By Kris McDowell
SE disability non-profit Community Vision has recently released “Access Denied: An Overview of the Housing Crisis for People with Disabilities,” a report to raise the awareness of how the housing crisis uniquely impacts people with disabilities. The report identifies three primary issues: affordability, accessibility and discrimination.
“Access Denied” explores how inequities in income from employment, restrictions on Social Security income and inadequate investment in rental assistance impact housing choice. It also discusses accessibility standards and their disconnect from the current estimates of the number of people with disabilities. The report brings to light the difficulties of locating accessible housing due to widespread noncompliance with accessibility standards. Lastly, the report examines fair housing and equal opportunity as it relates to housing providers’ duties to grant reasonable accommodation requests and match people with disabilities to accessible dwelling units.
The report was done through the lens of history that for much of the 20th century doctors and government officials advocated for and largely achieved the wholesale segregation of people with disabilities from society. Disability has received little consideration in the design and building of housing units and people with disabilities have had few opportunities to influence public policy and building codes. As a result, decision makers and the public may not be aware of the needs of people with disabilities; the report is intended to fill this gap in knowledge and suggests solutions that promote equity for the disability community.
The 42-page report calls for swift action and collaboration among government agencies to address the limited housing options for the disability community. “Now is a critical time for advocacy around affordable, accessible housing,” said Jennifer Knapp, Community Vision’s executive director. “People with disabilities have been struggling to access homes in the community for a long time, but there is new momentum to build housing that meets their needs.”
Although state legislation passed in 2019 requires cities to develop housing production strategies to meet the future needs of Oregonians, including accessible housing as a necessary part of Oregon’s future housing stock, Community Vision says new housing rules must be equitable and induce accountability mechanisms. “We are hopeful that the renewed attention to the need for accessible housing will dramatically ease the crisis,” said Housing Access Director Allen Hines, author of Community Vision’s report. “People with disabilities deserve homes we can afford that grant us the greatest independence possible, free from discrimination.”
Hines is a lifelong wheelchair user and has worked in disability services and advocacy for more than a decade with a focus on housing for people with disabilities since 2018. At Community Vision he leads a team that supports people with disabilities in finding appropriate housing in the community and providing education and resources to sustainably maintain housing independence. Access the full report at .