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People with autism (including Asperger syndrome) vary greatly in their housing needs. Some live independently but others may require support with certain tasks or, in some cases, may need 24-hour specialist care. Fortunately, the range of housing options available to people with autism continues to grow all the time.

The choice varies according to the area you live in, but the most important factor when making housing arrangements must always be the needs of the individual concerned.

Planning

It may take time to find a suitable housing placement, so it's essential to plan from an early stage. Waiting for an illness or a crisis may force you to have to act quickly and may mean that you end up with fewer options and not much time to prepare.

If you are the parent of a child with a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) then issues such as future housing options should be discussed initially at their year 9 transition review, at the age of 14. Your local Connexions service (or Careers Wales/Careers Scotland) will be involved in these discussions. For more information about transition planning at age 14, see the further reading section at the end of this guide or contact the NAS Autism Helpline on 0808 800 4104 (Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm).

If your child does not have a statement of SEN, it is unlikely that future housing needs will be discussed formally at school, but you should still start to think about the options available to your child. If you have a social worker, you should discuss these issues with him or her at an early stage.

If you are an adult with autism, or the parent of an adult with autism, and you are yet to find a suitable housing placement, your first course of action should be to look at the options available. The best housing option will depend on the specific needs of you as an adult with autism or those of your son or daughter. In some cases, families or individuals may be able to meet their own housing needs, but most other housing options will require assessment and support from social services and/or your local housing authority or association.

Your housing options

1. Independent living

Some people with autism are able to live totally independently without any support from external agencies. If this is the case, your housing needs can be met by the following options.

Home ownership
You can become a home owner by:

obtaining a mortgage and paying for this through earnings (if you are employed)
obtaining a mortgage and using benefits for re-payment
inheriting a property (directly or by a trust)
joint ownership (parents combining resources to purchase a property for their children).

Shared home ownership
In a shared ownership scheme, the ownership of a property is shared between the person with autism and the housing provider. Shared ownership allows you to buy a share of the property and pay rent on the rest to your housing provider. Rent payments may be covered by housing benefit as long as you are receiving or would be entitled to receive income support. Shared ownership does not mean that you have to share the property with other people.

Renting private property
This option means you would pay rent on a property to a private landlord or letting agent.

Local housing authorities or associations
It may be possible for you to rent a property from a local housing authority or association. If you think this is a suitable option for you or your child, you must add your name in writing to the appropriate waiting list as soon as possible.

Some people with autism live away from the parental home without formal external support, but are still heavily reliant on parents or other family members to provide them with help (eg managing finances, cooking and shopping). If you are a parent who provides support to your adult child in their own home, you may be entitled to a carer's assessment from your local social services department. Your child, or you as an adult with autism, may also be entitled to a community care assessment from social services to assess the support that they or you require. For more information about this, see the 'Funding' section below.

2. Supported Living

Some people with autism are able to live semi-independently while getting outside support with some tasks. The main options for semi-independent living are:

home ownership with support
part or shared ownership with support
renting private accommodation with support
housing authority/association accommodation with support
Cluster housing
Small blocks of self-contained flats with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. There would be a manager, warden or support worker on-site or providing 24-hour support.
Community Support Networks
A self-contained house or flat which is close to other similar houses and flats occupied by people with disabilities. A Community Living Worker (CLW) would also live nearby and would support the community members like a good neighbour, providing information, advice and a sympathetic ear when needed. Network managers support CLWs and also support tenants with specific issues, such as benefits.

For more information about any of these options, see the 'Useful contacts' section at the end of this guide.

3. Living with others

Adult placements
If a person with autism prefers to live with a family (in a similar way to a foster home), social services may be able to arrange a placement within a family.

Supported Lodgings
Living in someone else's home as a lodger but with extra support at home with things like personal care.

Homeshare
In a homeshare arrangement, a person with autism would share their house or flat with a second person who has different needs. Both people will have something to offer each other (eg some people may have a home and need support and help, while other people may need a home and be able to offer help and support).

Group homes and shared housing
Group homes are shared by around three or four people. Residents can do their own shopping and cooking, with support from staff who may be present during the day, or visit regularly.

The support required in each of these options will be unique to each person, based on a community care assessment. Usually, this support will be provided by social services - it could be as simple as a couple of hours a month for help with budgeting and paying bills, or it could mean several hours a day to assist with personal care, cleaning and shopping.

High support needs

Some people with autism require specialist 24-hour support. This could be for a variety of reasons, such as an accompanying learning disability, mental health issue or medical condition, or it could be for safety reasons (eg if the person lacks awareness of danger). Here are the main options available:

Parental home
The person with autism lives in the family home with support from social services. If family members are providing this support they should request a carers assessment through social services.

Home ownership with full support
The person with autism owns their own property and gets full-time support from social services.

Renting with full support
The person with autism rents a property from private landlord or a housing authority/association with full-time support provided by social services.

Shared ownership with full support
The person with autism part-owns a property and gets full-time support from social services.

Residential homes
Some residential homes cater for people with a range of disabilities as well as autism (eg visual impairment, learning disability) while others cater only for people with autism. The number of people in a residential home could vary from as few as three residents to over 20. There is usually 24-hour care, and this may include personal care.

