Autism Speaks and First Place launch first-of-its-kind Housing Market Analysis in Chicago

The Chicago Housing Market Analysis will combine lived experience from autistic adults, families, and caregivers with market-level data to better understand housing needs, barriers, and priorities. Findings will be shared with local housing agencies, policymakers, service providers and developers to help inform more inclusive and affordable housing solutions.

By bringing together community voices and large-scale market data in Chicago, one of the nation’s largest cities, the initiative is designed not only to advance local housing progress but also to model an approach to housing solutions that can be replicated in communities of all sizes across the country.

“Housing is one of the most urgent and least understood challenges facing autistic people across adulthood,” said Keith Wargo, president and chief executive officer of Autism Speaks. “By launching this work in Chicago with First Place Global, we’re taking a leadership role in understanding real needs on the ground and turning that insight into practical guidance. Our goal is to provide housing developers, policymakers and providers with a tool that will accelerate housing solutions in this incredible city.”

About the project  

The Chicago Housing Market Analysis is expected to reach one of the largest populations studied to date in a major U.S. city through a large-scale community survey focused on autistic adults, parents, caregivers and advocates, alongside broader market analysis.

First Place has laid the groundwork for efforts in Chicago by conducting similar surveys across several major U.S. markets, including Greater Phoenix, Charleston, Cincinnati and Austin. This study is being funded by Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, AutonomyWorks and First Place Make Waves Center for Community Development.

“First Place Global is thrilled to partner with Autism Speaks to facilitate the Chicago Housing Market Analysis,” said Denise D. Resnik, First Place AZ founder & president/CEO and mother of an adult son with autism. “The analysis will gather new data, identify barriers to meeting demand and explore how public, private, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors can collaborate. It will provide actionable information that Autism Speaks, advocates, policymakers and family members can use to make informed decisions.”

An estimated 329,000 people in Illinois have an intellectual or developmental disability, with thousands relying on mainstream housing vouchers and many autistic adults living with aging family caregivers.  Unlike traditional housing reports, the Chicago Housing Market Analysis will reflect the scale, urgency and lived experiences of real members of the community to represent the housing challenge facing people with developmental disabilities. The goal is to provide necessary insights to inform local decision-making and help shape housing strategies that could be adapted across the country.

Autism Speaks invites autistic adults, their family members and caregivers to share their perspectives via First Place’s online survey from February 4 through March 18. To learn more, visit autismspeaks.org/chicago-housing-market-analysis. 

About Autism Speaks  

In partnership with autistic people, Autism Speaks works to create an inclusive world and redefine possible for people with autism across their lifespan. As the largest autism organization in the U.S., Autism Speaks has spent more than two decades driving research, expanding services, and shaping policy to improve quality of life. Each year, the organization connects millions of autistic people and their families to free resources, advocacy and support, while working across sectors to advance disability inclusion and opportunity.  Learn more at AutismSpeaks.org and follow @AutismSpeaks on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. 

About First Place 

First Place AZ, a charitable 501(c)(3), is advancing innovative residential and community options for adults with autism and other neurodiversity 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 in the heart of the urban area and recognized by PBS NewsHour as “the most autism-friendly city in the world.” First Place Global 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 AZ’s groundbreaking 2020 report, A Place in the World: Fueling Housing and Community Options for Adults with Autism and Other Neurodiversity’s. Learn more at firstplaceglobal.org.  

Media contacts: 

Francesca Cascardo | Autism Speaks Public Relations
Francesca.cascardo@autismspeaks.org

Michelle McGinty | DRA Collective & First Place Public Relations
Michelle@dracollective.com