Having a roof on top of your head is the dream of everyone out there. However, this is not always the case as some individuals hardly have jobs to enable them to pay rent or even buy a house through mortgage arrangements. Others, on the other hand, are disabled and thus can hardly make ends meet. Consequently, affording money to pay rent might be a tall order for such individuals. To enable the disabled to live independently within their communities, the Federal government is now offering a number of Rental assistance programs to such individuals. Even if the disabled individuals hardly have any source of income, he or she is eligible for this program. Since the disabled are categorized as the elderly and the non-elderly individuals, we shall take a closer look at the rental assistance for the non-elderly persons with disabilities, alongside other related ideas.
Who Is A Non-elderly Disabled Person
Before we take an in-depth look at the rental assistance program offered to the non-elderly disabled individuals, it is essential that we draw the line between the elderly and the non-elderly disabled individuals. Simply put, a non-elderly disabled person refers to a person whose age ranges between 18 years and 61 years and lives with a disability.
Whether the person is deaf or is physically impaired, such individuals fall under the category of the disabled. Since housing affordability is a significant challenge to these individuals, the Federal government has now intervened and is now offering rental assistance programs to these individuals. To put it into perspective, they are able to get the much-needed grants and other financial aid that help them to pay rent in their respective houses out there.
Why Are Rental Assistance Programs Important To The Disabled
With the high cost of living and the ravaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disabled have now found themselves between the rock and a hard surface, as far affording rent is concerned. Consequently, most of them have become homeless, and others resort to live in the streets.
Ideally, this should not be the case as every human being deserves to have a good shelter. After all, shelter is one of the basic needs of mankind. The good news is that the Federal government has now become a lifesaver to the disabled as it is now offering rental assistance to such individuals. Here are some of the benefits rental assistance programs have brought to the non-elderly persons with disabilities.
1. It has helped reduce crowding, homelessness and housing instability
It is no secret that rental assistance has reduced the number of families that live in crowded places. Better still, it has reduced housing instability by a large margin. Apart from this, most families are no longer homeless as they have places they can call home.
2. It has helped to reduce poverty
With the financial aid to pay rent in place, the non-elderly persons with disabilities do not have to strain their budgets for them to afford rent. Therefore, they are able to save more from their meager earnings and thus manage to survive for months and even years without necessarily getting into debt.
3. The welfare of children has improved
Since homelessness is a thing of the past, the welfare of the non-elderly persons with disability has greatly improved. For instance, the children of such individuals can now study well, get enough sleep at night and even grow well. In fact, this assistance has made such kids to develop positive social behavior towards their peers.
4. The welfare of the non-elderly persons with disability has improved
Since the inception of the rental assistance programs for the non-elderly persons with disabilities, psychological distress among these individuals has drastically reduced. This can be attributed to the fact that problems such as homeless, evictions, and other house-related instabilities have been kept at bay.
Consequently, this has improved their welfare. In fact, most of them are now healthy as they hardly suffer from stress-related diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, among other ailments. This has also reduced additional health-related costs that come with treatment of such diseases alongside the disability that has affected such individuals.
Rental Assistance Programs For The Non-elderly Persons With Disabilities
Since we have outlined the various benefits rental assistance programs offer to the non-elderly persons with disabilities, time is ripe for you to know the various programs offered by the federal government so as to enable these individuals to get an affordable shelter. The rental assistance programs offered to the disabled are usually run by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Some of the programs that are offered here include the:
- Section 811
- Certain Developments vouchers
- Designated Housing Vouchers
- Mainstream Housing opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
- Project Access Pilot Program.
- Emergency Assistance
- Tenant Based Rent Assistance
- Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program.
In the subsequent sections, we shall take a closer look at some of these programs so that you can know them better.
1. Section 811 program
With this program in place, all individuals living with a disability will be able to live in a safe and secure home. Besides this, housing here will be very affordable to them. In fact, this program helps families with individuals who have disabilities to live independently, just like anyone else out there. Apart from allowing disabled individuals to live comfortably, this program also offers other vital supportive services such as;
- Case management
- Referral services
- Free advice
- Other essential aid
If you are a beneficiary of this program be sure that all your rent will be subsidized by the government. This program also offers project rental assistance to the disabled individuals. With his assistance in place, be sure that the difference between the HUD-approved operating costs of an apartment or a home and the contributions tenants make towards their home or apartment rent will be catered for adequately.
To put it into perspective, the payment made from the voucher is usually 30% of the household’s adjusted income. It is imperative to note that this contract for this assistance lasts up to 3 years. However, one can renew it if he or she still meets the eligibility requirements and if there are funds available for the same.
