ORGANIZATIONS/GENERAL RESOURCES CONCERNED WITH HOUSING OPTIONS

ORGANIZATIONS/GENERAL RESOURCES
CONCERNED WITH HOUSING OPTIONS

This section is more broad in scope than previous sections. It includes two major types of organizations and resources. They are:

those that specifically focus on community living for people with disabilities and which have an interest in promoting integrated housing options. Many of these sources will be helpful not only in the development of housing opportunities but also in developing the supports people need to live in their own homes and become involved in their communities.
those that focus on low and moderate income housing issues and may or may not have specific interest in people with disabilities. As stated in the introduction, we have reservations about implementing low and moderate income housing approaches with people with disabilities. These sources should be considered with caution toward potentially segregating practices.

These organizations and resources represent only a selection of the increasing amount of information available.

I. ORGANIZATIONS

Center for Community Change

through Housing and Support
Trinity College of Vermont
208 Colchester Avenue
Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 658-0000
FAX (802) 863-6110
Contact: Paul Carling, Director The Center for Community Change through Housing and Support, based at Trinity College of Vermont, is a national research, dissemination, training, and technical assistance organization focused on housing and on the full range of community supports that individuals with psychiatric disabilities need to fully participate in community life. The Center provides a publications list that can be ordered for a minimal fee. The publications offer information and resources pertinent to all disability groups in relation to housing issues.

Center on Human Policy

Syracuse University
805 South Crouse Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2280
(315) 443-3851
FAX (315) 443-4338
Contact: Steven J. Taylor, Director The Center on Human Policy (CHP) is a national center conducting research and providing technical assistance, training and information on supporting people with the most severe developmental disabilities in the community. As part of its work concerning individualized supports for adults, the CHP is examining a variety of service approaches, including home ownership by people with disabilities, the separation of housing and support components, individualized and flexible supports, ties between individual assessment, planning and funding, and control by people with disabilities of housing and services.

Research and Training Center

on Community Living
University of Minnesota
University Affiliated Programs
212 Pattee Hall
150 Pillsbury Drive, S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
(612) 624-4848
FAX (612) 624-9344
Contact: Charlie Lakin This national center carries out research, training and technical assistance activities related to integrated community living for people with developmental disabilities. Areas of concentration include: evaluation and technical assistance for deinstitutionalization and community services for individuals with severe disabilities living in the community, establishing and maintaining social relationships and networks, self-determination and self-advocacy, recreation and leisure activities, alternative communication methods, service financing and quality assurance, assistive devices, crisis intervention and behavioral support capacity building, community, and personnel recruitment, training and retention, and other areas.

Research and Training Center

for Accessible Housing
North Carolina State University
School of Design
Box 8613
Raleigh, NC 27695-8613
(919) 515-3082 (V/TT)
FAX (919) 515-3023
1-800-647-6777 (information)
Contact: Ron Mace, Director In July 1989, a new Center for Accessible Housing, funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, was created at the School of Design at North Carolina State University. The Center's purpose is to improve information and provide technical assistance and training for the design of accessible housing and products for use in the home.

The Center will:

collect and distribute the best accessible housing information available;
conduct research to test ideas and develop new information on accessible housing;
provide training for designers and others in the building industry;
offer technical assistance to families, companies and agencies; and,
develop training for therapists, family members, people with disabilities, builders and designers.

McAuley Institute

8300 Colesville Road, Suite 310
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 588-8110
FAX (301) 588-8154 This non-profit corporation assists local efforts to improve and develop permanent low and moderate income housing. It provides technical and financial assistance in developing community-based housing.

As part of their technical assistance program, the Institute helps with project planning for housing development, building networks of housing advocates, assisting in project review, and developing management programs for low-income housing projects. The Institute also has a revolving loan fund from which it lends money for the acquisition and/or construction of low cost housing.

Available also at the Institute is a databank of over 2,000 organizations that are involved in providing housing for people with low income. The databank includes information on publications, funding sources, case studies, coalitions, and proven techniques.

