Biden-Harris Administration Awards $16 Million to Expand Affordable Housing for People with Disabilities in Oregon and Washington
SEATTLE – Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $138.5 million in grants for more than a dozen state housing agencies to expand the supply of housing and supportive services for low-income persons with disabilities across America. Funding made possible by HUD’s Section 811 Project Rental Assistance (PRA) for Persons with Disabilities program will allow 18 state housing agencies to develop strategies to identify and refer low-income persons with disabilities to eligible homes, and to provide them with rental assistance and supportive services. Today’s announcement advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals to reduce housing costs, boost supply, and expand access to affordable housing for low-income families, veterans and persons with disabilities.
The Washington State Department of Commerce is receiving $8,000,000 for 158 units of housing and Oregon Housing and Community Service is receiving $8,000,000 for 153 units of housing.
“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, we are committed to removing barriers to housing and ensuring that everyone has access to an accessible, quality, and affordable home that meets their needs,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “Today’s awards will support Americans with disabilities by both creating affordable housing and expanding crucial support services.”
“Ensuring that people with disabilities have access to affordable and supportive housing is not just a policy goal, but a moral imperative,” said HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Andrew Lofton. “This funding will allow Oregon and Washington to continue building inclusive communities where individuals with disabilities can thrive with dignity and independence.”
Awardees will work to address long-term housing security and affordability issues for persons with disabilities within existing, new, or renovated multifamily developments and facilitate community integration. In collaboration with Medicaid and/or health and human services agencies, awardees will also connect individuals with community-based support and services for the long-term.
“Adults with disabilities often face significant barriers in securing a safe and stable place to live,” said Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner Julia Gordon. “These awards create opportunities for more housing that’s available, accessible, and inclusive.”
About the Section 811 Program
Through the Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program, HUD provides funding to develop and subsidize rental housing with the availability of supportive services for very low- and extremely low-income adults with disabilities. The program also enables persons with disabilities to live as independently as possible in their community and provides access to appropriate supportive services. The program is authorized to operate in two ways: the Project Rental Assistance Program (PRA) and the Capital Advance Program.
The Section 811 PRA program identifies, stimulates, and supports innovative state-level strategies that will transform and increase housing for extremely low-income persons (those earning 30 percent or less of area median income) with disabilities while also making available appropriate support and services. HUD intends to support collaborations between State Housing and Health and Human Service/Medicaid Agencies that will create or increase access to affordable permanent supportive housing units – new and existing – with access to appropriate services.
The Section 811 Capital Advance program aims to expand the supply of integrated affordable housing by providing Capital Advance funding for the development of permanent supportive rental housing for very-low-income (those earning 50 percent or less of the area median income) with disabilities who are 18 years of age or older and less than 62 years of age at entry. The program also provides project rental subsidies in the form of a Project Rental Assistance Contract (PRAC) to maintain ongoing affordability over at least the next forty years.
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