Dream Gap Foundation

Dream Gap Foundation is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved public charity and recipient of the GuideStar Exchange Gold Seal that provides affordable housing solutions for low income individuals and their families living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder through community awareness, advocacy and support. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identify that 1 in 68 American children as on the autism spectrum. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and neurodiversity are general terms for a neurological condition where the individual processes and interprets information a little differently resulting in sensory sensitivities, repetitive routines, intense focus on narrow areas of interest, and social awkwardness making it very difficult neurodiverse individuals to transition into adulthood and achieve the same hopes and aspirations as their neuro-typical peers. An estimated 35% of young adults with an ASD are attending and completing college, yet the unemployment rate is approximately 75% for those same college graduates. This is likely because the support and basic accommodations that individuals with an ASD received through their education years simply stops once they graduate college and attempt to transition into a professional career. Unfortunately many employers have yet to understand that having autism and being a successful professional are not mutually exclusive and until then individuals with autism will continue to experience the highest unemployment rates of any other group of individuals with disabilities. The need for affordable housing for these individuals and families is unprecedented. With the continually increasing demand for affordable housing, we are facing a crisis of upward of a 70% shortage of these homes. This extreme shortage means that individuals with ASD and their families are spending in excess of 50% of their monthly budget on just basic housing and utility expenses leaving them struggling to pay for the remaining essentials.