More than $4.3 million in grants are approved to 18 counties in Pennsylvania to fund home modifications for residents with disabilities. This grant, awarded through the Pennsylvania Access Grant Program is designed to help low- and moderate-income Pennsylvanians with permanent disabilities to improve their quality of life, as some of them only need simple home modifications to remain living independently at home. The Pennsylvania Access Grants are given to local governments and redevelopment authorities to distribute the funds to Pennsylvanians with disabilities who are within federal Section 8 income guidelines. The grant will fund simple home modifications to improve accessibility within the home, some examples of common modifications include, ramps, wider doors, larger bathrooms, and visual doorbells. In addition to the Pennsylvania Access Grant Program, the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation, formed by Community and Economic Development Secretary Sam McCullough provides low-interest loans for the purchase of assistive technologies. For more information on the grant, please contact Jason Kirsch of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, 717-783-1132.

President Clinton signed H.R. 5640, the "American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act of 2000," into law on Dec. 27, 2000. The bill updates the Section 202 elderly housing program and the Section 811 disabled housing programs, as well as the Native American housing program and manufactured housing. Two provisions assist in the protection of tenants whose owners opt-out of Section 8 contracts: (1) extending the eligibility for enhanced vouchers to residents of buildings whose owners opted out since 1994; and (2) ensuring that if HUD puts limits on the payment for enhanced vouchers, it can only do so to the extent that residents are not harmed (i.e. displaced). The bill and a section-by-section are available at: http://www.house.gov/banking/billstoc.htm

Building for Boomers and Beyond: A Senior's Housing Symposium, April 26-27, 2001.

As a response to the strong and ever increasing interest in seniors housing, this symposium will be an annual event that focuses entirely on theseniors housing market. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center, in cooperation with their Senior Housing Council is organizing Building for Boomers and Beyond: A Senior's Housing Symposium. It will replace the Seniors Housing Show that is held in conjunction with the NAHB Remodelers Show for the past two years.

The symposium will explore how to best meet the wide-range of housing needs of America's aging population. Through educational programs, interactive discussions, and informal networking, leading experts from around the nation will discuss how to design, develop, market, build, renovate, and finance homes for this diverse and rapidly expanding group.

This two-day symposium will be held from April 26 to 27, 2001 at the Hyatt Regency at Civic Plaza in Phoenix Arizona. The registration fee for Coalition Members is $325.00 before March 1, 2001, and $375.00 thereafter. The contact person for this event is: Lisa Gibson from the NAHB Research Center. Ms. Gibson can be reached at (800) 638-8556 x6269, (301) 430-6269, or via email at lgibson@nahbrc.org. For further information on the symposium, visit the web site: www.nahbrc.org/Seniors/symposium.htm

Why Advocates Need to Think About Manufactured Housing

Why Advocates Need to Think About Manufactured Housing, a report of new research by Richard Genz, finds that manufactured homes account for 30% of all new homes nationwide, and a large majority of these homes are owner-occupied. The homeownership rate for the nation would drop nearly 5% if manufactured houses were not counted. Although their owners occupy many of these units, the owners often still have to rent the lot on which the unit is sited. According to Genz, manufactured homes have the potential to be a significant source of unsubsidized, low cost housing. Nevertheless, there are many issues that need to be addressed before low-income housing advocates take up the cause of manufactured housing. Financing, legal protections, quality control, and resale value of manufactured housing should be examined before such housing could be included as a legitimate option for the low-income community. The report is available at www.housingcommunity.com

A Place Designed for Living, Aging

Featured in Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, this inspiring article tells the story between couples who planned their own universal designed retirement home. The Ashoffs realize the importance and the need for universal design in their home after seeing how Patty Ashoff's live-in mother battle with Alzheimer's disease. She becomes more physically impaired in their inaccessible condominium as the disease progresses with age.

