Creating a brighter future for autistic adults starts in the home. That is why AiLA is committed to creating housing that enables us to thrive and blossom into the unique people we were always meant to be.

Everyone knows someone with a disability, it might be someone in a wheelchair, or someone who is blind or uses a service dog. What about those disabilities that you cannot see, like someone with a learning disability, or mental illness or Autism. These are called "Invisible Disabilities" and these are among the hardest disabilities to live with. I am sure that if you look within your circle of family and friends you know someone who has a invisible disability. 

Autism is an invisible disability that displays in a variety of ways. It is a spectrum disorder which means that the symptoms, impacts and features differ for every person and can change throughout the person's life time. It is a developmental disorder that does not  go away when a person becomes 18. A significant hardship is that most services and supports end once an autistic person turns 18. Or maybe the person was not diagnosed until they were an adult and never received the supports they need. 

Research and lived experience have shown that adults with autism have lower income, less housing independence and lower steady employment than the general population, although many of them have achieved high school and college/university degrees and they also have some of the highest rates of anxiety, depression and suicide.

BUT there is hope!!! With the right supports, autistic adults can go on to be very successful, highly functional members of the community. That is where our organization comes into play. We have a vision to build an intentional supportive housing community for autistic adults in Edmonton.

Mission and Values

Our mission is to support autistic adults with moderate needs to develop to their full potential by providing person-centered care needed to live independently in the community. There are 4 components of this mission:

1. To foster a supportive community for the benefit of autistic adults and their families
2. To develop leadership skills for autistic adults.
3. To develop independent living skills for autistic adults who will live in the community.
4. To build a sustainable and intentional housing community led by autistic adults and their allies

We provide supports under four pillars – self governance, housing community, social connections and education/skill development. These are achieved through three program areas: health and wellness, skills development, and our supportive housing initiative.

That is where we need YOU to help us achieve this vision. We need to raise money ($80,000 minimum) to put towards a loan to either buy land and build new or retrofit a current apartment.  

This development will be the first of its kind in Alberta where the community is envisioned, built, run and maintained by autistic adults. Maybe even the first of its kind in Canada.

This development is built by autistic adults FOR autistic adults. You can get in on the ground floor of this exciting initiative by donating to our campaign. 

About 1 in every 50 (2%) Canadian children and adolescents is autistic, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. This rate has continued to increase over time. Using this percentage and based on the population of adults in Edmonton, at least 20,000 Edmontonians are currently living with autism and that number is expected to grow in the coming years.

Thank you