Future of the Disability Housing Market

All too often Americans living with disabilities, who are among the nation's poorest citizens, struggle to find affordable and accessible housing. Organizations that serve these disabled individuals face challenges of their own, such as constrained funding and a shortage of resources.

Main Content

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia is partnering with the Inglis Foundation and the Disability Opportunity Fund to present "The Future of the Disability Housing Market." This conference will inform professionals from organizations that are interested in developing affordable and accessible housing for people with disabilities about existing challenges, new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development initiatives, and financing opportunities.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia helps formulate and implement monetary policy, supervises banks and bank holding companies, and provides financial services to depository institutions and the federal government. It is one of the 12 regional Reserve Banks that, together with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., make up the Federal Reserve System. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank serves eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware.

Poverty Line

Many Americans with disabilities are on Social Security income (SSI) and live near or below the poverty line.

In 2008, the average person receiving SSI needed to pay 112.1 percent of his monthly income to rent a modest one-bedroom apartment. Since 1998, the value of SSI payments has declined precipitously when compared with the median income of Americans while rents have skyrocketed.

Accessible Housing

People living with disabilities who have more resources also face challenges trying to find accessible housing.

Making a home accessible can include remodeling the bathroom and kitchen to make them functional for a wheelchair user and installing ramps leading to the front and back doors of the home. Renovation costs average $25,000 - $50,000 per household.

Inglis Foundation and Disability Opportunity Fund

Lauren DeBruicker, Esq., partner, Duane Morris, LLP, Philadelphia, and Alysse Einbender, Landscape Architect, Glenside, PA, both Inglis Foundation board members, know just how difficult it is to find truly accessible and affordable housing when living with a disability. They have each had to essentially construct their homes from the ground up to make them accessible.

The Inglis Foundation is focused on the creation of safe, accessible, and affordable housing in the Philadelphia area so that people with disabilities can achieve their goals and live life to the fullest. The Disability Opportunity Fund promotes and finances creative, highly scalable solutions for people with disabilities and their families.

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and published on 2011/06/14, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.