- Virginia doesn't have any mandates but it does offer incentives for the incorporation of universal design through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. Builders/developers who incorporate universal design into their projects get extra points when their application is scored. It's been a great incentive to increase affordable accessible housing. The design standards are included in the document at the link (pg 163).
- Virginia Housing (VA's housing development authority) offers accessible housing grants to make modifications to rental units for accessibility purposes.
- Virginia has a State Rental Assistance Program for people in the DOJ Settlement Agreement population. The Council advocated for this for many years. It's modeled after the Housing Choice Voucher program. At the link there are two webinars that may be of interest. The program is operated by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) in collaboration with a number of PHAs.
- There are some other housing resources on the DBHDS My Life, My Community website. Including information about the Housing Choice Voucher Special Admissions Preference, Rental properties with leasing preferences for the DOJ Settlement Agreement population, and flexible funds for one time housing costs that can be a barrier to accessing independent housing.
- The Livable Home Tax Credit - which is basically an incentive for builders and the broader community to increase the stock of accessible housing.
Hope all is well!
Brett and all,
This is a timely discussion for Tennessee. We are in active talks with our housing agency (who sits on our Council) but we seem to be speaking entirely different languages. I look forward to seeing the responses and learning from this group.
Lauren
From: xxxxxx@nacdd.simplelists.com <xxxxxx@nacdd.simplelists.com> On Behalf Of Williams, Brett (DHHS)
Sent: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 1:31 PM
To: xxxxxx@nacdd.simplelists.com
Subject: [EXTERNAL] DD Councils Accessible and affordable housing
Good afternoon everyone:
During Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council’s public policy meeting today, we engaged in an in-depth conversation regarding how the word “accessible” means “affordable” when it relates to the focus of expanding the housing market in Michigan for people with low to moderate incomes; including people with disabilities. Example, when I reviewed the parameters of a grant program, it mentioned accessible over 40 times, each mention related to either cost or income levels. The word “accessible” was never related to the physical properties of the home. During this discussion, several questions floated up to the surface:
- Has your state encountered similar dialog, especially regarding COVID-19 related funding for housing?
- If so, how were you able to change the dialog?
- Does your state mandate any portion of publicly funded housing programs to build/offer fully accessible homes (physically accessible)?
- How does your state address the shortage of accessible and affordable housing for people with disabilities?
Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
Brett Williams, Public Policy Analyst
Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council
Elliott-Larsen Building, Garden Level.
320 South Walnut St.
Lansing, Michigan 48910
Phone: 517-284-7289
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