Home > Policy Information > Policy Platform Issues > Housing

Housing

Overview

Affordable and accessible housing is critical for individuals with brain injury to reside in the community.  The Federal government has provided a role in ensuring that housing is available to individuals with disabilities, low-income individuals, and who are elderly. 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program is the Federal government’s largest housing assistance program.  The program helps very low-income households, including people with disabilities, obtain affordable housing in the community.  The program works by providing monthly rental assistance payments to private landlords on behalf of Section 8 participants, whose share of the rent is limited to 30-40 percent of their monthly income.

NASHIA favors incentives to landlords to increase housing options for people with disabilities.  NASHIA objects to funding cuts on the Section 8 voucher program and to proposals to replace the program with a block grant program.

The Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program is the only Federal program that can expand the supply of accessible and affordable housing with favors for people with the most severe disabilities.  NASHIA favors proposals that clarify and reinforce that persons with severe disabilities, rather than low-income persons, are the intended beneficiaries of this program.  Further, NASHIA favors proposals that prevent mingling or re-directing of Section 811 funds with other housing initiatives that do not directly and exclusively benefit individuals with severe disabilities.

On May 25, 2007, the House Financial Services Committee, chaired by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), passed the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA) of 2007 (H.R. 1851). Prior to final passage, an amendment to authorize 100,000 new Section 8 vouchers over the next 5 years passed by voice vote. SEVRA makes important reforms to the housing voucher program and related changes in the laws governing public and assisted housing. SEVRA's provisions would establish a stable, fair, efficient funding formula for the voucher program. Other sections of the bill would simplify rules governing housing quality inspections and calculation of tenant rent contributions, establish a dedicated funding source for HUD's Family Self-Sufficiency asset development program, direct HUD to issue guidance instructing housing agencies to keep some vouchers set aside for people with disabilities, and make it easier for housing agencies to allow vouchers to cover additional rent as a reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities.