Emily Cooper Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. Key Features of HUD’s Low Income Programs

2 Findings from Priced Out in 2010 Approximately 4.5 adults in U.S. with disabilities receive SSI equal to an average of $703/month People with disabilities receiving SSI are among the lowest income – 18.7% of the national one-person household median income in 2010 SSI income equal to an hourly wage of $4.09 2

3 Income of People with Disabilities on SSI 3 Median Income 50% of Median Income 18.7% of Median Income

4 Housing Crisis for People with Disabilities On average, in 2010, people with receiving SSI had to pay 112% of their monthly income to rent a one-bedroom unit The federal standard for affordability is 30% of income for housing costs In 2010 there was not one single housing market in the US where a person with a disability receiving SSI could afford to rent a modest housing unit 4

5 Housing Affordability for People with Disabilities IF affordability is defined as paying no more than percent of income towards housing costs THEN SSI recipients should pay no more than $210- $280 towards housing costs (including all utilities) SSI recipients need subsidized housing 5

6 Two Subsidized Housing Approaches Project based Specific building/unit is subsidized Person must live in the building/unit in order to get assistance with rent Example: federal public housing Tenant based Subsidy is tied to the person Subsidy is portable and can move with the person (within program limits) Example: Housing Choice Vouchers

7 “Affordable” Housing High quality buildings – often new or renovated Usually contain handicapped accessible units “Affordable” – but may not be affordable to people with incomes at 30% of the area median or below Operating or project-based subsidy needed to ensure rent is affordable to extremely low income people"

8 Common Federal Resources to Create Subsidized Housing HOME Investment Partnerships Program Community Development Block Grant Low Income Housing Tax Credits

9 HOME Distributed to States and Localities (known as Participating Jurisdictions) through a block grant formula allocation Can be used for: Rental Housing Production Rental Housing Rehabilitation First-time Homebuyers assistance Rehabilitation loans for homeowners Tenant-based rental assistance Example: HOME funds to create rental housing for persons with incomes at 50% of the area median

10 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Distributed to States and Localities (known as Entitlement Communities) through a block grant formula allocation Can be used for: Housing Rehabilitation New housing construction by non-profits Acquisition land and buildings Public facilities (e.g. shelters) Code enforcement Creating Accessibility Public Services (capped at 15%) Example: Grant pool to fund accessibility modifications to rental housing for people with disabilities

11 Consolidated Plan Five year “master plan” for administering CDBG, HOME, and other key resources Developed by state and local community development officials Strong requirements for citizen participation and consultation with service providers as well as plans for affirmatively furthering fair housing

12 Low Income Housing Tax Credits At the federal level, administered by the IRS within the Department of Treasury Credits allocated to each state and administered by state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) HFAs must complete a Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) that guides the program State awards credits to housing projects proposed by developers who must agree to meet “affordability” requirements for a 15-year compliance period Primary goals of the LIHTC program is to create “mixed-income” housing a minimum number of units affordable to households with incomes of 50%- 60% of median income and below are required in each LIHTC project

13 Common Tenant-Based Resources HOME tenant-based rental assistance Administered by state and local governments Can be used for special populations People who are homeless People transitioning from nursing homes/institutions to the community Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) Formerly known as Section 8

14 Housing Choice Voucher Program Laure Rawson Director Housing Voucher Management and Operations Division

15 Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities Program: Now and the Near Future Fred Karnas and Aretha Williams