News
Housing Vouchers For Non-Elderly Disabled Persons Since 1997, Information Bulletin #348 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, December 20, 2011
HUD Funds Housing and Rental Assistance for Elderly and Disabled, Information Bulletin #346 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, December 01, 2011
Obama Administration announces $749 million to fund housing for very-low income seniors and persons with disabilities, From the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), November 16, 2011
Public Housing Authorities, Category 2 Mainstream Vouchers, and Future Vouchers, Information Bulletin #341 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, September 15, 2011
HUD Awards Nearly $100 Million to Promote Jobs, Self-Sufficiency, Indepenent Living for HUD-Assisted Housing Residents, From US Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), September 14, 2011
HUD Points Out Olmstead Enforcement Options, Information Bulletin #340 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, September 09, 2011
180,000 Housing Voucher Turnovers and Transitioning People Out of Institutions, Information Bulletin #334 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, June 06, 2011
Living Free: Celebrating the Accessibility Requirements of the Fair Housing Act, By Guest Blogger Bryan Greene, General Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Disability Blog, April 11, 2011
Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities - 2009, Information Bulletin #329 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, April 04, 2011
"Extenuating Circumstances" and Federally Financed Housing, Information Bulletin #327 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, March 24, 2011
University Housing and the Fair Housing Act, By Guest Blogger Bryan Greene, General Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Disability Blog, February 28, 2011
Peter Pan Housing vs. Universally Designed Housing, By Guest Blogger Susan M. Duncan, Instructor, Executive Certificate in Home Modification, National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modification, University of Southern California; Disability Blog, February 23, 2011
Historic Housing Discrimination Settlement Highlights Housing Providers’ Duty to Provide Reasonable Accommodations under the Fair Housing Act, By Guest Blogger Bryan Greene, General Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Disability Blog, January 19, 2011
HUD and HHS announce joint effort to assist nearly 1,000 non-elderly persons with disabilities to move from institutions to independence, From the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), January 06, 2011
HUD provides rental assistance to 4,300 persons with disabilities, From the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), October 01, 2010
National Housing Trust Fund to Make another Appearance, From the National Council on Independent Living Weekly Advocacy Monitor, September 27, 2010
Legislation
H.R.2895, the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 would establish ongoing, permanent, dedicated and sufficient sources of revenue to build, rehabilitate and preserve 1.5 million units of housing for the lowest income families over the next 10 years. (HTML version of H.R.2895). The provisions of this bill were enacted as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HR 3221).
Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 FAQ
Advocacy Organizations and Informational Resources
The ABLEDATA Accessible Housing Resource Center links you to dozens of different websites with housing information of interest to people with disabilities.
The Center for Universal Design is a national research, information, and technical assistance center that evaluates, develops, and promotes accessible and universal design in housing, buildings, outdoor and urban environments and related products. The Center's work manifests the belief that all new environments and products, to the greatest extent possible, should be usable by everyone regardless of their age, ability, or circumstance. Part of the College of Design at North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, NC, the Center promotes the concept of universal design in all design, construction, and manufacturing disciplines through research, design assistance, and training.
Concrete Change - The definitive source for information on "visitable" design. In fact, Concrete Change coined the term "Visitablity" which basically means that a home is designed so that a person with a mobility impairment can get in and out of the house and use the bathroom. Everything you ever wanted to know about Visitablity can be found here.
DisabilityInfo.gov is the federal government's one-stop Web site for information of interest to people with disabilities, their families, employers, service providers and many others. This section of DisabilityInfo.gov provides information on housing laws, design and technical advice for people with disabilities, their family members, public housing organizations and the nation's builders.
The Disability Rights Action Coalition for Housing or DRACH, is the first--and only-- disability housing coalition on the national scene. Beyond its policy work and grassroots organizing, DRACH conducts workshops on housing issues; stages direct actions; distributes alerts and action plans to national advocacy networks; works with other housing organizations; drafts legislation; and participates on housing boards, committees, work groups and public forums--among other things.
The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) administers and enforces federal laws and establishes policies that make sure all Americans have equal access to the housing of their choice. They may be able to help you with housing discrimination problems.
Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. provides Tenant and Landlord, Homeownership, and Credit Counseling Services. One-on-one counseling is available by phone, in-person, or online from HCCI offices in Topeka, Lawrence, Manhattan and Emporia.
The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation mission is to enhance Kansas communities with housing opportunities. This goal is achieved through using a variety of strategies and approaches, including increasing homeownership opportunities, leveraging the construction of more affordable rental housing, preserving existing housing through rehabilitation, promoting energy efficiency improvements for owner-occupied and rental housing, providing affordable housing through rent assistance to low-income families and senior citizens, and creating housing opportunities for previously underserved persons and communities.
