Funding Sources Successfully Used by States to Support Development of Integrated, Affordable, and Accessible Community Housing

About the Guide

The lack of affordable, accessible housing is frequently cited by people in the independent living field as the single largest barrier to full inclusion and community integration of persons with disabilities.

At a minimum, independent living planners and those fostering systems change should understand the myriad of funding sources available. Funding sources include the Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as the Section 8 Rental Voucher Program), the HOME Investments Partnerships Program, the Section 811 Housing with Supportive Services for Persons with Disabilities Program, state housing trust funds, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and state bridge subsidy programs. And sometimes, to cover the costs of development and making housing units truly integrated, affordable, and accessible, housing developers and their state and local partners must use multiple sources of funding in combination, including tax credits, operating subsidies, bridge subsidies and housing vouchers.

Planners of independent living options and services should understand current housing rules and regulations, and understand the systems that have responsibility for the development of low-income housing. In recent years, this responsibility has increasingly shifted from the federal government, primarily the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to state and local government entities. State Housing Finance Agencies and Public Housing Authorities play an ever-increasing role in determining the availability and affordability of community housing.

This guide offers a quick reference on housing resources that can be used to create integrated, affordable, and accessible housing and basic information on how to use these resources.

How to Use This Guide

The guide is organized into 11 parts that permit the reader to quickly find a topic area of interest and read only that section if preferred, or to read the entire document and then easily find a reference later. The guide presents a brief description of each funding source along with helpful resources and sources of information. The description of each funding source is followed by specific examples of state and local use of the funding source, often in combination with other funding. Each example includes state and local contact information.