Three years ago, seven parents who met through the Emerald Coast Autism Center’s Parent Teacher Organization began discussing what happens to their children as adults.

Their answer opened its doors Sept. 15.

The Ground Up Project launched The Resting Tree, an adult day program at 1177 E John Sims Pkwy in Niceville, serving adults ages 16 to 55 with autism and other intellectual disabilities across Okaloosa and Walton counties.

• “A respite and residential solution — because autism doesn’t end at 18,” reads the organization’s mission statement, born from those late-night conversations between worried parents.

For Brianna O’Brien, chief community engagement officer, the mission became personal when her son was diagnosed with autism at age 4. Now 12, he’s thriving but O’Brien knows the road ahead.

“When we give these individuals the support structure and a platform where they can be successful and independent, they are completely capable of achieving the same things that a neurotypical person is,” O’Brien said.

The numbers behind their urgency paint a stark picture: 

• 80% of adults on the autism spectrum live at home with family support
• Florida ranks 49th nationally for caring for adults with autism
• and only seven residential communities across the entire state serve 600 individuals.

Meanwhile, about 22,000 adults wait for disability housing services.

“Most special needs individuals live at home forever with a family member as a caregiver,” O’Brien said. “There’s a very small percentage that ever make it out of the family home.”

The seven founders bonded over shared experiences and concerns. They incorporated as a nonprofit two years ago, determined to build something that didn’t exist.

“There are adults who are at home and they just are at home,” O’Brien explained. “They don’t have a school to go to because they’ve aged out. They don’t have a community where they can interact with other peers where it’s safe for them.”

The Resting Tree offers full-day and half-day programs Monday through Friday, filling days with life skills training, arts and crafts, games, physical activity and social interaction. The facility includes dedicated spaces: a technology room, community room, activities room, skills room, reading room and sensory room – each designed with participants’ specific needs in mind.

• The program serves those requiring up to a 1:6 staff-to-participant ratio who are ambulatory, with a qualified medical professional on-site twice weekly for medication assistance and monitoring.

Brittney Swager, a social worker with over 15 years of experience, directs the program.

Currently operating as private pay without accepting Medicaid waiver, insurance or scholarships, the program asks interested families to apply online or email therestingtree@thegroundupproject.org.

But The Resting Tree is just the beginning. The organization envisions a residential community in Okaloosa County with multiple housing options such as tiny homes for independent residents, apartment buildings with support staff, and group homes for those needing daily assistance. Community partnerships would provide employment opportunities, while services like meal plans, gardening and laundry would operate within the development.

The organization will showcase these ambitious plans at its Second Annual Dinner of Design on Nov. 7 from 6-9 p.m. at Bitterroot in Destin. The black-tie event features a three-course dinner with paired wines and silent auction. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.

• “We know there’s individuals who probably aren’t even looking for options because no one thinks it’s coming. Nobody thinks there is anything happening,” O’Brien said. “And that’s really just the goal of this.”

For seven parents who refused to accept “there’s nothing available” as an answer, Sept. 15 is their first day of proving otherwise.