ADAPT has victories with HUD meeting
I got this from ADAPT on the 17th. Congratulations, and keep up the good wotk!
ADAPT has victories with HUD meeting
After our month long campaign to get HUD Secretary Jackson to live up to his previous commitment to meet with ADAPT regarding the ACCESS ACROSS
AMERICA proposal, 15 ADAPT representatives met with HUD Secretary Jackson
Monday May 15, 2006. The feel was positive after the meeting, with
Jackson, three of his Assistant Secretaries, and several other key HUD
staff. The following are the commitments Jackson made:
The three areas Secretary Jackson agreed to are important steps in moving
forward on implementing ACCESS ACROSS AMERICA. Jackson agreed to:
1. Send a Secretary Directive encouraging Housing Authorities to make
people living in institutions including shelters, regardless of age, a
preference at the local levels. Mike Oxford agreed to write something
that to use as a starting point.
2. Host a meeting with CMS and ADAPT at the table so we can assure we
are all on the same page in this goal and moving forward on areas that are
in our power to help create this pool of vouchers.
3. Meet with ADAPT three times a year to discuss progress on ACCESS
ACROSS AMERICA and other issues such as the modification program that
could help modify existing units for people with disabilities.
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The Demands ADAPT took into the meeting were:
1. Introduce Access Across America Campaign
Vouchers dedicated to people with all kinds of disabilities of all ages
who are leaving institutions including shelters.
These vouchers will go to local community agencies that provide
transition/ integration services or to the PHA that is working closely
with community agencies that assist people with transition/ integration.
When the vouchers are released by the individual, they must go back into
the Access Campaign pool.
All vouchers must be set at the fair market rate or higher to work for
local conditions.
2. HUD needs to coordinate the release of the vouchers with CMS’ Money
Follows.Projects and continue to work with ADAPT.
3. The number of vouchers needs to be coordinated with the number of
individual identified as wanting to leave the facility in the minimum Data
Set (MDS) information collected by CMS.
The number of vouchers should also take into account the numbers of people
wanting to leave any other kind of institution.
HUD needs to provide the number of people with disabilities in shelters
4. Disabled people of all ages residing in institutions including shelter
must be a “preference” nationally for receipt of vouchers and other
housing services.
Secretary Jackson sends a “Secretary’s Directive” to all PHAs strongly
suggesting the need for creating this preference at the state and local
levels
5. ADAPT, HUD and CMS need to meet within the next 30 days.
6. ADAPT and HUD should meet at least quarterly.
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ADAPT Power! If we continue the pressure with congress, HUD, and CMS we
can make this happen!