It is not news, nor is it shocking to say, that California is in the midst of an existential housing crisis. The state has been under-producing homes for decades and the Developmental Disabilities system lags well behind other “populations” in creating affordable homes for the folks it serves.
While the challenge to provide safe, affordable, and accessible housing is daunting, there are a few straightforward approaches that can be implemented to improve access to affordable, accessible housing for people with developmental disabilities.
Housing is not currently included in the array of services available to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). A home is the cornerstone to community living, and it is reasonable to expect the Regional Center system to help their consumers access affordable, accessible, and appropriate housing. And, to succeed, the Developmental Disabilities system needs to provide rental voucher or lease payment assistance.
Individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/Supplemental Security Payment (SSP) in CA are below the federal poverty line and well below 30% of the area median income (AMI), also referred to as extremely low income. Due to extremely low incomes and ever-increasing rents, most people living with a developmental disability in CA cannot secure independent housing in the community. For those lucky enough to hold a lease to their own home, tens of thousands are rent-burdened. These folks are paying too much of their limited income towards rent, leaving precious little for food, medicine, and other basic necessities. In CA, rental assistance for people with developmental disabilities is scarcely provided due to overly cumbersome regulations and policies. Increased access through eliminating unnecessary hurdles and simply changing the system’s posture towards providing this assistance will curb the effects of increasing housing costs and keep people in their homes.
If we are to address the housing crisis in our community, each person’s Individual Program Plan (IPP) must include a housing plan. The IPP establishes goals and sets measurable objectives. These goals and objectives maximize opportunities for the community member with an IDD to develop relationships, be part of community life in the areas of community participation, housing, work, school, and leisure, increase control over the consumer’s life, acquire increasingly positive roles in community life, and develop competencies to help accomplish these goals. The Housing Plan should include: an assessment of current living situation; a discussion of possible housing types, including independent living opportunities; determination of preferred living arrangement; and determination of resources available and necessary to transition the consumer from their current situation into their preferred housing setting.
Housing production is a priority as well. CA DDS currently invests capital towards securing affordable homes within larger housing developments through the Community Resource Development Program. This program has been successful leveraging a minimum of $4 to every $1 invested by DDS, but there hasn’t been enough money in this program to make a significant difference. A dedicated source of funds earmarked to DDS will allow this program to scale and get thousands of people with developmental disabilities into their own, affordable and accessible home.
The approaches above do have a cost, and money will need to be raised at the state level. Data is needed to substantiate the system’s current and future housing need. For the Developmental Disabilities system to access the additional, or re-allocated financial resources needed to increase housing options for the people they serve, Regional Centers must begin maintaining and publishing data from housing assessments and transitions.
The independent nonpartisan think tank California Policy Center for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities recently released a study and analysis of key data and metrics that should help deeply inform this conversation.
I’m sure we can agree that, as a system and a community, we must address our piece of the housing crisis and create affordable housing options for extremely low-income individuals receiving Regional Center services. We need common sense approaches to address the housing crisis, and I look forward to working with advocates across the state on the solutions.
