Title: Affordable and Accessible Housing Strategies to Access Affordable Housing for Persons with Disabilit
1Affordable and Accessible HousingStrategies to
Access Affordable Housing for Persons with
Disabilities
2AGENDA
- Housing Affordability for Persons with
Disabilities - Major Federal Housing Programs
- - What they are?
- - Strategies to access these programs for
persons with disabilities. - Other Housing Efforts in Your Community
3Housing Needs and Housing Affordability
- Priced Out in 2002 Study
- Released on May 30, 2002
- Compares SSI income to housing costs
- Nationally
- By state
- Locally in 2,702 housing market areas
- Housing crisis for people with disabilities
receiving SSI is worse than 2 years ago
4Housing Needs and Housing Affordability
- Priced Out in 2002 Findings
- SSI means extreme poverty
- Nationally, SSI income equal to 18 percent of
median income - Average one bedroom rent is 105 percent of
monthly SSI - Average studio rent is 89 percent of monthly SSI
- SSI equal to earning 3.43 per hour
- From 2000-2002, rents rose twice as fast as SSI
cost-of-living adjustments - Only subsidized housing assistance can close the
housing affordability gap for people with
mental illness
5Housing Needs and Housing Affordability
- IF affordability is defined as paying no more
than 30-40 percent of income towards housing
costs - THEN SSI recipients should pay no more than
160-220 towards housing costs - SSI recipients need subsidized housing programs
such as Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher
Program).
6Federal Affordable Housing Programs
- Key federal housing subsidy programs
- Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
- Public Housing
- Privately Owned HUD Assisted Housing
- McKinney Homeless Assistance programs for
Homeless People with Disabilities (Shelter Plus
Care program, Supportive Housing Program, Section
8 SRO program) - Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with
Disabilities program - Other federal affordable housing program
- Consolidated Plan Programs (HOME, CDBG, HOPWA)
- Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program
7Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program
- Over 2,600 Public Housing Agencies administer
Section 8 programs - Largest federal housing program
- Provides a rent subsidy based on (1) household
income and (2) the cost of housing - Many PHAs have a poor Section 8 success rates
- New use it or lose it HUD policy
- PHAs with utilization lt97 cant apply for new
vouchers - Even if waiting lists are long!
- Over 60,000 vouchers available for people with
disabilities since 1997. - Over 470 PHAs have these vouchers.
- PHAs not required to apply for them.
- Non-profits can apply for a small number of
vouchers each year. - List of these vouchers are available on TACs
website.
8Benefits of Section 8
- People can rent/own housing of their choice in
communities of their choice - It is permanent, long-term, and affordable
- It is independent housing which can be linked
with but is separate from flexible services
and supports
9How Does the Section 8 Program Actually Work?
- Households apply to get on PHA Section 8 waiting
list sometimes lists are closed! - Once selected from the waiting list, household is
issued a Section 8 voucher - Household has 60-120 days (or more) to search for
housing which meets Section 8 requirements - Rent is within Fair Market Rent limits
- Rent is reasonable based on market
- Unit passes Housing Quality Standards inspection
- Landlord agrees to accept Section 8 payments
- PHA subsidy paid directly to landlord
- Tenant rent paid directly to landlord
10Other Section 8 Rules
- Tenants will pay between 30 and 40 percent of
income upon move-in - Tenant may pay more than 40 percent only if
required by a rent increase - When tenant moves, voucher moves with them
(tenant based assistance) - Section 8 voucher is portable anywhere in the
U.S. One year geographic restriction adopted by
PHA policy - Income targeting - 75 of a PHAs Section 8
vouchers must be provided to households below 30
of median income (Some PHAs seek exceptions to
this rule)
11Reasonable Accommodation and Reasonable
Modification
- Reasonable Accommodation
- A change in rules, policies, practices, or
services that may be necessary to provide a
person with a disability an equal opportunity to
obtain housing and to use and enjoy her home. - Examples PHA allowing Section 8 vouchers to be
used in congregate housing. - Reasonable Modification
- Allow a person with a disability to alter their
rental housing to meet his/her unique needs. - Examples of a modification Installing a ramp or
a roll-in shower.
12Strategies to Access the Section 8 Program
- Outreach
- Accepting Applications
- Waiting List Preferences
- Screening Criteria
- Payment Standards
- Voucher Size
- Housing Search Assistance
13Outreach
- Outreach
- Notifying the disability community before opening
the Section 8 waiting list. - Providing training on the Section 8 application
process to the disability community and other
interested parties.
14Accepting Applications
- Providing applications in Braille, large print,
and alternative formats. - Providing assistance to complete the application.
- Allowing applications to be dropped off by a
friend, family member, advocate, etc. - Allowing applications to be mailed or faxed.
- Visiting the applicants home in order to
complete an application. - Allowing additional time to submit an
application. - Allowing secondary contact person to be listed on
the application.
15Waiting List Preferences
- Allowable preferences for
- People with disabilities
- People who are homeless
- People in transitional housing
- People receiving state-funded supportive services
- People with Medicaid Waivers
- People receiving Bridge subsidies
- People covered by the Olmstead decision
16Screening Criteria
- Mandatory lifetime ban on assistance to persons
convicted of manufacturing methamphetamines
and/or registered sex offenders. - PHA may screen for other violent criminal
activity. - However, as a reasonable accommodation
- PHA may consider the severity of crime, extent
of culpability, evidence of rehabilitation,
mitigating circumstances related to disability of
family member . - Allow for extra time to gather documentation for
verification and screening purposes.
17Payment Standards (PS)
- PHA may set the rent standard (PS) between
90-110 of Fair Market Rent (FMR) - There are exceptions
- PHA may provide an exception PS for a person with
a disability up to 110 of FMR. - PHA may request an exception PS up to 120 from
HUD Field Office as a reasonable accommodation
for a person with a disability. - PHA may request an exception PS above 120 of FMR
from HUD HQ as a reasonable accommodation for a
person with a disability.
