By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
Listening to George Sinnott and the North Oakland Dixie Band at the Orion Wildwood Amphitheater this Sunday, June 26, could mean helping supply a home for someone in need.
The Homes For Autism Fun-Raiser Music Concert will begin at 4 p.m., and the community is encouraged to attend and support their goals
Homes For Autism’s (HFA) mission statement is to provide and maintain houses for people with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities, allowing them to be the best they can be.
Tickets for adults are $20 and veterans, disabled people and children under 18 are free.
The Wildwood Amphitheater is located at Orion Civic Center Park at 2700 Joslyn Road.
HFA is a nonprofit organization created in 1993 by several families who were getting older, and whose children with autism were likewise growing up.
HFA thus was the avenue that gave these families the extra help they needed to care for their young adults. Their first house in Redford was obtained in 1997, and many of the residents stay for ten to 15 years.
Former Orion Township trustee, Bill Schramm is President of HFA, and said of their six homes, some are in need of repair.
“HFA spent $34,000 last year in repairs, and $100,000 in the previous ten years. We have a mortgage that needs to be paid, and we would like to add another house in the next couple of years,” he said.
His son was diagnosed with autism in his 20s, and although he doesn’t live in one of the current homes, Schramm said HFA was an excellent option for the extra help families may need.
According to the National Autism Association, autism spectrum disorder is the fastest growing developmental disorder, and also the most underfunded when it comes to research.
Statistically one in 68 children are diagnosed, and the rate of diagnosis has increased over the last 20 years. About 40 percent of children with autism do not speak, 25 to 30 percent know some words but forget them at around 18 months old, and others might speak, but not until later in their childhood.
Schramm said children with autism become adults with autism, and children cannot live alone.
Although there is currently no cure, early intervention procedures have helped children with autism progress, something HFA helps to continue into adulthood through their 24-hour care with rotating caregivers.
All of the homes have three bedrooms, and 1.5 or two bathrooms, and are located in nice subdivisions. Three residents live in four of the homes, and two homes have one resident each. The six homes are located in Oakland, Wayne, Livingston and Washtenaw counties.
HFA owns all of the homes but partners with the parent/guardian of each resident to take care of the major expenses.
“We try to have a high equity in the home which therefore allows HFA to decrease the rental. For example, the Elizabeth Lake house, which is a 1,500 sq. ft. three-bedroom, we rent for $400 per individual a month, plus utilities and half of the property tax,” Schramm said.
Although there are no homes currently in Lake Orion area, Schramm said HFA would love to eventually partner with Habitat for Humanity and Christ the Redeemer Church to make that happen.
That’s where the funding comes in.
HFA hosts three additional fundraisers a year: Irish Night in April, A Walk at the Zoo in September, and a dinner dance in November.
For more information on HFA, visit their website at homesforautism.org/, and for more, general information on autism visit nationalautismassociation.org/ or autismspeaks.org/.