Anonymous wrote:How is the person sleeping in a closed restaurant? Who is letting them in / letting them do this? Seems like a liability for all involved.

OP here. He seems to have access to a back door. The building is online for rent on loopnet. I left the cafe and picked up diner at a restaurant in the same complex as the Burger King and saw him walk across the street and drop his backpack at the front door and then disappear behind the building and come out through the front and take his things. I was so shocked and saddened by this. I really thought a relative was either working at the cafe or picking him up and dropping him off. We made eye contact (and he gave me an almost like please don’t snitch on me nervous look) and I know he recognizes me from the cafe. I went back to the cafe today and don’t see him but I want to try and offer him some resources. He’s very young to be in such a bad spot.

Anonymous wrote:As the parent of a young adult with psychosis, the implication that somehow an adult with ASD being homeless is more alarming or heartbreaking than one with schizophrenia is pretty disturbing.

It should all be alarm I g. The way we treat people in this country is nauseating. We have the money to help but don’t or the money ends up going to programs that are really private piggy banks.

As the parent of a young adult with psychosis, the implication that somehow an adult with ASD being homeless is more alarming or heartbreaking than one with schizophrenia is pretty disturbing.

How is the person sleeping in a closed restaurant? Who is letting them in / letting them do this? Seems like a liability for all involved.

It hasnt clear they have autism. They could have schizophrenia and are using headphone to block out voices. You can’t medicate someone against their will or make them get treatment or make them go live with family members. If a person doesn’t want help there isn’t much you can do.

The laws really need to change but disability advocates have fought many attempts to force treatment due to concerns about forced institutionalization and the conditions of some of the places in the past. I don’t understand how living on the street is better. And many of these mentally unstable homeless were incarcerated and then they got treatment but incarceration rates have declined so they maybe are cited and released when aggressive.

I would not get involved. Just notify the police, who I am sure are already aware.

You're making some assumptions. He very well could have autism but you've only observed him a little bit. I work with quite a few homeless individuals and know a few with schizophrenia who would fit that description. I also know of one male with autism who is homeless pretty much by choice. He refuses any and all help and the only time he receives any is when he ends up in the hospital with an infection.
Not saying he doesn't deserve help, but it's wise to get the whole picture before jumping to things like taking him into your home.
Connect with APS and a local homeless organization. They should be able to give you resources and advice. One organization near me(not in the DC area) has volunteers who are trained to approach and provide help and resources to individuals on the streets.

My heart is breaking here. Parent of two ASD young adults. Where is his family?

As others mentioned, get social services involved. Is this an adult teen-age 18 or older? if so I might consult with adult protective services about what can be done. As a parent of a teen with autism this breaks my heart!

This teen should be able to get disability benefits and group housing, but will need assistance to get through the paperwork, etc. Contact social services so they can get someone to him with the expertise he actually needs, while also finding safe and appropriate temporary housing.

They need to be connecting to social services. If they have an autism diagnosis, it could unlock benefits for them.

Just a caution that there are conditions that can look to lay people like autism (especially low needs autism), but aren’t. A homeless teen still needs help no matter the particulars.

Find their family.

See if your area has a disability services office that can help. Look under MRDD or developmental disabilities) perhaps.

Have you ever talked to them? Getting connected to social services can be difficult if you have a disability. One place to start would be familiarizing yourself with the process in your area and then offering to help them navigate it.

This isn’t in DC but I’d like to try and help someone who could use it. They are a 20 year old autistic adult male. I frequently go to a cafe to work and noticed they are often there. It’s clear they have autism and they wear headphones all the time and carry a stuffed animal. I always wondered who brought them there and thought maybe one of the cafe workers were related to him. Turns out he’s homeless and goes across the street to sleep in a closed Burger King. What would be the best way to try and help him?