Wish Book: Providing homes and independence for Bay Area residents with disabilities

Dec. 16—Ashley Oliver was used to people telling her she'd never be able to take care of herself or live on her own.

On a recent afternoon, sitting in the cute, one-bedroom apartment where she now lives by herself in Redwood City, 29-year-old Oliver described how good it feels to prove them all wrong.

"To have my own place is to have my own freedom," said Oliver, who has epilepsy and an intellectual disability that affects her learning and coping skills. "I worked very hard to get to the place that I am."

That huge milestone was made possible in part by Housing Choices, a nonprofit that helps adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities find affordable housing and live independently. The organization is tackling a massive and growing need in the Bay Area, where rent prices eclipse what many disabled people can earn working part-time in a low-wage job or through Social Security, said executive director Janette Stokley.

Housing Choices helps clients with every step of the complicating and daunting affordable housing search — from securing a subsidized housing voucher and finding an apartment to furnishing their new home and developing good housekeeping practices.

There are about 15,000 people with developmental and intellectual disabilities living in Santa Clara County, where Housing Choices is based, Stokley said. The organization also serves San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties.

Many people who qualify for their services live with their parents. But as lifespans for disabled adults increase thanks to better medical care and social services, they are increasingly likely to outlive their parents — and potentially end up with nowhere to go.

And while the population of disabled adults is growing — due in part to a rise in autism diagnoses over the past few decades — the housing options for them are shrinking. Small group homes that provide housing and support for people with disabilities once were a ubiquitous solution, but they are closing left and right, as housing prices continue to increase, Stokley said.

So Housing Choices is working to create more options. The nonprofit partners with affordable housing developers and convinces them to set aside units in their buildings for people with disabilities. So far, Housing Choices has secured 300 new units in 19 buildings across Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. It plans to add another 300 units in the next five years.

Many of the organization's clients have never lived on their own before and need some help adjusting — so Housing Choices doesn't leave as soon as the lease is signed. Through its My New Home program, the nonprofit sets each client up with dishes, pots and pans, bedsheets, towels, cleaning supplies and anything else they may need. This holiday season, Housing Choices is hoping to raise $5,000 for those supplies through Wish Book. If the organization succeeds, it will be able to increase the number of people helped through My New Home by a third, Stokley said.

"It's part of a larger role where we're promoting them to be successful in their apartment," she said. "If you're moving into your apartment for the first time, we want you to be a great tenant and have a pleasant place to live."

Before she found Housing Choices, Oliver couldn't afford market-rate rent and was living in an unfinished basement.

Housing Choices helped her secure a subsidized housing voucher and find an apartment with two small patios, where Oliver now lives surrounded by tanks that house her beloved collection of colorful fish. The nonprofit also provided donated furniture.

When Oliver got behind in rent payments because she was confused about what she owed, Housing Choices helped her figure it out.

"I'm all caught up on my rent now, and I'm paying everything on time," said Oliver, who works in food service on Facebook's Menlo Park campus. "And things are going well."

Despite Housing Choices' efforts, there aren't nearly enough units for everyone who needs one in the Bay Area. Each of the nonprofit's 19 properties has a waiting list of hundreds of people. Staff tell clients the process of getting into housing can take between three and five years.

Before connecting with Housing Choices, Karim Tulloch, who has autism spectrum disorder, had been looking for an affordable apartment for years. He lived for a few months in a group home in San Francisco, but he didn't like how crowded it was and he got into a disagreement with the staff. He ended up moving back in with his mother and sister in Daly City.

Housing Choices recently helped Tulloch apply for an apartment in one of their new properties — Iamesi Village in downtown San Jose. He was accepted, and now is waiting to hear when he can move in.

Tulloch is grateful for Housing Choices' help.

"Living on your own might not be might not be the easiest thing," he said, "so it's good to have some help, someone supporting you all the way."

THE WISH BOOK SERIES

The Wish Book is an annual series of The Mercury News that invites readers to help their neighbors.

WISH

Housing Choices is seeking donations to help pay for basic housekeeping supplies — dishes, pots and pans, bedsheets and anything else their clients may need as they begin living independently. Goal: $5,000.

HOW TO GIVE

Donate at or mail in the coupon.

ONLINE EXTRA

Read other Wish Book stories, view photos and video at

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