Housing Committee Recommendations to the Board
The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) supports independent living for persons with disabilities and believes community living is a right.
An extensive survey of the NCIL membership and the Housing Committee, produced the following position on housing seen below.
- The Section 811 program, entitled "Supportive Housing for People with Disabilities”, presently allocates 25% of its funds for Section 8 Mainstream vouchers with the remaining 75% allocated by HUD for supportive housing programs. NCIL supports initiatives that would allocate 70-80 % of the 811 funds for tenant-based housing vouchers.
- NCIL strongly (recommends) set-asides of 811 funds for 8-12 housing projects for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities/Electrical Sensitivities (MCS/ES).
- NCIL would like to see Section 504 revised to require (a) 10% of all housing constructed or substantially renovated with federal funds, be fully accessible to people with mobility impairments, and (b) 4% fully accessible to people with sensory impairments. In addition, (c) 2% should be set-aside for (Chemically & Electrically sensitive people).
- (a) NCIL supports new funding for the allocation of housing vouchers specifically for people with disabilities (who are homeless; i.e., living in their vehicles) moving from nursing homes to the community or at-risk of institutional placement.
(b) NCIL knows that although public housing authorities may pay up to 140% of the Fair Market rents as an accommodation for persons with disabilities (in order to obtain accessible housing), many housing authorities failed to do so. Therefore; NCIL supports initiatives that would require housing authorities to pay up to 140% of the Fair Market rents for people with disabilities moving out of nursing homes.
- NCIL believes that single family homes and town houses constructed with federal funds be “visitable” with at least one wheelchair accessible entrance and access to at least one wheelchair accessible bathroom.
- NCIL supports legislation that has been introduced in Congress that would create a National Housing Trust Fund. This Fund would be created from surplus funds generated by the Federal Housing Administration and Government National Mortgage Association and would be used to produce, rehabilitate, and preserve 1.5 million affordable housing units (including people with physical and/or sensory disabilities, Chemical and Electrical Sensitivities) over the next ten years.
- NCIL supports funding for mandatory education and training on the housing needs of those with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities /Electrical Sensitivities (MCS/ES) to be given to public housing authorities, developers and others in the housing community.
- NCIL recommends Congress and the administration develop initiatives to create effective design and data collection for housing for people with disabilities; including people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities/Electrical Sensitivities (MCS/ES).
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