A few more things about this book

Housing journeys can be difficult

We’ve shared a lot of strategies and ideas in this book that can make housing more neuroinclusive, supportive, and stable. But to be clear, housing journeys can also be incredibly hard for many Neurodivergent people.

Moving isn’t always an exciting time, nor is it always a transition into a great new home. Unfortunately, moving can sometimes mean leaving a good home behind. It can happen because of a loss, crisis, or major life change. Other times, safe or suitable housing just isn’t available.

There are still many barriers to housing for Neurodivergent people. These barriers can stack up and deeply affect people, especially if they already experience discrimination based on race, disability, income, or gender.

It can be scary to move into a home or community that doesn’t meet needs or feels unsafe, isolating, and unwelcoming. That’s why we need to talk about these realities too. Not to discourage action, but to ground our ideas and solutions in lived experience.

While the strategies in this book can support better outcomes, we know real change takes more than good ideas. It takes listening, collective effort, and a commitment to doing better.

Acknowledgements

This book is the result of shared work. It’s shaped by real stories and strengthened by a community of people who know this matter well. We engaged with and listened to many people, who shared their time, experience, and ideas with us. Their voices supported us in understanding what’s working, what’s not, and where change is possible or already happening.

The people behind the initiative

Autistic people

Other Neurodivergent people

Caregivers

Friends

Family members

Developers

Landlords

Realtors

Community connectors

Elected officials

Support workers

Designers

Housing planners

Researchers

Policymakers

Advocates

Partners

This was a collaboration between Carleton University’s Accessibility Institute and The Sinneave Family Foundation. Both teams care deeply about accessibility and inclusion, and we believe the best way to move forward is by listening, learning, and working together.

Housing Ecosystem Professionals Working Group

The members of the working group brought a wealth of insight from their roles as housing providers, community connectors, architects, and municipal staff. They grounded our work in real-life experience, sharing where things are going well and where there were opportunities for change. They also connected us to other great people and projects working towards more inclusive housing.

Neurodivergent Advisory Committee

We are especially grateful to members of our Neurodivergent Advisory Committee. Their lived experience, thoughtfulness, and guidance shaped this initiative and reminded us of what neuroinclusion looks like. We’ve tried to honour the principle of nothing about us without us every step of the way, and their direction made that possible.

Research participants and other connections

We want to thank everyone who took part in our research or connected with us during meetings, at events, or over coffee chats. This book reflects what we’ve learned from them, and we were delighted to have so many enthusiastic people from across the housing ecosystem support our initiative.

Thanks for being here

Thanks for engaging with this book. We hope it sparked a few new ideas or offered encouragement to think about and make housing more neuroinclusive.

Throughout this project, we connected with people across the housing world. Neurodivergent people, families, support workers, landlords, developers, architects, and policymakers all brought different perspectives. What stood out most was their openness to share what they knew, being energized by new ideas, and learning from one another.

This book was shaped by that same spirit. The strategies and ideas inside can be adapted and used in different contexts. Some might be useful right away. Others might shape future plans or spark new conversations.

Change is already happening

Local action makes a difference. The choices being made, the relationships being built, and the ideas being shared can have a real impact. At the same time, we know that many of the housing challenges people face are connected to systems that weren’t designed with neurodiversity in mind. That’s why broader changes are also needed, such as more inclusive policies, flexible funding, better housing options, and stronger supports.

And while these bigger shifts can take time, we’re seeing real momentum. People across the country are testing new approaches, building diverse and stronger networks, and sharing their success stories. We hope this book adds to that momentum and helps more people feel ready to take the next step.

Thanks for showing up, for caring about this work, and for helping to build housing that works better for everyone.

Index of role-specific ideas

This book’s content was designed to be flexible, with most ideas written in a way that can be adapted across different roles and contexts. We invite you to consider how each idea might apply to your work, even if it wasn’t written explicitly for your role.

That said, we know it’s helpful to quickly spot what’s most relevant. So, we’ve pulled together a shortlist of ideas that connect closely to specific roles.

This index is just a starting point. You might see your role show up in a few different places or come across something listed under another role that sparks a new idea. That’s the goal. These ideas aren’t fixed. They’re meant to be shared, adapted, and used in ways that work best for you.