Housing, Houselessness and FASD

Access to safe, affordable, and secure housing is a fundamental human right. Having stable housing can support optimal quality of life and wellbeing, including our physical and mental health, relationships, employment, and community engagement. When basic needs like stable housing are unmet, we struggle to meet more complex and higher-level needs.

Research on the living experience of people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in today’s housing system is growing. While much of the research describes ongoing challenges, we know individuals with FASD can successfully maintain long-term housing when they have the right supports. Individuals with FASD often encounter additional complexities and challenges when trying to secure safe and stable housing, making them disproportionately affected by Canada’s housing crisis. Although housing may exist for vulnerable and marginalized groups, but appropriate housing that is FASD-informed is hard to come by.

Supporting stable and accessible housing for people with FASD requires FASD-informed services, increased awareness among providers and systems, and a focus on interdependence. Below we’ve shared research and resources related to FASD and housing.

CHOoSE Research Project

Co-creating Housing Solutions (CHOoSE) was a research project conducted with individuals with FASD, caregivers, housing service providers, researchers, support workers and policymakers. Together, we worked to find new ways to build housing solutions that reflect the needs and strengths of individuals with FASD. Visit the project website to learn about FASD, housing, and how to put all that we have learned into practice.

Want to learn more about FASD and housing? Take our free online course!

View the FASD & Housing Course

Housing Toolkit

This toolkit has resources to help people develop their understanding of FASD at all levels of the housing process. It was developed based on recent research and evidence as part of the CHOoSE project. The toolkit includes:

FASD Accommodation Checklist: Solutions at the level of the house.
FASD-Informed Tables: Solutions at the level of the person.
Need Navigational Tables: Solutions at the level of the program.
Process-Centered Map: Solutions at the level of the system.

Resources on Housing and FASD

Research

Building Toward Better Housing for Canadians With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Celisse Bibr, Kelly D. Harding, Kathy Unsworth, Cherise Carlaw, Ben Balfour, Jacqueline Pei
Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, August 2026

The scope of supportive housing for adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: a rapid review
Francesca Lee, Yasmeen Almomani, Hannah Denberg, Alexandra Burman, Siann Gault, Debbie Chaves & Melody E. Morton Ninomiya
International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, July 2024

FASD: The Living Experience of People with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder—Results of an Anonymous Survey (open access)
Emily Hargrove, C. J. Lutke, Katrina Griffin, Myles Himmelreich, Justin Mitchell, Anique Lutke, and Peter Choate
Disabilities, May 2024

Difficulties in Daily Living Experienced by Adolescents, Transition-Aged Youth, and Adults With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Kaitlyn McLachlan, Katherine Flannigan, Valerie Temple, Kathy Unsworth, Jocelynn L Cook
ACER, August 2020

“Well Where’s he Supposed to Live?” – Experiences of Adoptive Parents of Emerging Adult Children With FASD in Ontario (open access)
Jenna Pepper, Shelley Watson, & Kelly D. Coons-Harding
Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 2019

Reports

A Mosaic of Options: A Housing Continuum for People with FASD (2020)
This summarizes the findings from the FASD & Housing Symposium, A Mosaic of Options: A Housing Continuum for People with FASD, held in Whitehorse, Yukon in March 2020.

Creating Intersections: A systematic and person-centred harmonizing framework for housing individuals with FASD (2018)
This report outlines a framework for housing that can helps service providers recognize current practices, celebrate successes, and adapt programming to better meet the needs of individuals with FASD.

Issue Papers

A Place to Call Home: Addressing Housing Needs for Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (2024)
Individuals with FASD face challenges with accessing and maintaining stable housing, and many people with FASD have experienced being unhoused. While research on the housing experiences of those with FASD is limited, there is growing evidence that collaborative, person-centred, and integrated supports that recognizes the unique needs of people with FASD across all life domains is essential.