Market Analysis Driving Neuro-Inclusive Housing Solutions in Colorado
Updated: Feb 24, 2022
The visibility of the affordable housing crisis for individuals with
intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) needs to be raised and greater neuro-inclusive community development is necessary to meet demand. Data should drive policy and funding solutions, ensuring that time and funding is spent most effectively to increase the residential options people with I/DD and their families need and want.
Laradon, a Denver-based service provider, recognized a major effort was needed in Denver to increase housing options for the neurodiverse population and prevent individuals with I/DD from being displaced from their community of support, forcefully institutionalized, or rendered homeless. They partnered with nine other local organizations to commission a market analysis focused on the needs of residents with I/DD to offer critical data such as:
Population Size
Urgency of Aging Caregivers
Preferred Service Delivery Model
Property Type Preferences
Desired Supportive Amenities
Barriers to Community Integration and more
What process does NIHS use for market analysis?
Desiree Kameka Galloway, founder of NIHS, developed a unique process in order to collect meaningful data by utilizing the nomenclature in the A Place in the World report and then bringing together local leaders to identify the strengths, barriers, and opportunities to meet the unique local demand for neuro-inclusive residential options.
Using the model illustrated, we:
Educate self-advocates and their families on the broad array of residential options.
Assess their needs and preferences with a survey.
Approach local leaders with survey data. The data is presented in an interactive workshop designed to identify critical factors for housing industry leaders, community-based organizations, policymakers and service providers to meet demand.
Increase housing stock that meets the local demand. After gathering data from stakeholders and local leaders, a report is published to provide this missing research and economic data.
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How does a market analysis impact housing options for people with I/DD?
There is no specific affordable housing program that targets the needs of people with I/DD despite being at high risk of involuntary displacement or homelessness. This unique process for market analysis is much more than the data collected, it opens the eyes of housing developers, financial institutions, as well as local and state policymakers to a population that is statistically invisible as a housing need.
For Coloradans with I/DD, data from market analysis has helped identify major roadblocks in policy which forced people to become homeless before being able to access housing assistance, has provided evidence for the Colorado Housing & Finance Authority to create a Neuro-Inclusive Housing Innovation Team and will be used by local not-for-profits who are seeking to develop residential solutions as a tool for pre-development planning, fundraising, to secure financing and make the case to local planning departments that their residents with I/DD desperately need more options.
To request a meeting for conducting a market analysis in your local area, please contact us.