A/I/DD with more independence as they manage reminders and important documents.

"This dream is now a reality in South Carolina, and it's called Oak Tree Farm, a labor of love for those who need it most," said Sarah Pope, CEO of SOS Care. "Parents can rest easy knowing there IS a place for their loved ones. Once this project is complete, the challenge is not over; there will always be a desperate need for housing for those with autism and/or I/DD. Our team continues to push one building block at a time, one project at a time."

The Charleston Housing Market Analysis indicates that housing is financially out of reach for most adults with A/I/DD. Only 42% of survey respondents indicate they are employed. Most are either unemployed or underemployed due to various socioeconomic or physical, mental health, cognitive or executive functioning challenges. Those with A/I/DD who are employed often work less than 20 hours per week and there is also the fear that their income may disqualify them from being eligible for services through Medicaid.

Approximately 22,944 adults with A/I/DD in the state receive Medicaid-funded Long-Term Services & Supports (LTSS). Only about 5,000 adults with A/I/DD receive home and community-based services (HCBS)-funded services outside the family home in any setting across South Carolina. More than 45% want to live in Charleston County while 28% want to live in Berkeley County and 24% want to live in Dorchester County.

"Without housing options, this population lives with family members until crises force rushed placements or even homelessness. These consequences are both traumatic for the individual and their family and expensive for our state and communities," says Denise D. Resnik, First Place AZ founder and president/CEO and mother of an adult son with autism. "Lack of housing options too often prevents the neurodiverse population from moving beyond their family home as integrated, contributing members of society with the support of those who know them best."

About 30% of respondents do not know that Medicaid waiver resources are available to provide families and individuals with respite, day programming, supported employment or other LTSS to keep them living in their family home or prepare them for the transition to a different home. Survey respondents' earned income indicates that adults with A/I/DD are extremely low-income, falling below 30% of area median income in the Tri-County area. The survey indicates that nearly half of respondents have not done family financial planning about where their loved one will live, and they may be at imminent risk of becoming homeless if they lose their primary caregiver.

Another area of concern is 83% of respondents rely on friends and family for transportation. Eighty percent of participants want a home that helps keep them safe.

Options in existing housing stock may be inaccessible for adults with physical or cognitive challenges. Adults with A/I/DD can also have issues with reading and writing, executive functioning, communication and/or social interactions. This makes navigating complex and often disconnected systems required to access housing more daunting, according to the report. Individuals may need sensory-responsive features such as natural, low-voltage versus fluorescent lighting; technology to support executive functioning; built-in structural features for age-in-place options; or wayfinding strategies and signage.

The report outlines systemic challenges including:

• Significant data gaps exist because the number of adults with A/I/DD in South Carolina is unknown. This includes those experiencing homelessness.
• Most South Carolina residents with A/I/DD cannot earn a housing wage and the majority, 53%, are not receiving Long-Term Services & Supports (LTSS).
• Current subsidized housing models or permanent supportive housing offer neither the accommodations nor the safety net adults with A/I/DD need to obtain and maintain housing.
• South Carolina relies on provider-controlled settings and does not have HCBS (home and community-based services) funding pathways for preferred service delivery models identified in the survey. Data in one's own home (consumer-controlled setting), which may be more cost-effective and less restrictive. 62% of respondents were concerned they will be forced to live in a group home or adult host home while 50% are concerned they will be abused and 38% fear they may become homeless.
• Adults with A/I/DD encounter more challenges connecting with individuals outside their biological family. Eighty-nine percent report loneliness and 44% have faced discrimination due to disability.
• 93% of respondents experience barriers to engaging with their community. A lack of transportation is the top reported barrier followed by feeling overwhelmed or over-stimulated and not having enough money.

"At the very least, housing for a minimum of the 22,000 individuals estimated to be living in the area with a caregiver over age 60 must be a goal within the next decade," says Maureen Casey, director of the First Place Global Leadership Institute Centers for Applied Research and Public Policy. "Meeting the housing needs of people with A/I/DD will result in a healthier, more stable population that can significantly reduce Medicaid costs, increase quality of life, and prevent involuntary displacement and homelessness."

The report also identifies an array of recommendations needing cross-sector support to close data gaps, increase homeownership, offer rental subsidies, increase the development of neuro-inclusive mixed-use and planned communities, provide long-term services and supports and foster local community development including:

• Segment the South Carolina Homeless Management Information System or point-in-time data to identify adults with A/I/DD experiencing homelessness.
• Develop a homeownership guide to help individuals with A/I/DD and their families understand how to invest in stable housing when financially feasible.
• Prioritize low-income people with A/I/DD or those receiving South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN) waiver services in local housing choice vouchers (HCV) waitlist applications.
• Prioritize adults with A/I/DD within the South Carolina Quality Allocation Plan to incentivize developers to create integrated neuro-inclusive housing.
• Increase funding or legislative action to make waiver services available to all adults with A/I/DD living with a caregiver over age 60 or at risk of displacement into provider-controlled or more restrictive settings than needed.
• Include adults with A/I/DD in local diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to increase the visibility of Charleston's neurodiverse population.

"This report serves as a guide for data-driven solutions, as well as the development of a housing roadmap outlining a plan on how to prevent the displacement or homelessness of adults with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities," says Desiree Kameka Galloway, First Place Global Leadership Institute advisor.

One hundred thirty-nine people, 26% of whom are self-advocates, participated in the survey from June 15, 2023, to July 20, 2023. Twenty-seven participants took the plain language survey. Respondents were required to participate in a learning session, which included live, virtual training about residential choices. SOS Care also hosted three "watch parties" to bring participants together in person to watch a recorded learning session. More than 70 community-based organizations were contacted as part of the process for promoting and facilitating the study. After the surveys closed, data were analyzed and presented at the Local Leaders Workshop. The study examined housing in the greater Tri-County area. Make Waves Center for Community Development and SOS Care sponsored the study. The report is available online at soscaresc.org/charleston-housing-market-analysis-2023.

For more information or to get involved, email [email protected] or visit firstplaceaz.org.

About SOS Care

SOS Care is headquartered in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina with locations throughout the state:

from Myrtle Beach, Charleston Tri-county, Greenville, Florence and now Columbia. SOS Care has developed Oak Tree Farm, an affordable housing initiative in Conway, South Carolina. This 501(c)(3) non-profit service provider has additional programs for kids, teens and adults. Our mission is to answer the call for help when individuals or families are facing the challenges of autism and intellectual disabilities. Our vision is to provide the resources needed for independent living for all individuals in South Carolina with A/I/DD so they are not in danger of becoming homeless. For information on other SOS Care services and programs, please contact Kim Byars, Housing Educator at [email protected], 843.449.0554

About First Place® AZ

First Place AZ, a charitable 501(c)(3), is advancing innovative residential and community options for adults with autism and other neurodiversities through its vision for fueling a new wave of real estate and community development. First Place?Phoenix, the nonprofit's flagship property, is an 81,000-square-foot apartment community set in the heart of the urban area and recognized by PBS NewsHour as "the most autism-friendly city in the world." The First Place Global Leadership Institute leverages this award-winning property to serve as an R&D site, supporting the replication of residential and post-secondary education models and fostering collaboration among the public, private, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. Read First Place's groundbreaking 2020 report, A Place in the World: Fueling Housing and Community Options for Adults with Autism and Other Neurodiversities.

Media Contact

Kathi Grace, SOS Care, 1 843-449-0554, [email protected], https://soscaresc.org/

Kim Byars, SOS Care, 1 843-449-0554, [email protected], https://soscaresc.org/

SOURCE SOS Care