We Are Up is needed because there is an impending crisis in long term housing and care for adults with autism and other disabilities.

According to California’s Department of Developmental Services, for every 40-year-old with autism in 2020, our communities can expect at least 27 40-year-olds with autism by 2054 (Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area Report, 2020).

Families need more sustainable caregiving options. In 2020, more than 53 million Americans provided unpaid caregiving (National Alliance for Caregiving). In California, 80% of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are being housed and cared for by aging parents and family (State Council on Developmental Disabilities). Where do our loved ones go when they are ready to live more independently, or when family is no longer able to provide care?

Humboldt County is disproportionately impacted. Data on people aging and living with disabilities locally shows that adults under 65 with a disability comprise 13.2% of Humboldt County’s population and seniors comprise 19.2% of the population, versus national rates of 8.7% and 16.8%, respectively (Census, 2020). These higher rates put a strain on our limited, rural social service infrastructure.

The broken care system is expensive and inequitable. For families, caregiving often comes with economic hardship, reducing earning potential or depleting savings. It is estimated that the opportunity cost of friends and family providing unpaid care for seniors in the U.S. is $522 billion annually (RAND).

Housing options for seniors and people with disabilities are expensive, oversubscribed, and isolating. For families looking for support, the options locally are extremely limited. There are also warranted concerns around loneliness and isolation: 40% of adults with a disability or a chronic disease report feeling lonely or socially isolated. This can have major health implications including more than a 60% increased risk of premature death, a 50% increased risk of dementia, and 32% increased risk of stroke (U.S. Surgeon General).