“All-or-nothing” approaches that cut-off when a specific threshold is reached often end up being a barrier—rather than an enabler to support.

Support should not be removed when an individual is doing well; this may be an indication that those supports are working.

Caregivers, support workers and individuals with FASD note that being proactive is often the best thing you can do.

Seeking supports early in life regardless of diagnosis, regarding setbacks as temporary, and finding ways to cover gaps between supports are great enablers to thriving.

It’s hard to find the right services, especially if you don’t know where to look. However, many supports and services come to know about each other, and can link people from service-to-service.

This network of knowledge can create comprehensive, wraparound coverage.

The location of housing can link individuals to the resources they need, like laundromats, libraries or reliable public transit.

Knowing the area can help connect to these resources. Housing service providers can provide advice on their area, as well as what they do to make up for the gaps in services.

People feel better when they eat and drink well. We know that adequate nutrition is linked to our cognitive function, including our ability to regulate emotions.

One way FASD can impact an individual’s brain is through their interoception. Interoception allows us to feel sensations such as pain, fullness, or hunger. Consider this: if you had difficulties remembering when or if you had last eaten, and you were unable to feel hunger, what would prompt you to eat?

Housing and support services that provide snacks and drinks report a profound positive impact as a result. People are calmer, and better able to take care of themselves and their spaces.

Many times, the main barrier to thriving comes simply back to money. Disability funding that is representative of current costs of living is essential. However, barriers could also be lowered through flexible policies and accessible applications for this type of funding.

Physical and mental safety is key to a living space feeling like a home. Everyone deserves to be comfortable in their own home.

Safety in your home is a large concept. It includes living conditions, safety in location, proximity to necessary resources, and support available to allow for housing maintenance. This also should include accessible versions of housing policies; feeling safe means knowing your own rights.

For people with FASD, simply having an understanding landlord and the tools to maintain housing—such as a mop and a broom—could make all the difference.

It is rare that one person stays in the same living situation throughout their entire lifespan. Individuals with FASD are often forced to commit to one type of housing, with one type of support—such as entirely independent living.

As a person determines the right amount of support for their current place in life, they should have options to choose those different levels of support. In this way, housing should be transitional, helping people grow into the spaces they would like to have.

The concept of “fluidity” means things are free to move back and forth. In this case, that includes people being able to transition between more and less support as they see fit. It also means the house itself being built to adapt to the person as they change.

For example, consider an individual with FASD who has difficulty consistently perceiving anything from the waist-down; shelves that could be raised and lowered could help adapt the space to that person.