All residential homes are required to be registered. This means they must be vetted to make sure they provide suitable care to people with disabilities. Inspections are carried out regularly and assess a number of factors, including building standards, staffing levels, staff training and experience, health and safety and complaints. Registration requirements are the responsibility of the Care Quality Commision (CQC) in England, the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (SCRC) in Scotland and the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) in Wales. You can view details of recent inspections online see the Useful contacts section at the end of this guide.

Group homes
Group homes are usually smaller than residential homes and shared by three or four people. If 24-hour care and support is provided, the home will have to meet registration requirements.

Further Education colleges / residential colleges
This type of residential accommodation is provided alongside an educational placement. Any additional support would depend on an assessment of individual needs.

The housing options listed above are not exhaustive and your local social services department or housing authority may, after consulting you, suggest some alternative options which better meet your or your childs specific needs.

Funding

After considering the various housing options available to you, you will need to make a short list of preferred options. If these options are ones that require support (ie all those that are not totally independent living) you should contact your local social services department in writing to request a Community Care Assessment under the NHS and Community Care Act 1990. This will assess the needs of the person with autism and identify the support they require. The Autism Helpline has a template letter you can use as a guide. Carers are also entitled to an assessment to see if they require support from social services. This right is covered by the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995, the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000, and the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004. Please call our Autism Helpline for more information.

There are other funding options available if you cant get support through social services. These include:

Benefits
People living independently, or semi-independently (ie those not in a registered care home) can claim a variety of benefits to help pay for food and bills, among other items. They may also be entitled to housing benefit, which can be used to pay rent. For more information about benefits, speak to our Autism Helpline's Welfare Rights Advisor (see 'Useful contacts' at the end of this guide).

Independent Living Fund (ILF)
This fund may be available to people with autism who live in their own home but still require full-time support. To qualify, applicants must:

receive at least £320 per week or £16,640 per year, of services or direct payments from social services
be aged between 16 and 64 years
receive the highest rate care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
expect to live in the community for the next six months
have savings or capital of less than £23,000 (excluding the property they live in). This amount includes any capital their partner may have.

For more information, speak to the ILF (see 'Useful contacts' at the end of this guide).

Direct payments
Local authorities can make direct payments to a person so they can purchase their own care services. For more information, contact our Autism Helpline or speak to your social worker if you have one.

Finding a placement

Your local social services department or housing authority may provide you with a list of available housing options in your local area. You may also wish to look at The National Autistic Society (NAS) Autism Services Directory (www.autismdirectory.org.uk) which allows you to search for services in your area, including residential establishments, residential colleges and supported living schemes. If you do not have access to the internet, contact our Autism Helpline and an advisor will conduct a search on your behalf. A number of other housing providers and advisory services are listed at the end of this guide.

Choosing a placement

People with autism should be involved as much as possible in choosing their future housing. In some circumstances it may be useful to use an advocate so that the views of the person with autism are fully represented. Contact details of advocacy organizations are listed at the end of this guide.

We strongly recommend visiting a number of placements so you can fully ascertain the options available. You may well get a good feel for some placements, but not for others. Think about what is important to you or your child. How important is location? Does the house need to be within a certain distance of a college, family members or work? Is it within easy access to public transport? Is it in a familiar area? If you are looking at a registered residential service, we recommend that you read the most recent inspection reports.

If you are considering shared accommodation, it may be worth speaking to other residents or their families to find out about their experiences. You might wish to ask whether residents are involved in making decisions about the place where they live - for example, choosing staff or deciding how the house will be run.

You are entitled to see a copy of the service providers complaints procedures and their policies on challenging behaviour and other issues, if you want to. You might also want to find out about the level of staff turnover and the standard of staff training, especially in relation to autism.

It would be useful to find out if the establishment is accredited by the NAS or is working towards this. For more information about our Autism Accreditation scheme, contact our Autism Helpline or refer to the reading section below. You can also read about Autism Accreditation on the NAS website at www.autism.org.uk/accreditation

The NAS uses an approach known as SPELL in all its establishments. SPELL stands for Structure, Positive approaches and expectations, Empathy, Low arousal and Links. It may be useful to ask the establishment whether they base their approach around these autism-friendly concepts. To find out more about the SPELL approach, contact the Autism Helpline or visit www.autism.org.uk/spell

A summary of your housing options

Start planning early.
Start thinking about future housing arrangements at the transition review at age 14 for children with a statement of SEN.
Contact your local social services department to find out about your local authority's policies on housing and support for people with disabilities.
Adults with autism may be eligible for a community care assessment carried out by their local social services department. Request this in writing.
Carers are entitled to an assessment of their needs from social services.
If you are interested in renting property from your local housing authority or housing association, put yourself or your adult child on their waiting list as soon as possible.
Find out what services are available in your local area by visiting www.autismdirectory.org.uk or calling our Autism Helpline. If the service you require does not exist in your borough or county, you may be able to get a placement elsewhere, depending on your social services assessment.