18Voucher Size
- Most PHAs allow
- 1 bedroom for 1-2 persons.
- Additional bedroom(s) for persons of different
sex, age. - PHAs must provide for exceptions as reasonable
accommodation. - Example Live-in Aide
- Example Medical equipment
- PHA may also provide exception utility allowance
as a reasonable accommodation.
19Housing Search Assistance
- PHAs can
- Provide extensions on housing search times (even
beyond 120 days). - Assist applicants gain access to supportive
services. - Identify funding sources for cost of unit
modifications. - Provide search assistance.
- Provide higher PS for accessible units provide TA
to owners on reasonable accommodation.
20Public Housing
- Public Housing Agencies (PHA) also operate Public
Housing units. - There are over 3,200 PHAs nationally
- Some States are PHAs (See Opening Doors 22)
- Some County PHAs
- Local PHAs
- Approximately 550,000 studio and one bedroom
Public Housing units - 100,000 units now converted to elderly only
housing - To apply, persons with disabilities should
contact their local PHA. (see HUD Website)
21Privately Owned HUD Assisted Housing
- This type of rental housing is owned by private
landlords and has a HUD rental subsidy attached
to the unit. - Approximately 550,000 studio and one bedroom
units - At least 300,000 converted to elderly only
- HUD maintains a database of HUD assisted housing
on its website. - To apply, persons with disabilities should
contact the specific building and its management
company.
22McKinney Homeless Assistance Programs
- McKinney funds include the Supportive Housing
Program, the Shelter Plus Care Program and the
Section 8 Moderate Rehab SRO Program. - All of these programs can be used to create
permanent housing for disabled homeless
individuals and families. (typically attached to
services) - McKinney funds create more than 10,000 new
subsidies per year. - Contact the Continuum of Care in your community
to locate these targeted housing resources.
23Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with
Disabilities Program
- Two components tenant-based and project-based
- Competitively awarded through the HUD Super NOFA
- 1,800 new units developed each year
- 2,000 new rent tenant-based subsidies each year
- Project-based provides capital and operating
support - Tenant-based (Mainstream Vouchers) provide rental
subsidy targeted to persons with disabilities - HUD provides a database of 811 funded projects on
its website. - TAC provides a list of PHAs and nonprofits that
administer Mainstream vouchers. - To apply, persons with disabilities should
contact the specific building/ management company
for projects and either the PHA or Non-Profit for
the Mainstream vouchers.
24Other Federal Housing Programs
- HUDs Consolidated Plan Resources
- HOME Program
- Community Development Block Grant
- Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS
(HOPWA) - Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG)
- U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal
Revenue Services Low Income Housing Tax Credit
Program - State Housing Agencies administer these tax
credit resources that support the development of
affordable housing. - The Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) determines
how a State will use these TC resources.
25HUDs Consolidated Plan
- The ConPlan controls 4 HUD programs
- HOME program
- Community Development Block Grant program
- Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
- Emergency Shelter Grant program
- States and entitlement communities (CDBG)
and/or participating jurisdictions (HOME) cannot
receive these funds unless they have a HUD
approved ConPlan
26Sample Consolidated Plan Funds
For more information, see HUDs Community
Planning and Development Program 2003 Formula
Allocations online http//www.hud.gov/offices/cp
d/about/budget/budget03/index.cfm
27The Consolidated Plan and HOME Funding
- HOME is the largest federal block grant to State
and local government used exclusively to create
affordable housing for low income households - HOME funds are prioritized and made available
through the HUD mandated Consolidated Plan
process - HOME funds can be used for
- Rental housing acquisition and/or rehabilitation
- New construction of rental housing
- Tenant based rental assistance
- Homeownership activities
28How the HOME Program Really Works!
- Most HOME funding is spent on households above 30
percent of median income (NOTE SSI to 18
percent of median) - Almost half of HOME funds are spent on
homeownership programs - HOME funded rental housing must remain
affordable for 5-20 years, depending on
circumstances - Most affordable rental housing developed with
HOME funds is not affordable to the lowest income
households (e.g. 1 BR HOME rent in Phoenix _at_
500) - HOME must be linked with HUD McKinney-Vento
programs, Section 8 vouchers, or used as tenant
based rental assistance in order to ensure
affordability for most persons with disabilities
29Getting Involved
- Contact CD officials in charge of ConPlan to
learn - The annual schedule for submission to HUD
- The amount of HOME funding (and CDBG)
- Citizen Participation Plan requirements and
process for consultation with service providers - Get copies of
- 5 year housing strategy
- One Year Action Plans
- Citizen Participation Plan and Performance
Reports - Identify what affordable housing is being created
with ConPlan funds and learn about how to access
these units.
30Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program
- Low Income Housing Tax Credits Cover up to 40
percent of rental housing development costs - The Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) determines
how a State will use the Tax Credit resources.
(i.e. preferences and set-asides) - Most affordable rental housing developed with
tax credits are not affordable to the lowest
income households - Tax credit projects must also be linked with HUD
McKinney-Vento programs, Section 8 vouchers, or
used as tenant based rental assistance in order
to ensure affordability for persons with
disabilities in these units. - Contact your States HFA to find out where these
tax-credit financed rental housing is located. - To apply, persons with disabilities should
contact the specific building and its management
company.
31Other Housing Efforts in Your Community
- State Affordable Housing Coalitions
- Community Development Corporations
- Local Housing Counseling Agencies (database
available on HUD website) - National Nonprofits (i.e. LISC, CSH, NRC)
- Refer to Related Documents for Useful Websites.