Population:

Low-income seniors and people with disabilities

Policy needs:

• Lack of housing affordable to extremely low-income people (those on SSI, for example)
• Lack of accessible housing
• Lack of emergency shelter for seniors and people with disabilities

Goals:

1. Protect and expand funding for and access to housing for low-income seniors and people with disabilities at the federal, state and local levels.
2. Ensure that housing units have basic accessible features
3. Ensure that seniors and people with disabilities live in integrated community housing, rather than institutions.

What goals have been met?

• Establish a home modifications fund.
• Increase city funding for seniors & people with disabilities. (this is ongoing)
• Prevent separate senior housing and disability housing in RAD/Housing Authority
• buildings.

What goals remain outstanding?

• Have a single place where people can find out about housing options, including people
• at the lowest income levels.
• Build more permanent housing for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
• Improve housing accessibility so that seniors and people with disabilities can stay safely in their homes.
• Prevent evictions of seniors and people with disabilities.

Areas for Collaboration:

• Mayor’s Office on Housing & Community Development – understanding the pipeline and different housing options; help the city pursue new areas of funding such as the proposed
• state-funded “No Place Like Home” program for permanent supportive housing for people with mental health disabilities.
• HESPA – budget asks, homelessness prevention needs
• Dignity Fund Coalition/implementation group – think about housing options
• Other LTCCC workgroups

Specific outcomes:

1. A city housing data portal that effectively serves low-income seniors and people with disabilities, through user accessibility and comprehensive listings (city-funded housing, private housing, and info on programs like Direct Access to Housing).
2. More NOFAs (Notices of Funding Availability) from MOHCD that target seniors and especially people with disabilities.

Budget implications:

Not yet determined.

Timeline/Action plan:

• Meet regularly with MOHCD about the housing data portal, continue to advocate for the
• needs of seniors and people with disabilities. (ongoing)
• Follow federal housing issues – look at the omnibus bill in Dec/Jan, then consider plans on
• federal housing policy in Feb/March.
• Follow state housing issues, such as the No Place Like Home initiative.
• Support HESPA and Anti-Displacement Coalition in their eviction prevention efforts. (ongoing)
• Advocate for proposed senior housing projects to come to fruition. (Dec and ongoing)

Partial List:  (List of volunteers coming soon)