Other housing issues

Homelessness
For issues related to homelessness, contact the charity Shelter. See contact details below.

Funding for home improvements
The Autism Helpline has an information sheet on funding for home improvements. Please contact us for a copy.

Reading and references

Bicknell, A. (1999). Independent living for adults with autism and Asperger syndrome. London: The National Autistic Society

Harker, M. and King, N. (2004). Tomorrow's big problem: housing options for people with autism - a guide for service commissioners, providers and families. London: The National Autistic Society
Follow this link to download.

Pannell, J. and Harker, M. (2008). Finding a Place to Live, Help with your plans. London: Valuing People
Follow this link to download.

Some families who have a member with a disability feel that their council property is not suitable for their needs. If this is the case for you, contact our Autism Helpline and we will provide you with a general supporting letter on the housing needs of people with autism.

Useful contacts

Housing advice

Housing Options
78a High Street
Witney,
Oxfordshire OX28 6HL
01993 776318
www.housingoptions.org.uk

Shelter
0808 800 4444 (open 8am midnight)
www.shelternet.org.uk

Independent living

National Centre for Independent living
4TH floor,
Hampton House,
20 Albert Embankment,
London SE1 7JJ
020 7587 1663
www.ncil.org.uk

Shared Ownership schemes

Shared ownership homes
www.sharedownershiphomes.org

Housing directories

National Housing Federation
Lion Court
25 Procter Street
London WC1V 6NY
020 7067 1010
www.housing.org.uk

National Association of Adult Placement Services
602, The Cotton Exchange
Old Hall Street
Liverpool L3 9LQ
0151 227 3499
www.naaps.co.uk

Mencap Accomodation Finder
www.mencap.org.uk/page.asp?id=31

Housing providers

Golden Lane Housing
Support Services
West Point
Ground Floor, 501 Chester Road
Old Trafford,
Manchester M16 9HU
0845 604 0046
www.glh.org.uk

Key ring
3rd Floor, Impact Centre,
12-18 Hoxton Street,
London N1 6NG
020 7749 9414
www.keyring.org

Registration and care standards

England
Care Quality Commission
National Correspondence
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA
03000 616161
enquiries@cqc.org.uk
www.cqc.org.uk

Wales
Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales
Cathays Park
Cardiff CF10 3NQ
01443 848450
cssiw@wales.gsi.gov.uk
www.cssiw.org.uk

Scotland
Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care
The Care Commission
Compass House
11 Riverside Drive
Dundee DD1 4NY
01382 207100
www.carecommission.com

Benefits and funding

Independent Living Funds
PO Box 7525
Nottingham NG2 4ZT
0845 601 8815
www.ilf.org.uk

Welfare Rights Advisor

Our Autism Helpline operates a welfare rights service, providing advice and support in all aspects of social security benefit entitlement, including advice on entitlements, help with completing claim forms and what to do if you think a decision is wrong.

There are two ways to use this service:

Call our Autism Helpline on 0808 800 4104 (Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm). We'll take some details of your enquiry and arrange a telephone appointment with our welfare rights adviser, who will call you back to discuss it in more detail.
Email welfarerights@nas.org.uk. It would be helpful if you could confirm the name of the benefit you are enquiring about and provide as much detail as possible regarding your enquiry.

Advocacy

Action For Advocacy (A4A)
PO Box 31856,
Lorrimore Square,
London SE17 3XR
020 7820 7868
www.actionforadvocacy.org.uk

Advocacy Resource Exchange
162 Lee Valley Technopark,
Ashley Road,
London N17 9LN
07967 622010
www.advocacyresource.org.uk

BILD (British Institute of Learning Disabilities)
Campion House
Green Street
Kidderminster
Worcestershire
DY10 1JL
01562 723 010
www.bild.org.uk

Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA)
Melrose House
69a George Street
Edinburgh EH2 2JG
0131 260 5380
www.siaa.org.uk

Legal contacts

Community Legal Service
0845 608 1122
www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk
Able to locate local solicitors and housing specialists.

The Law Society
020 72421222
www.lawsociety.org.uk
Database of solicitors in England and Wales.

The Law Society of Scotland
26 Drumsheugh Gardens
Edinburgh EH3 7YR
0131 226 7411
www.lawscot.org.uk
Database of solicitors in Scotland.

Lawyers for People with a Learning Disability
www.lpld.org

Please note that our Autism Helpline is unable to provide legal advice on housing matters.

If you require further information, please contact:

Autism Helpline
Tel: 0808 800 4104 (open 10am-4pm, Monday-Friday)
Minicom: 0845 070 4003
Email: autismhelpline@nas.org.uk
Website: www.autism.org.uk/helpline

Our Autism Helpline provides impartial, confidential information, advice and support for people with autism spectrum disorders and their families and carers.

Information Centre
Tel: 0808 800 4104 (open 10am-4pm, Monday-Friday)
Fax: +44 (0)20 7833 9666
Email: info@nas.org.uk
Website: www.autism.org.uk/infocentre

Our Information Centre provides a specialist information service for professionals working with people with autism and their families, and students and researchers studying autism.

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