HOUSING
This page has information on housing laws, accessible design and public/subsidized housing, including:
News
Some Ideas Re. Fair Housing, Information Bulletin #306 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, June 14, 2010
HHS, HUD Partner to Allow Rental Assistance to Support Independent Living for Non-elderly Persons with Disabilities, From the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, April 07, 2010
President’s Budget Would Strengthen Housing Voucher Program, By Douglas Rice, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, April 6, 2010
Targeting Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to People on SSI?, Information Bulletin #306 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, April 02, 2010
HOME Investment Partnership - More Data, Information Bulletin #305 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, March 29, 2010
HUD-HHS Collaboration: Improving the Link between Housing and Services, Information Bulletin #304 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, March 24, 2010
National Organizations Sign Letter to Senate Leaders Urging Funding for the National Housing Trust Fund in Senate Jobs Bill, From the National Low Income Housing Coalition, March 22, 2010
Tenant Based Rental Assistance, Housing and Olmstead, Information Bulletin #303 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, March 16, 2010
HUD's Failure to Enforce Accessibility in the HOME Investment Partnership program, Information Bulletin #302 from Steve Gold,s Treasured Nuggets of Information, March 12, 2010
Come on HUD, Free People from Nursing Homes, Information Bulletin # 301 from Steve Gold's Treasured Nuggets of Information, February 16, 2010
NCD Calls for Affordable, Accessible, and Appropriate Housing for People with Disabilities, From the National Council on Disability (NCD), January 19, 2010
Landmark Civil Rights Agreement Will Increase Housing Accessibility Across Country, From the National Fair Housing Alliance, January 13, 2010
Let’s Get NHTF Money Before Congress Adjourns for Holidays!, From the National Low Income Housing Coalition, November 30, 2009
National Housing Trust Fund Update: Funding Mechanisms Introduced, From the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), October 26, 2009
HHS Provides More Than $2.6 Billion to States to Help Low-Income Households with Energy Costs, From The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Cotober 22, 2009
HUD Offers $20 Million to Help Seniors and Persons with Disabilities Continue to Live Independently at Home, From The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, September 09, 2009
2008 Mainstream Voucher Recipients, Information Bulletin #292 from Steve Gold, August 06, 2009
Housing Vouchers for Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities, Information Bulletin # 290 from Steve Gold, June 30, 2009
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
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.)
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.