Housing initiative helps people on autism spectrum live independently in Vancouver

Taryn Batchelor says she loves having her own living space, spending time with her friends and exploring new restaurants around her Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. 

"I like all my friends. It's nice to have them in the building," Batchelor said. 

Batchelor, 30, who has autism, is talking about living at the Aspen, an apartment building on East 6th Avenue and Main Street in Vancouver. 

She's able to live there because of a partnership between Catalyst Community Developments and PALS Adult Services Society (PASS) Housing. 

John McCulloch, board chair of PASS — a non-profit that provides daily programs and independent housing for adults with autism spectrum disorder — says Catalyst allocated units for 16 adults living with autism and other developmental disabilities so they could live independently and be part of the community.

He says to his knowledge, it's the first program of its kind in Canada. 

He says the organization first approached the developer in late 2019 to come up with an agreement that would make it easier for adults on the autism spectrum to access housing.

McCulloch says the units are either two or three bedrooms so the adults can live with a roommate or caregiver. He says the two-bedroom unit costs $1,600 per month and the three-bedroom goes for $1,850, adding that tenants with the program receive subsidies for housing costs.

He said it was important for the units to be dispersed throughout the building so the residents could integrate with the community.

"That was the key to the whole idea was not to make this exclusionary in any way or segregated in any way," McCulloch said. 

Batchelor recently moved to Vancouver from Surrey to be closer to her workplace, Kerrisdale Lumber.

Her parents, Berni and Butch Batchelor, say living in the apartment has allowed Taryn to gain a newfound sense of independence. 

"I could cry when I hear she's doing this, she's going there," Berni Batchelor said. "It makes me want to cry because we are so fortunate."

The Batchelors say their main concern has always been where their daughter would live once they were gone. 

"We have an answer to that now and it's here," said Butch Batchelor, referring to the apartment complex. 

McCulloch says in order to qualify, adults must be living with autism or other developmental disabilities. He adds that once they become a tenant at the Aspen, they can stay for life.

More units to come?

McCulloch said there is a long wait-list for units and they are working with five other developers to try to allocate more units for people with autism and developmental disabilities around Metro Vancouver.

"In the next two to three years, we'd like to do this three or four more times if we can," McCulloch said.

Paul Gauthier, executive director at the Individualized Funding Resource Centre Society, also helps people with disabilities find housing and says the organization has a wait list of over 100 people looking for accessible housing.

He urges developers to create more affordable and accessible housing for people with disabilities.

"Once you have a person with a disability that ends up in one of your units, they stay for a very long period of time. So you don't have turnover ... you usually have a very good tenant as well," Gauthier said.