Urban Institute and The Kelsey released a new report on October 21 highlighting the barriers to housing access faced by people with disabilities. The report, People with Disabilities Living in the US Face Urgent Barriers to Housing, found that 18 million people with disabilities and low incomes are eligible for federal housing assistance but do not receive assistance.
Fourteen percent of low-income people with disabilities receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). According to NLIHC’s research, on average a person receiving SSI can only afford to spend $252 per month on rent, but the average cost of a one-bedroom rental unit at Fair Market Rent is $1,105 – over four times the amount a person receiving SSI can reasonably afford. The lack of housing assistance makes these individuals particularly vulnerable to housing instability.
The researchers suggest four policies to increase access to housing assistance for people with disabilities, grow the stock of affordable, accessible housing for people with disabilities, and ensure housing is designed to be both accessible and inclusive:
- Expand access to both tenant- and project-based vouchers to support long-term housing stability.
- Target development subsidies and incentives to the construction of housing for people with disabilities.
- Make significant investments in Medicaid’s Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), which allow people with disabilities to access in-home supportive services that may be necessary for an individual to live independently.
- Pilot new, community-based housing models inclusive of people with disabilities.
The report was released as part of Urban Institute’s Disability Equity Policy Initiative, which aims to increase the research available on the housing and economic needs of people with disabilities so that policymakers can create systems that better address those needs.
Read the full report at: tinyurl.com/4rm37ef7
Learn more about Urban Institute’s Disability Equity Policy Initiative at: tinyurl.com/zszcs9r2