Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the award of $24.7 million to 98 local public housing authorities (PHAs) across the country to provide permanent affordable housing to non-elderly persons with disabilities. This award allows these PHAs to house up to 2,210 additional families, and further support community integration for persons with disabilities.
“People with disabilities deserve access to affordable housing that meets their needs,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “Today’s funding is an important step forward – one that will help more persons with disabilities serve as fully integrated members of their communities and allow them to live independently and with dignity.”
This housing assistance announced today, provided through the HUD’s Section 811 Mainstream Housing Choice Voucher Program, which offers funding to housing agencies to assist non-elderly persons with disabilities who are transitioning out of institutional or other isolated settings, at serious risk of institutionalization, homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless. Mainstream partners, including Centers for Independent Living, state protection and advocacy agencies, Medicaid agencies, and Continuums of Care, collaborate with the PHAs to assist with the application and housing search process.
To help PHAs address rental market conditions that are creating challenges with Mainstream leasing, HUD awarded both new vouchers and extraordinary administrative fees. The $5 million of extraordinary administrative fees awarded in this round of funding to 88 PHAs can be used to support housing search and leasing up of eligible applicants, in addition to easing costs related to the retention, recruitment, and support of participating owners. This will include security deposits, signing bonuses, vacancy payments, and damage mitigation. All of this will allow PHAs to improve their processes so that families can successfully use their Mainstream voucher.
See the local impact of the housing assistance announced today.