The Ashoffs immediately brought this alert into action. They begin to design their own accessible home after unsuccessful search for a house that fit their needs. This four-year process include writing descriptions of every necessary room in the house to fit their lifestyle, interviewing architects who would understand and are willing to carry out these unorthodox requests, to finally working with subcontractors to fine-tune the details of the construction. Their persistent effort in designing a home where they would age comfortably yields a house that incorporates universal design to accommodate possible age-related inability to carry out activities of daily living. Though there are difficulties throughout the process of building this accessible retirement home, Patty Ashoff expresses, "'at least this way, we can maintain more control of our lives.'"

To view the full article, please click here.

New ICC Code Requirements for Housing Accessibility (CRHA) is Available

The International Code Council, Inc.(ICC) has published the Code Requirements for Housing Accessibility (CRHA) that serves to ensure compliance to major model codes for accessibility. Part of the initiative begun in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1997, because the CRHA meets or exceeds the minimum requirements of the federal civil rights law, regulations and the Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines, it brings together national standards for people with disabilities. For copies of the CRHA, visit the web site for online purchasing or contact the three model code organizations listed below: BOCA 7108-799-2300 ICBO 562-699-0541 SBCCI 205-591-1853

HUD AWARDS $29.3 MILLION TO HELP THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED CONTINUE TO LIVE INDEPENDENTLY AT HOME

The grants go to the owners of private housing developments in 39 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia who receive money from HUD to house low-income individuals. The owners or their management companies then either hire or enter into a contract for the service coordinators, who have backgrounds in providing social services, especially to the frail elderly and people with disabilities.

For more information, visit HUD's website at: http://www.hud.gov

WHY RURAL HOUSING MATTERS

A report released by the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) uses quantitative and qualitative research methods to develop a picture of rural housing on an overall and individual level. According to the study, "Why Housing Matters: HACs 2000 Report on the State of the Nations Rural Housing," approximately 21% of non-metro households pay more than 30% of their monthly income for housing costs and are considered cost-burdened. In addition, a disproportionate number of these cost-burdened households are renting their houses.

To view the full report, go to: Rural Housing

SPECIAL FEATURE STORY ACCESSIBLE VACATION HOME EXCHANGE for people with disabilities

Swap your home during your next vacation with somebody who has similar needs and abilities in destinations such as France, Egypt, the UK, or Canada. The vacation home exchange program offered by the Institute on Independent Living is a low-cost and practical alternative to accessible vacation homes. To locate a potential exchange partner, simply post an ad on the web site of your accessible home and state its special accessible features as well as your desired travel dates. There are now over 100 available homes to choose from, just browse the posted ads to find the vacation place of your dream.

To visit the web site, click on http://www.independentliving.org/VacationHomeSwap.html

ACCESSIBILITY EXTENDS TO OUTDOORS ADVENTURES - offered by the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region

Now exciting outdoor recreational activities are not only limited to athletic and able individuals. In California, major national forests welcome visitors of all abilities; each forest offers accessible recreational opportunities that encourage people of all ages and abilities to experience the adventure of outdoor activities, such as river rafting, camping, and hiking. There are numerous participating national forests and recreational sites including, Six Rivers National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, Klamath National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forests, Lassen National Forest, and Tahoe National Forest. These sites include accessible features to accommodate people with disabilities such as wheelchair accessible trails and doorways that have 32” minimum width; there are also symbols around the sites to help participants identify the different levels of accessibility. To obtain information on specific national forest, contact the USDA Forest Service Regional Office at 1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA 94592, 707-562-8737.    

PROPOSED ACCESS HOUSING 2000 NATIONAL INITIATIVE

This proposed national initiative is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Development of Housing Urban Design (HUD), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire. The proposed initiative aims to assist persons with disabilities to transition from nursing homes into the community by providing improved access to affordable housing and necessary personal assistance and supportive services. It will utilize Section 8 housing vouchers in conjunction with supportive services available under the Medicaid program.

For detailed information on the design of this initiative and the responsibility of each collaborating organization, visit: National Initiative  

Comments on the initiative are welcome and are due on February 20, 2000. Interested individuals can submit comments to the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Room 10276, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410. For further information, contact Rod Solomon, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy, Program and Legislative Initiatives, Office of Public and Indian Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh St., SW, Room 4116, Washington, DC 20410; 202-708-0713, TTY 800-877-8339.