For you to be eligible for this program, there are a series of requirements that you must meet. Whether it is you or a household that wants to benefit from this program, there are some parameters that they have to meet.
To start with, the qualified person has to be of 18 years and above. He or she should also have a disability such as chronic mental illness, be physically handicapped or have some form of developmental disability. Besides this, the applicant must be a low-income earner. When it comes to low-income parameters, be sure that they are usually defined by the income range within a particular locality.
2. Certain Developments vouchers
Besides the Section 811 program, the disabled can now enjoy rental assistance from Certain Development Voucher Programs. It is imperative to note that Public Housing agencies usually accept and even process the application for these programs.
With this program in place, all the qualified families or households will be able to pay rent on any approved apartment. If you want to be a beneficiary of this program, you should ensure that you are not receiving any form of public or private housing financial aid or assistance. Besides this, the voucher can only be utilized in certain pre-approved developments or apartments where the owner has met all the stipulated program guidelines.
As far as the eligibility for the Certain Developments Program is concerned, it is important to note that the applicant must be disabled. If you want to enjoy this program as a household, one member of the household has to be disabled. Besides this, he or she has to be between the ages of 18 and 61 years. The member has to be a low-income earner. Some of the developments that are covered under this program include:
- Section 8 substantial rehabilitation projects
- Section 8 new construction projects
- State housing agencies Section 8 projects
- Section 8 housing assistance program for the disposition of HUD-owned projects
- Section 8 new construction projects under the Section 515 rural housing program
- Housing assisted under Section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959
- Housing insured, assisted, or held by the State or Secretary or State Agency under Section 236 of the National Housing Act.
- Housing financed by a mortgage or loan insured under Section 221(d)3) of the National Housing Act that bears an interest rate determined under Section 221 (d)5)
3. Designated Housing Vouchers
Just like Certain Development Programs, these housing vouchers are meant to help the non-elderly disabled low-income adults to get affordable housing. However, beneficiaries of this program have to live in or prefer to live in government-run public housing.
Besides this, the vouchers can also help non-elderly disabled families residing in a designated project or unit to move from that unit or house anytime they please. Here, the family does not have to be listed on the PHA’s voucher waiting list. Unlike the previous program, they have to be admitted as special admission for them to enjoy all the benefits of this program.
4. One-year Mainstream Housing opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
Just like the rental assistance programs we have discussed above, this one is aimed at helping tenants that have disabilities to live independently in their respective localities. For you to enjoy the benefits that come with this program, you have to ensure that you meet the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program eligibility.
Besides this, your family or household must have at least one person who lives with disability and has an age of 18 to 61 years. You also need to provide a verification that you have moved from an institution that caters for the disabled or any other segregated setting.
Better still, if you are homeless, you must be able to verify that on the go. If you are able to prove all this, Housing Connect will provide you with rental assistance and thus enable you to live in a safe and clean home.
5. Project Access Pilot Program
Initially, this program was known as Access Housing 2000. It is important to note that this program was established to offer the much-needed vouchers to all those selected PHAs that have partnered with State Medicaid agencies so as to enable non-elderly disabled individuals to move from their nursing homes and other related institutions to their respective communities.
Other Rental Assistance Programs
Besides the programs outlined above, there are others that offer the much-needed rental assistance to non-elderly persons with disabilities. Some of these programs include:
6. Emergency Assistance
Just like the programs mentioned above, this program is offered to all those individuals who have been evicted or are homeless due to one reason or another. However, this program usually have limited funding. The good news is that individuals with disabilities are always given a priority whenever they apply for this program.
Besides this, low-income earners who have dependent children are also given an upper hand whenever they apply for this program. It is important to note that this program is local, and therefore you should take a closer look at whether it is available in your state or not.
7. Tenant Based Rent Assistance
Also known as TBRA, this program is specifically designed to offer the much-needed housing and rent assistance to low-income earners. To put this into perspective, this program caters for the difference between what the landlord wants a tenant to pay on a monthly basis and what the tenant can afford to pay during that timeframe. If the difference is say $70, this program will cater for that rental margin. If you are disabled, be sure that you are also eligible to benefit from this program and thus save more on your rental expenses.
8. Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
Also known as HOPWA, this program offers rental assistance to individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Here, all eligible participants will be able to enjoy rent help, transitional housing, and long-term affordable housing solutions.
Final Words
Gone and never to come are those days when one could remain homeless simply because he or she is disabled. With the advent of the programs mentioned above, most people who have disabilities and are between the age of 18 and 61 have now been able to find affordable housing solutions within their communities. Consequently, they are able to live independently and save more on their rental expenses. Consider applying for any of the rental assistance programs mentioned above, and housing instabilities will become a thing of the past.