Institute for Community Economics

57 School Street
Springfield, MA 01105
(413) 746-8660 The Institute for Community Economics provides technical assistance, training, and financing to community based non-profit organizations on housing and job needs. Specifically, in the area of housing, it supports organizations such as community land trusts and limited equity housing cooperatives which produce low cost housing and preserve long term affordability. The Institute also operates a revolving loan fund capitalized by loans from socially concerned investors. A series of publications related to community investments, community land trusts, and loan funds are available.

Women's Institute for Housing

and Economic Development
43 Kingston Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423-2296 This non-profit organization provides housing and economic development expertise in regard to women who head families, have limited resources, and live in substandard conditions. It offers technical assistance, information and education to community groups who serve low income women and their families. The Institute assists community groups to initiate programs in housing, identify and access financing and other resources, and acquire property.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat and Church Streets
Americus, GA 31709
(912) 924-6935
(There are also regional offices throughout the U.S.) Habitat for Humanity is an ecumenical Christian housing ministry that has worked internationally to build a sense of community by having people of all financial means work together to create decent housing. Projects are developed on a local level and are determined on the basis of need, family size and ability to re- pay loans as well as a willingness to volunteer time on a particular project.

Habitat has recently written a statement of purpose for people with disabilities and plans to develop funds which would provide loans and grants to projects for families with members with disabilities. The group has also been involved in creating some barrier free environments.

Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC)

733 Third Avenue, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10017
(212) 455-9800 This non-profit organization channels private sector funds to non-profit community based development corporations (CDCs) which are professional organizations. LISC acts as part funder and project broker to help the CDCs work with banks and local governments to build decent low-income housing. In each area or community in which they are involved, corporations and foundations contribute funds that are matched by the national LISC. LISC seldom finances more than 20% of any one project, but often its involvement encourages further involvements by other local investors and government. LISC also looks at creative ways to adapt high finance instruments for use by CDCs.

National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)

1012 14th Street, N.W., #1200
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 662-1530 This broad-based coalition is working with a growing number of state-based low income housing coalitions whose job it is to educate, advocate, and organize for the creation of decent affordable housing for people with low incomes.

NLIHC is also associated with the Low Income Housing Information Service, a non-profit research and education organization, which publishes a monthly newsletter and sponsors several special projects that provide specialized technical assistance support and resource information.

The organization also offers a publications list that includes information on low income housing needs, federal housing policy and the budget, and papers on selected legislation and congressional testimony related to low income housing.

A Home of My Own Rhode Island Department of Mental Health, Retardation and

Hospitals and Rhode Island Housing Mortgage Finance
Corporation
Division of Developmental Disabilities
600 New London Avenue
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 464-3234
Contact: Robert L. Carl, Jr.
Susan L. Babin A Home of My Own is a demonstration project developed through Rhode Island's Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals and the Housing Mortgage Finance Corporation. It is using grant funds and other financing including deferred payment second mortgages to further reduce the monthly mortgage, to assist people with developmental disabilities in purchasing their own homes or condominiums. The project also develops individualized supports and services to these individuals.

National Action Coalition for Disability

Rights in Housing
501 S.W. Jackson Street, Suite 100-B
Topeka, KS 66603-3300
(913) 233-4572 National Action Coalition for Disability Rights in Housing is a national, cross-disability coalition who, through an array of activities including education, lobbying, publicity and legal action, work on the federal, state and local levels to ensure that the civil and human rights of persons with disabilities are recognized and fully honored in the provision of housing, and that the independent living and consumer/survivor models--based on consumer control, consumer choice, integrated living and visiting options and freedom from mandated services--are followed in the development and management of housing.

The coalition includes individuals, groups and advocates of persons with all types of disabilities, and operates in ways that affirm the civil and human rights of people regardless of their disability, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age or color.

National Home of Your Own Alliance

Institute on Disability
University of New Hampshire
125 Technology Drive
Durham, NH 03824
1-800-220-8770 The National Home of Your Own Alliance is a technical assistance center funded by a cooperative agreement with the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. The Alliance is currently working in eight states to develop local demonstrations of home ownership and control. The Alliance intends to negotiate agreements in 23 states over the next five years, building coalitions of housing and disability organizations led by individuals with disabilities, their families, friends and advocates. In addition to state technical assistance, the Alliance is developing a national information clearinghouse and conducting policy research and evaluation in collaboration with the Center for Accessible Housing in North Carolina, United Cerebral Palsy in Washington, DC, Coop Initiatives in Connecticut, Institute on Disability at Temple University in Pennsylvania, and the Human Services Research Institute in Massachusetts. Its goal is to leave in place an infrastructure of exemplary practices and public and private sector partnerships, linking the home mortgage and social service industries to better serve people with disabilities.