KSHousingSearch.org is a housing locator service, sponsored by Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, which provides detailed information on affordable rental housing available throughout Kansas and allows people to locate housing that best fits their individual needs. The site can be accessed online 24 hours a day and is supported by a toll-free, bilingual call center at 1-877-428-8844, M-F, 9-8 EST.
HUD's Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Database provideds selective access to data on HUD's Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program. Through this program investors receive a credit against their federal taxes in exchange for providing funds to build or renovate housing at rents within reach of low-income people. You can use the Database to locate properties that participate in the LIHTC Program in your community.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to ending America’s affordable housing crisis. We believe that this is achievable, that the affordable housing crisis is a problem that Americans are capable of solving. While we are concerned about the housing circumstances of all low income people, we focus our advocacy on those with the most serious housing problems, the lowest income households.
Steve Gold's Nuggets is a website and listserve maintained by renowned disability rights attorney Steve Gold. It contains timely, useful information on topics of importance to people with disabilities, such as, housing, Medicaid, nursing homes and education.
Topeka Housing Authority operates the public housing, Section 8 and other programs to assist low-income households in Topeka.
Publications
ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE, INTEGRATED HOUSING - A housing plan to free people with disabilities from unwanted institutional placement developed by the ADAPT Community
Fair Housing Fact Sheets and Information - The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has created this series of factsheets to educate consumers with psychological disabilities on their fair housing rights and to empower them as self advocates. However, the information is applicable to all individuals with disabilities seeking information on their fair housing rights.
Housing Assistance Council News, Vol. 35, No. 07, April 5, 2006 (Information on rural low-income housing issues)
Increasing Home Access: Designing for Visitability, Research Report, Jordana L. Maisel, IDEA Center; Eleanor Smith, Concrete Change; Edward Steinfeld, IDEA Center ; August 2008 - (report)(in brief) Visitability initiatives that support aging independently in one's home and community are the subject of this AARP Public Policy Institute Research Report. The authors discuss the barriers to visitability implementation and opportunities for further acceptance of these design parameters in the construction of new homes. Visitability is a movement that seeks to increase the supply of accessible housing through the inclusion of three basic structural features at the time of home construction: a zero-step entrance, wide doorways, and at least a half bath on the main floor of the home. (109 pages), Pub ID: 2008-14
Kansas Accessibility Modification Program (KAMP) Factsheet (KAMP assists eligible persons with disabilities in making accessiblility modifications to their residence.)
The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2011 Advocates’ Guide to Housing and Community Development Policy is intended to provide advocates, policymakers, students, and others with information on the most relevant housing and housing-related programs and issues at the federal level, as well as information related to the community planning process. Each article provides basic information on a specific program or issue, and its current status. Where appropriate, advocates are provided talking points to assist in weighing in on particular topics. The appendices serve as a guide to the federal lawmaking and regulatory process and provide the kind of introductory information that can help anyone become an effective housing advocate.
A Practical Guide to Universal Home Design, This booklet by the Iowa Program for Assistive Technology,
a program of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Center for Disabilities and Development,
Iowa’s University Center for Excellence on Disabilities is a room by room checklist you can use to help you consider your
options when incorporating the principles of universal design to increase the ease and flexibility of your home.
Priced Out is a series of housing publications created as a joint effort by the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. (TAC) and the Washington DC-based Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force. Priced Out is published every two years to bring attention to our nation's most compelling, and least understood, housing affordability crisis. Each edition of Priced Out helps measure the gap between HUD's Fair Market Rents and the incomes of individuals and families who rely on monthly SSI benefits. The goal of these biennial reports is to shed light on the housing crisis being faced by people with significant and long-term disabilities.
Reasonable Modifications Under the Fair Housing Act, Joint Statement of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice, March 05, 2008 - detailed information, in a question-and-answer format, on the rights and obligations of persons with disabilities and housing providers under the Fair Housing Act relating to reasonable modifications.
The State of Fair Housing - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) FY 2008 Annual Report on Fair Housing - According to this report a record 10,552 fair housing discrimination complaints were filed in fiscal year 2008. The report, which is produced for Congress each year, shows that the majority of the complaints, 44 percent, were filed by persons with disabilities.
The State of Housing in America in the 21st Century: A Disability Perspective, National Council on Disability (NCD), January 19, 2010 - This report provides a comprehensive overview of the state of housing for people with disabilities in the United States. It answers important questions about the current housing needs and options for people with disabilities and offers recommendations to improve housing opportunities.
2009 Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities - This U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report summarizes efforts to measure the extent of "worst case housing needs" among very low-income renter households with disabilities. The report finds that approximately 1 million households that included nonelderly people with disabilities had worst case needs. Renter households that include nonelderly people with disabilities are more likely than those that don’t include people with disabilities to have very low incomes, experience worst case needs, pay more than one-half of their income for rents, and have other housing problems, such as living in inadequate or overcrowded housing.