WASHINGTON – RealEstateRama – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the awarding of more than $36 million for Mainstream Vouchers and additional administrative fees to 218 public housing agencies (PHAs) in 46 states to assist people with disabilities. Mainstream Vouchers help people secure housing in the community as they transition from institutional settings.
As outlined in a fact sheet issued in recognition of Disability Pride Month and the 32nd Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), HUD is committed to supporting the rights of individuals with disabilities to community living as affirmed in the ADA and as upheld in the landmark case, Olmstead v. L.C.
“It is a right of every person with a disability to live and fully participate in the community and not be relegated to institutional settings or homelessness. Affordable community-based housing is essential to helping ensure this right,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “The funding HUD is awarding today will provide communities with additional resources to help people with disabilities exit or avoid institutional settings and exercise their rights to community living.”
HUD’s funding award includes:
- $23 million for 2,391 new Mainstream Vouchers that public housing agencies and disability networks and services partners can use to assist people with disabilities to transition from or avoid institutional settings or exit or avoid homelessness.
- $13 million in additional administrative fees that help PHAs and their partners support tenants’ housing search and navigation, fund landlord engagement activities, and cover other move-in costs.
Along with partners at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), HUD launched the Housing and Services Resource Center (HSRC), a one stop shop for technical assistance, resources, and guidance, to support community-based housing for individuals with disabilities. PHAs and their partners are also encouraged to use the HSRC and to consider how expanded federal support and eligible uses of Medicaid Money Follows the Person Supplemental Services, as outlined in this Notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), can also support the utilization of Mainstream Vouchers. A list of PHAs that received funding is available here.
Mainstream Vouchers are tenant-based vouchers that serve households that include non-elderly person(s) with disabilities, defined as any family that includes a person with disabilities who is at least 18 years old and not yet 62 years old.
Mainstream Vouchers, alongside HUD’s Section 811 Project Rental Assistance program, is one of the most important federal programs that provide housing assistance to people with disabilities, including those transitioning to the community from institutional settings. The PHAs who administer Mainstream Vouchers locally coordinate with Centers for Independent Living, state protection and advocacy agencies, Medicaid agencies, homelessness Continuums of Care, and other agencies that assist people with disabilities to receive referrals, provide housing search assistance, and coordinate the provision of supportive services.
Since 2018, HUD has awarded over $500 million in funding to public housing agencies (PHAs) to support 50,000 new Mainstream Vouchers.
For more information on the Mainstream Voucher Program, click here.
