Public hearing on Revitalizing Urban Communities
There will be a public hearing here in Rochester on November 14, 2007, called “Revitalizing Urban Communities”. It is being put on by state Senators, Liz Krueger and Antoine Thompson, and will explore ways of revitalizing urban communities. I will be attending and testifying at the hearing. Here is my testimony:
Revitalizing Communities
People with disabilities have much to offer to the communities in which we live. However, we face many challenges; the most striking of which is the lack of affordable, accessible, and integrated housing. People with disabilities are literally facing a housing crisis in this state!
The lack of affordable, accessible, and integrated housing forces people with disabilities into segregated and often institutionalized settings. Those who are already in an institution find it almost impossible to get out when the deposit and rent for an apartment are more than their Social Security checks.
Priced Out in 2006 a report published by the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) found that the national average monthly income for a person who relied on SSI for their sole source of income was only $632. The average price of a one-bedroom apartment was $715 and a studio efficiency apartment was $633. These numbers obviously do not add up.
Home ownership, for those who can afford it, is practically out of the question. This is because the vast majority of homes are inaccessible to people with mobility impairments.
This is unfortunate because people with disabilities can be a part of the revitalization of a community. We care about the neighborhoods in which we live. We shop, work, volunteer, and are an integral part of society, provided that the opportunities exist and no physical or attitudinal barriers stand in our way.
Here are some thoughts on how to address the housing crisis affecting people with disabilities while also revitalizing our communities:
· A Housing Trust Fund can be developed, which would create a revenue stream for developing housing, providing rental subsidies, and paying for home modifications. Medicaid waiver programs with a home modification component can be created, and federal funds leveraged for accessibility modifications for those who need them.
· The State and advocacy groups should vigorously lobby the federal government (HUD, Congress) to better fund voucher programs that are tied to tenant based, not project based vouchers.
· Various housing authorities can work together, and support efforts to apply for these Section 8 vouchers as a “local preference” target for those who want to transition from an institutional setting to the community.
· The creation of inclusion zones of affordable and accessible housing in mixed-use (commercial and residential) buildings and projects can add to the revitalization and diversification of a community.
· The New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) should better enforce existing laws and should work to establish policies that would lead to the development of more accessible, affordable, and integrated housing.
· The state legislature can pass visitability legislation that requires all new single-family homes funded with state or federal funds be built with at least one no-step entrance, at least 32-inch wide doorways, and an accessible bathroom on the first floor.
· Finally, DHCR should take advantage of the HOME money that is currently available and use it for Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) that can act as a bridge subsidy until Section 8 vouchers become available.
These few solutions could go a long way towards addressing New York’s current housing crisis.
If more affordable, accessible, integrated housing were available, people with disabilities could live in their communities, and everyone would begin to see us as real human beings and valued members of our society. We deserve to have more opportunities to work, shop, go to school, volunteer, start businesses, and a host of other positive things. Not only would our inclusion in the community save the state money that would otherwise be spent on institutional care, but it would also generate tax revenues through our working and spending money.
When viewed in those terms, it is easy to see why addressing the lack of affordable, accessible, integrated housing is essential to revitalizing our communities.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Anita Cameron
Systems Advocate
Center for Disability Rights
497 State Street
Rochester, NY 14608
(585) 546-7510