‘We want to see kids or adults with autism thrive’: JoCo donates vacant MED-ACT building for IDD housing

KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.

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For many adults with autism or intellectual and developmental disabilities, living independently is key to thriving in adulthood. But in Kansas, years-long waits for support services and a lack of housing availability keep that goal out of reach.

Johnson County hopes a piece of the solution is sitting on vacant county land. The county donated a former MED-ACT property in Overland Park to be converted into three or four units for adults with disabilities. The transfer is the first real application of the county's new Leveraging Assets for New Development (LAND) policy.

Johnson County Board Chairman Mike Kelly said the donation reflects both the scarcity of available land and the county's unique position to help.

"Land in Johnson County is at a premium, and so if we could bring land to the table, housing intended for folks with intellectual or physical disabilities can be a reality," Kelly said.

The need is significant. According to Mission Project Director Kristin Nichols, only about 10% of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) actually live independently.

"There are very limited opportunities in that regard," Nichols said.

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Part of the barrier is access to the IDD waiver, a support service that makes independent living possible for many people with disabilities.

"There are definitively long waiting lists for the IDD waiver. Specifically, the wait list right now is nine years," Nichols said.

Oscar Emmons, a tenant at The Mission Project, knows firsthand what that support can mean. After college, Emmons was ready to live on his own.

"It was time for me to start living independently," Emmons said.

His father, Scott Emmons, said the move was about more than just a place to live.

"He needed more independence, more stimulation, just more quality of life," Scott Emmons said.

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Over time, he found his footing.

"I very gradually started to become very good at living on my own, making some new friends," Oscar Emmons said.

Now, both Oscar and his father hope more people with IDD get the same chance.

"We want to see kids or adults with autism thrive and be successful," Oscar Emmons said.

Johnson County is not alone in working toward that goal. Friends of JCDS, the nonprofit branch of Johnson County Developmental Supports, has built 25 units for adults with disabilities. The Mission Project has 36 units, and BelongKC broke ground this summer on 44 units for adults with IDD.

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