A Scituate nonprofit that turned a former office building into supportive housing for adults with autism asked the Norwell Select Board this week to consider a similar project locally, pointing to an existing zoning tool that already requires affordable units in exchange for denser development.
Marynell Henry, executive director and a co-founder of SAIL Home, told the board on July 22 that the organization, whose name stands for Supported Access to Independent Living, formed in 2023 after nine founders, most of them parents of children with autism or intellectual disabilities, completed a four-month training program with a Chicago nonprofit called New Futures Initiative. Before finishing the course, the founders had already identified an 8,000-square-foot office and light manufacturing building for sale in North Scituate.
"Over in the adult world, over 70% are living at home with aging caregivers," Henry said.
The number of people diagnosed with autism continues to rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates about 1 in 31 children are identified with autism nationally, while Massachusetts is estimated to have one of the nation's highest percentages of adults living with autism.
An angel investor helped SAIL Home buy the North Scituate property for $1.6 million, and the organization retrofitted it into three apartments serving eight adult residents, along with a community room and offices. Scituate's Community Preservation Committee approved $1 million toward the project on the group's first request and later added $750,000 more to cover cost overruns, Henry told the board. State Sen. Patrick O'Connor also secured a $125,000 earmark. Construction began in the summer of 2024, and residents started moving in this past March.
Henry described a rigorous application process requiring residents to live within 15 miles of the Scituate site and to already receive services through the state Department of Developmental Services. Since 2014, Massachusetts has allowed adults with autism, even without an intellectual disability, to qualify for Department of Developmental Services autism supports, although eligibility and available services vary.
Each unit in the residence includes assistive technology such as smart medication dispensers and a remote monitoring platform that lets residents reach staff through a tablet at any hour. Wendy Ellison, another co-founder whose daughter lives at the residence, said the organization is weighing a new source of financial support for families.
"We also have talked recently about soliciting donations for some sort of scholarship fund that would help people that couldn't afford the monthly fee on their own give their loved one an opportunity to live in a place like this," Ellison said.
Select Board Chair Brian Greenberg, who has toured the Scituate building, raised Norwell's village residential overlay district as a potential path for a similar project.
"We already have a village residential overlay district in Norwell, and that's basically a way that somebody can develop land more densely than normal, but under specific restrictions for over 55 housing. And the deal is that you have to have 25% affordable units and in exchange you get some extra density under certain conditions," Greenberg said.
Because of the existing village residential overlay, the town may be able to use an existing zoning framework instead of requiring an entirely new bylaw.
Select Board member Andy Reardon connected the proposal to his own family's experience with a relative on the autism spectrum.
"One of my nephews is in a very similar situation, and one of our concerns as a family is what happens when mom and dad are no longer there…I personally think it's a great project. I think it's way overdue," Reardon said.
Board Vice Chair Lorenda Layne and member John McGrath asked Henry how the Scituate residence covers its operating costs and whether the housing stays affordable permanently. Henry said the deed restricts the units as affordable in perpetuity, with residents paying rent geared to 30% of the area median income while families cover a separate fee for staffing and insurance.
Henry told the board SAIL Home has no specific property in mind for Norwell and is instead opening a conversation with town officials. Members of the Norwell Community Housing Trust also attended. Henry said the organization will hold an open house at its Scituate building on Aug. 6.