Public Housing Authorities and Nursing Home Transition

from Steve Gold:


Information Bulletin # 259 (9/08).

Throughout the country, Public Housing Authorities have waiting lists for
both their housing vouchers and public housing units.

In many states, people are in nursing homes because they cannot afford to
rent an apartment or housing unit on their limited SSI incomes. Without
either a housing voucher or a public housing units, many people in nursing
facilities will continue to be institutionalized.

The question that has been raised a number of times is whether or not your
Public Housing Authority could target their vouchers and public housing
units to help transition people out of nursing homes and other
institutions?  People have complained that their Public Housing
Authorities, because they have waiting lists for housing vouchers and
public housing units, have not been responsive and have presented a number
of excuses to using their vouchers and housing units to end unnecessary
institutionalization.

Here are a number of points you should be aware of:

1.  Yes, your Pubic Housing Authority can open its waiting list for one
preference category of people - for example, people transitioning out of
institutions.

2.  Yes, it is possible for your Public Housing Authority to establish a
preference for persons transitioning out of institutions, so long as the
preference is not targeted towards people with a specific disability
(e.g., MI, or PD) and the preference is not based on where a person
resides (e.g., one particular institution).  Other than those two, it can
give the preference.

3.  Yes, your Housing Authority's waiting list can be opened indefinitely
for the preference group of people transitioning out of institutions.

4.  A Public Housing Authority can limit the number of applicants who
qualify for any specific preference.

5.  In order for your Public Housing Authority to establish the preference
for both its housing vouchers and housing units for persons transitioning
out of institutions, the Public Housing Authority must prepare a revision
of its administrative plan that states the new preference and complies
with other HUD procedural hoops.

Disability and elderly advocates:

   What are you going to do to ensure that your Public Housing Authority
establishes a preference for persons transitioning out of institutions?

   Advocates have to make sure it does.  This requires a strategy and
some political clout.  Do you have it?

   "Power concedes nothing without a struggle."  Frederick Douglas.

   Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues

Back issues of other Information Bulletins are available online at
http://www.stevegoldada.com
with a searchable Archive at this site divided into different subjects.

To contact Steve Gold directly, write to stevegoldada@cs.com
or call 215-627-7100.


Norman DeLisle, MDRC
"With Liberty and Access for All!"
GrandCentral: 517-589-4081
MDRC Website: http://www.copower.org/
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Change: http://prosynergypsc.blogspot.com/