Susan Senator

Autism Housing Pathways (AHP) will present a full day workshop on housing on Saturday, March 28th, at Advocates, 1881 Worcester Road, Framingham.

Come prepared to roll up your sleeves and work! The goal is to end the day with an idea of what benefits your family member may be eligible for, what you can afford, and what models might be applicable to your situation. We will be completing questionnaires and worksheets, as well as Section 8 applications. You will not need to share this information with anyone; it is for your own personal use.

Attendance will be capped at 15 participants. While prior attendance at one of AHP’s presentations on housing is helpful, it is not necessary.
Please RSVP to Cathy Boyle at ccampboyle@comcast.net.

The day will run from 8:30-5:15. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.

The first three families to sign up that meet the criterion of a grant Autism Housing Pathways has received from the Mass. Developmental Disabilities Council that are not already participating in the grant, may, if they choose, be placed on the waiting list for the grant. The grant criterion is that the individual with a developmental disability be unlikely to be Priority 1 for residential services through DDS at age 22. Participants in the grant will:

Receive a workbook to be completed by the individual with a disability (either independently or with assistance from a trusted individual) touching on preferred activities, lifestyle and location, and being a good neighbor. The workbook will be available in three formats: one written at an 8th grade reading level; one written at an early elementary reading level; and one comprised of picture-based social stories and sticker activities.
Upon completion of the workshop and workbook, individuals and their families will engage in a person-centered planning process, using the PATH tool. While the primary focus will be to develop a housing vision, it will be necessary to include other parts of the personal vision to assure compatibility between housing goals and other personal goals. Each plan will include a pre-meeting with the individual and/or his/her family, as appropriate, to determine whom the individual would like present when the plan is created, and to help the individual begin to reflect on his or her vision; the main meeting, where the individual and those he or she has invited create the plan; and a follow-up meeting a few months later to check in on how things are going in implementing the plan. Person-centered planning meetings will be scheduled at the convenience of the individual and his/her family, but must take place before June 20, 2015.
6 months after completion of the day-long workshop, a questionnaire will be sent to individuals and/or families to determine if a Sec. 8 voucher application has been completed, what benefits have been applied for, whether an asset development strategy has been adopted, and whether their living situation has changed.