The Island’s first residential center for adults with autism is nearing a major milestone, with one of its buildings potentially opening as early as next year.

Island Autism Group purchased property on Lambert’s Cove Road in 2020 to serve as an activity hub and eventually a residential center for people with autism who have aged out of the school system. And though the pandemic slowed progress, the center’s main attraction — a two-story, $3.5 million building that Island Autism Group executive director Kate DeVane calls the “Hub House” — is nearing completion, possibly opening in early 2024.

“There aren’t a whole lot of options given to parents who are wondering, what happens after my child is done with school?” said Ms. DeVane. “So this place is meant to be an option for them . . . . And I feel like we’re really getting there.”

The "Hub House," pictured here, could be done by early 2024. — Jeanna Shepard

The total costs for the project are estimated at $12 million, with over $5 million raised so far, thanks to individual donations and funds from the Community Preservation Act.

Nearly $70,000 was raised last Saturday at the organization’s Endless Summer Charity Gala.

The gala’s success, Ms. DeVane said, is proof that the Island community is behind the project.

“I was skeptical of the idea at first because sometimes gala events end up costing more than they’re worth,” she said in an interview this week at the center’s construction site. “But it was truly amazing and the community really showed up for us.”

Ms. DeVane knows firsthand how challenging it can be to find the right path for an autistic child when they grow up. She has 17-year-old twins — a son with nonverbal autism and a daughter with cerebral palsy. Building a permanent home for Island Autism and its members has been a dream of hers for years.
Every cent helps make the center a reality, she said.

One of the next big phases of the project is to build five cottages on the premises for up to 18 autistic adults who require around-the-clock care. People who need less supervision or are still in the school system will be welcome to visit the center for daytime activities, counseling sessions and other opportunities.

The gala was the brainchild of Nicole Holland and Brooke Avakian. They came up with the idea while talking together about Cooper, Ms. Avakian’s 10-year-old son.

Cooper has autism and when he ages out of the Vineyard’s school system, Ms. Avakian, like many Island parents, will be faced with a hard choice: look after him full-time herself or send him off-Island for care.

“Brooke was saying how common it is for parents with autistic children to struggle with how to care for them in adulthood,” said Ms. Holland. “Then when she asked me to help raise money for Island Autism, I said that I don’t know much about fundraising, but I do know how to throw a party.”

The Hub House will be the organization’s first permanent headquarters since its founding in 2009. Group events are currently hosted at members’ homes, and Ms. DeVane uses a van to take people to and from activities around the Island.

“Downstairs, this building is really going to be a community space,” Ms. DeVane said, walking through the building. “It will even have a commercial-sized kitchen where members can bake bread and make jam and everything. The upstairs is a residential space where we can house Island Autism workers and visitors.”

When the center is finished, it will offer both regular and aerial yoga classes, farming courses, baking lessons and more. The idea, said Ms. DeVane, is to take every activity and spin it into a job training opportunity.

“In our front hall we’re putting in mailboxes for people who live here,” she said during a tour of the property. “Then the kids [affiliated with the program] can come in and help sort the mail. If they get real good at it, we’ll take them down to the West Tisbury post office and they can help work there.”

The center still has a long way to go, but as Ms. DeVane watches the Hub House take shape, she can see that her vision — and that of Ms. Avakian and other Island parents — is coming to life.

Ms. Holland, who is still reveling in the success of last week’s gala, is already brainstorming ideas for the next big community event.

“I’m thinking that maybe next year we can do a winter ball for some off-season fun,” she said. “We had so much fun at the gala . . . and I think that more of that is the dream. I mean, the community really shows up when it matters, and this matters.”