Communitas, Inc.

730 Main Street
Manchester, CT 06040
(203) 645-6976 Communitas Inc, is an organization that assists people to network, provides educational materials, conducts seminars and conferences, and stimulates creative projects concerning the full participation of children and adults with disabilities and community life.

For people interested in pursuing home ownership, Communitas may provide connections with others who have similar interests and experience. The organization also offers several general resource materials that may be helpful. For example, The Whole Community Catalogue is a publication that includes a brief section on housing with an overview of issues related to cooperative housing and cohousing (where a community of people have separate dwellings but share some common space and resources.)

Supported Community Living

220 West Main Street
Midland, MI 48640
(517) 631-4439
FAX (517) 832-5528
Contact:
Rebecca Shuman
Myrna W. Bartlett Supported Community Living is a coalition of The Arc of Midland, Michigan, the David Reece Fund, and Services for People with Developmental Disabilities Midland-Gladwin Mental Health. The coalition is working in cooperation with the Department of Social Services to provide low cost housing and supported living opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. These services are directed by the individuals and their families.

Supported Community Living is interested in sharing what it has learned in this effort, particularly related to collaboration between agencies, individuals and their families. It is currently in the process of developing training materials and technical assistance services. It currently offers the opportunity to visit individuals living in their own homes and learn how these situations were made possible. There is a fee for these visits. For more information, contact persons listed above.

II. RESOURCE MATERIALS

TITLE: Your place or mine: A handbook for home ownership

AUTHOR: Laux, B., & Moran-Laux, C.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1991

Creative Management Associates

P.O. Box 997
Bethel, ME 04217
(207) 824-4044 The focus of this book is on people seeking housing options in the State of Illinois. However, the authors explain that the contents and ideas are applicable to others. The book includes information on housing options, understanding the fundamentals of real estate, a guide for budgeting, and a chapter about developing relationships and choosing roommates.

TITLE: Housing policy and people with disabilities: Overview, annotated bibliography and resource list

AUTHOR: Lipoff, E., & Watson, S.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1993, May

Berkeley Planning Associates

440 Grand Avenue, Suite 500
Oakland, CA 94610-5085
(510) 465-7884 This bibliography was compiled to address broad policy issues related to housing for people with disabilities. It does not focus directly on strategies or information on creating housing opportunities. It is divided into two areas: mainstream accessible housing and supported housing or living arrangements.

TITLE: A survey of legal and financial planning issues in the Home of Your Own (HOYO) Project

AUTHOR: Macintosh, J. D.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1994

University of New Hampshire

Institute on Disability
125 Technology Drive
Durham, NH 03824
1-800-220-8770 Based on the experience of supporting people in New Hampshire and other states to own homes, this article provides an overview of some of the "pitfalls and potential solutions" to legal and financial issues. It is divided into two major sections. The first section addresses how to preserve eligibility for and maximize the use of medicaid benefits. The second section addresses Department of Labor and IRS issues such as how to arrange companion and roommate support.

TITLE: Letting go, moving on: A parent's thoughts

AUTHOR: Moore, C.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1993

In J. A. Racino, P. Walker, S. O'Connor, & S. J. Taylor (Eds.), Housing, support, and community: Choices and strategies for adults with disabilities (pp. 189-204). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Cory Moore was a professional in the developmental disability service system as well as a parent of a child with a disability. She wrote this chapter from her parent perspective. It describes the experience of supporting her daughter to move away from home; first to live in a group home and eventually a home of her own. Many parents will find the chapter helpful as she relates the feelings and dilemmas she experienced and shared with other parents in this process. She discusses the limitations of group home living and the advantages and risks of home ownership.

