A housing subsidy is simply financial assistance that an individual receives to help with the purchase of a home and related costs. Housing subsidies create greater opportunity for people with disabilities to live in decent, typical housing that would otherwise be unaffordable.
This section includes three types of housing subsidies offered through state level disability service organizations. They are:
Housing subsidies can come from many different sources. While disability-specific housing subsidies provide a viable short-term strategy, it is recommended that people explore other generic sources of housing subsidies. In addition to federal and state government, subsidies can come from families and community organizations.
This state-funded subsidy program assists people with mental retardation to meet housing costs attributable to acquiring and using a personal home in the community. The subsidy is available to any person who is eligible for residential services provided by the Department of Mental Retardation, is directly responsible for payment of his or her housing costs, does not have sufficient income or assets to pay for his or her total housing costs, and who has pursued all other funding sources including Housing and Urban Development Section 8 housing subsidies. The subsidy can be used for the following items:
Residences must meet safety standards and rents must be reasonable (i.e., less than 130 percent of the fair market rate as established by HUD). The subsidy amount is similar to that available to a person on HUD Section 8 (i.e., the person is expected to contribute approximately 38 percent of his or her total income towards housing costs).
This community services board in Central Virginia has created a program entitled "the bridge program" in which the State Division of Mental Retardation works closely with the local housing authority in expanding housing subsidy opportunities for people with mental retardation. The Mental Retardation Services Division (MRSD) has devised a way to fund individuals identical to the supports provided by Section 8. In essence, MRSD acts as a "bridge" providing financial support until actual Section 8 funds become available, which can take up to three years. Houses are found by the local housing authority with the same landlords used in Section 8 programs. In this way, transfer to the Section 8 program is easier. Many people have been funded by the program and 7 people currently use the program.
In conjunction with the process of implementing their Home and
Community-Based Medicaid Waiver, the North Dakota Developmental
Disabilities Division will subsidize housing costs temporarily,
when necessary, for a person with developmental disabilities to
live in a home or apartment either alone or with up to two other
people as long as the person is in control of the residence by
lease or ownership. This state supplemental payment is unique in
that each person's situation is reviewed individually for financial
status, the specific home in which the person will live, the shared
expenses of roommates, and the programmatic determination of
whether the state will supplement the costs. Even though 50% of
adults receiving residential supports in North Dakota live in homes
they rent or own, few of the subsidies are necessary (and usually
only temporarily) because of the thoroughness with which case
coordination services seek and utilize other resources on people's
behalf.
Go to "HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS AND COOPERATIVES"
Section