A Housing Crisis on the Horizon for Individuals with Disabilities?

A new report from the Technical Assistance Collaborative and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities shows that, on average, individuals with disabilities would need to use more than 100% of their Supplemental Security Income to rent a one-bedroom apartment today. Though costs vary across the country, the study found that even the smallest apartment took up at least 60% of an individual’s monthly SSI check, and even the costs of some studio apartments accounted for more than 90% of a person’s monthly SSI check.

Over the past few years, housing has become increasingly more expensive for everyone. But housing has become especially unaffordable for those individuals on fixed incomes. According the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, housing is considered affordable when it takes up 30% or less of a person’s income. Because of the unavailability of affordable housing, more than two million individuals with disabilities are living with their parents, at homeless shelters, or in group homes and other institutions.

“Having a safe place to call home is a basic human right and we have a responsibility to ensure [that] individuals with disabilities are given the chance to find a home in the community they choose,” – Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc. Berns and other advocates urge Congress and other groups to rise to action and to expand housing assistance for individuals with disabilities.

Information courtesy of Michelle Diament, of Disability Scoop (May 24, 2013). View the original article here: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/05/24/study-housing-crisis/18019/