TITLE: Responding to HUD's "Housing for persons with disabilities": Debunking the myths and recommending policies we can live with

AUTHOR: National Action Coalition for Disability Rights in Housing

PUBLICATION INFORMATION:

National Action Coalition for Disability Rights

in Housing
501 S.W. Jackson Street, Suite 100B
Topeka, KS 66603-3300
(912) 233-4572 This report, addressed to HUD, provides a critique of the department's policies that effect people with disabilities. In the first part of the report, the Coalition challenges the "myths" that underlie housing policies. For example, it challenges the assumption that "mini-institutions" such as group homes can be considered "housing" for people with disabilities even though they are not considered housing for people without disabilities. The report ends with very specific recommendations for revising HUD policies to increase availability of resources, increase consumer control, and protection of the rights of people with disabilities.

TITLE: Shelterforce

AUTHOR: National Housing Institute

PUBLICATION INFORMATION:

National Housing Institute

439 Main
Orange, NJ 07050

COST: $18.00/year

This is a bi-monthly publication of the National Housing Institute which serves a network of housing advocates and professionals with information about affordable housing strategies, industry issues, and workshops and events taking place in the area of housing. Other purposes of the publication are to build a national network of tenant and housing groups, to provide resources and information on the creation and preservation of decent, affordable housing for all, and to promote neighborhood development in the promotion of housing options.

TITLE: Extending the American dream: Home ownership through creative financing

AUTHOR: New Hampshire Home of Your Own Project

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1995

Institute on Disability

University of New Hampshire
125 Technology Drive
Durham, NH 03824
1-800-220-8770 The Home of Your Own Project in New Hampshire was designed to promote home ownership for people with disabilities. One of the activities of this project was to demonstrate that people with developmental disabilities have the financial capacity to sustain home ownership and how services can be designed to support people in these situations on an ongoing basis. This report provides a profile of 16 people who now own their own homes through working with this project.

TITLE: Housing policy and persons with mental retardation--A report of the working group on housing to the Presidential Forum: The President's reform agenda and people with mental retardation and the President's Committee on Mental Retardation

AUTHOR: President's Committee on Mental Retardation

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1995

President's Committee on Mental Retardation

Room 5325
300 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20201
Contact: Gary Blumenthal
(202) 619-0634 This report to the President's Committee on Mental Retardation lays out 10 broadly recommended goals in housing for persons with mental retardation, and then addresses 5 questions to policy and programmatic actions to contribute to the Committee's efforts to achieve the goals. These 5 questions include:

What is currently known about housing for persons with mental retardation and what needs to be learned about it?
What are the emerging successful and promising practices in policy and programs in providing normal housing for persons with mental retardation?
What is the nature and organization of current federal, state and local housing and associated programs that affect housing for persons with mental retardation?
What are the existing challenges and barriers in current policy and practices that impede access to the housing people want and need?
What should the federal and state governments do and encourage others to do that will improve access to appropriate desirable housing for persons with mental retardation?

TITLE: Housing, support, and community: Choices and strategies for adults with disabilities

AUTHOR: Racino, J. A., Walker, P., O'Connor, S., & Taylor, S. J. (Eds.).

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1993

Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company

P.O. Box 10624
Baltimore, MD 21285-9945
1-800-638-3775

COST: $32.00

This forward-looking book records the new directions and creative strategies that are emerging today to support adults with severe disabilities in the homes and communities of their choice. This practical book untangles the complexities of housing and support financing, explores alternative avenues to home ownership, examines the important distinctions between support and supervision, discusses new consumer-directed decision making, and reviews the implications for changes in social service systems. Case studies provide in-depth illustrations of the new principles of supportive living at work.

TITLE: In search of housing: Creative approaches to financing integrated housing

AUTHOR: Randolph, F., Laux, R., & Carling, P.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1987

Center for Community Change

through Housing and Support
Trinity College of Vermont
208 Colchester Avenue
Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 658-0000

COST: $15.00

This monograph outlines and identifies effective resources in relation to housing opportunities for people with labels of mental illness. It highlights the economics of housing, offers more specific insight into understanding real estate language, and discusses private investor ownership and financing strategies for consumer and family ownership. An overview of government programs which finance housing on a federal, state and local level is included. Finally, it addresses issues of implementation of integrated housing offering a six step process of what should be looked at in such a pursuit. The reader is provided with a list of references and a bibliography. Though the text focuses on the mental health system, it offers a great deal of useful information applicable for people and agencies desiring to understand integrated housing for other individuals.

