For National Housing Day on November 22, we want to celebrate the creative, practical, and personal ways Autistic people, their families and support networks make their homes and daily lives work better for them.

We are calling these “Home Hacks”: an adaptation, addition, setup, routine, or way of doing something at home that makes life a little easier, more comfortable, more enjoyable, or more successful.

A home hack can be simple. For example:

• Keeping quick and easy foods at eye level in the fridge so they’re easier to see and remember.
• Keeping a basket in each room as a designated place for things that accumulate there, then periodically returning those things to where they belong.
• Skipping a traditional dining table because it doesn’t suit how you actually use your space and, instead, creating a comfortable place to eat somewhere else.
• Buying multiple of the same clothing item in different colors to reduce the mental load of putting together an outfit each day.
• Playing a YouTube video of someone cleaning their home when you clean your own home. This is commonly known as “body doubling.”

Whether you live in an apartment or a house, whether you have a roommate, live with family members, or alone, we are looking for hacks that work in a variety of housing contexts.

Submit your favourite “home hack” to us by November 6 and it will be considered for part of a campaign on or around National Housing Day. Those chosen will receive compensation for their ideas.

To get started, send an email to community@sinneavefoundation.org and a member of our team will email you further instructions.

Your idea does not have to be big or innovative. If something increases your independence, or helps make your home work better for you, we’d love to hear about it!