TITLE: Housing is for everyone: Affordable homes for people with disabilities

AUTHOR: Raymond, B.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1992

The New Hampshire Developmental Disabilities Council

Concord Center
10 Ferry Street, Box 315
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 271-3236 This booklet, though written to offer specific advice to New Hampshire residents, is a very good overview of housing options. It includes chapters that explain home ownership, public assistance programs, cooperatives, mortgage programs, and supports. The booklet is written clearly, simply, and includes concrete strategies.

TITLE: New housing policy for America: Recapturing the American dream

AUTHOR: Schwartz, D. C., Ferlauto, R. C., & Hoffman, D. N.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1988

Temple University Press

Broad and Oxford Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 787-8787 This book examines what the 1980s has brought to the area of housing in terms of a decline in home ownership, increase in homelessness and decrease in affordable and available rental units, and discusses what challenges will be faced in the 1990s.

In the 1990s, most analysts agree that at least four demographic trends are likely to pose challenges to housing policies: (1) the huge increase in the number of people 75 years and older; (2) the sharp upturn in the number of single people living alone and single parent female headed households; (3) the increase in young families in early years of home buying; and (4) the larger concentration of poor families.

The number of very low income Americans is expected to increase by almost 6 million by the 1990s and experts fear that, by the year 2000, one third of all Americans and 70% of the poor will confront inadequate and unaffordable housing. The book discusses state programs in the 1980s which must be considered in national housing policy yet these alone cannot meet the housing needs that exist and will continue to arise.

The book offers a good overview of the housing issues related to policies, but is not creative in generating solutions for the elderly and people with disabilities. It includes a variety of options presently being used such as group homes. They do talk, however, about shared housing and staying with family and friends and look at some programs as being untapped (e.g., ECHO, a model from Australia which has small houses around a central area). It offers a very good overview of the housing situation in America today.

TITLE: Regenerating a community: The story of Residential, Inc.

AUTHOR: Shoultz, B.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1993

In J. A. Racino, P. Walker, S. O'Connor, & S. J. Taylor (Eds.), Housing, support, and community: Choices and strategies for adults with disabilities (pp. 281-298). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

This chapter is a case study of Residential, Inc., a small agency in rural Ohio that has reorganized its services from operating group homes to assisting people to live in homes of their own. The study describes some of the dilemmas they faced and strategies they developed in creating housing opportunities, including changing staff roles and developing better problem solving strategies. Their work eventually evolved into the effort to build a strong community and led them to develop the Perry County Housing Association which is also described in the chapter.

TITLE: Life in the community: Case studies of organizations supporting people with disabilities

AUTHOR: Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & Racino, J. A. (Eds.).

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1991

Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

P.O. Box 10624
Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
1-800-638-3775

COST: $30.00

Based on a 21-state, 5-year study, this book reports on innovative community integration efforts around the country. Comprehensive case studies are organized around three themes-- families and their children; housing, homes, and support for adults with disabilities; and the role of community and society in integration. The housing section begins with a discussion of principles to guide the development of integrated housing situations. This introduction is followed by case studies, two of which are organizations that support people to own homes.

TITLE: What should I know about residential services

AUTHOR: Turnbull, R. H., Turnbull, A. P., Bronicki G. J., Summers, J. A., & Gordon-Roeder, C.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1989

In Turnbull, R. H., Turnbull, A. P., Bronicki G. J.,

Summers, J. A., & Gordon-Roeder, C. (1989).
Disability and the family: A guide to decisions for
adulthood. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing
Co., P.O. Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624. COST: $29.00

This chapter is included here because it is written specifically for families and includes a section on consumer and family home ownership. It discusses types of creative financing that can be used, and emphasizes the importance of careful and detailed planning. It also offers a case example of how one family created the ability for their son to own his own home.