What You Need to Know About Accessible Housing

Six houses of varying colors on a rural landscape sit behind the text, “Learn Basic Facts About Accessible Housing.”
Date Posted: February 22, 2019
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What You Need to Know About Accessible Housing

Six houses of varying colors on a rural landscape sit behind the text, “Learn Basic Facts About Accessible Housing.” According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, our nation is far from meeting today’s accessible housing needs. In their last study, they reported only one-third of American housing is able to be modified to meet the needs of individuals with mobility disabilities. Beyond that, only 5% of housing is currently designed to be accessible to individuals with moderate mobility challenges and a mere 1% are wheelchair accessible. The good news is that something can be done to meet the needs of today’s disabled population. Read on to learn more about accessible housing and how the Fair Housing Act enables users with special needs to request accommodations.

What is Accessible Housing?

Accessible housing is rented or purchased housing that has special built-in accommodations to make everyday living and mobility easier for residents with disabilities. This can range anywhere from wheelchair ramps to indoor modifications like handicap grab bars and accessible bathrooms and kitchens. Homeowners with accessibility needs can apply for home modification grants. But what if you aren’t a homeowner? Few rental locations are designed to accommodate individuals with disabilities. That’s where the Fair Housing Act comes into play.  

Understanding the Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act protects the right of disabled Americans to have safe housing accommodations. This government legislation requires housing providers to:
  • Make accommodations for disabled tenants so long as those accommodations don’t cause an undue financial or administrative burden
  • Allow disabled tenants to make reasonable modifications to a rented housing space that are required for the unit to be fully usable
Between these two requirements, individuals with disabilities can both request and modify a rented living space in order to make it safe to use and navigate. But what if you’re having trouble finding a leasing company or landlord to rent to you? In such cases, it’s imperative you know your rights. It’s illegal for any home seller, real estate agent, rental company or landlord to:
  • Evict a tenant for his or her disability or the disability of a family member
  • Refuse to sell or rent housing to an individual based on the disability of the primary tenant/owner or his or her family member
  • To ask if an applicant or his or her family member has a disability
  • To alter applications or buying/renting criteria due to a disability
  • Segregate tenants to specific areas or units based on disability
  • Refuse reasonable accommodation or modifications based on disability
If you find yourself experiencing any of the above, you can file a complaint with HUD. By law, no one can retaliate against an individual for filing a complaint, so individuals don’t have to be afraid of submitting one if they feel they are experiencing discrimination.  

Do You Need Help Making Your Home Accessible?

Accessible housing shouldn’t be a privilege given only to some. If you have accessibility requirements but are having trouble finding the finances or the resources to meet your needs, let’s talk. Dreamscape Foundation works one-on-one with individuals facing accessibility challenges. From fundraising campaigns to resources, we help individuals bridge the gap between their disability and the life they deserve. Reach out to us today to start a conversation.
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Top Resources for Disabled Veterans

Date Posted: February 18, 2019
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Top Resources for Disabled Veterans

Our Veterans left their families and homes to fight the battles necessary to secure the safety of our nation and the world. What many of us civilians don’t hear or see is the life changing impact left on not only these brave men and women but their loved ones as well. To put it into prospective, based on a survey by the American Community Survey, in 2017 an estimated 26.3% of non-institutionalized Veterans between the ages of 21-64 reported having a VA service-related disability. This equates to roughly 2,354,700 men and women out of 8,958,400. While we cannot change the everlasting effects, we can help improve their quality of life and make sure they are never abandoned. To find out more about the best resources and programs available to disabled Veterans and their families please read on!

Caregivers and Where to Find Help

Many disabled Veterans must rely on the assistance of a loved one or hired hand to complete common day to day tasks. Whether you are a caregiver looking for information or a Veteran in need of assistance, the DAV (Disabled American Veterans)  and VA (US Department of Veteran Affairs) have a lot of useful information and can help guide you in the right direction to getting the help you need. Additionally, the VA offers various programs for both facility and home-based care, including adult day care programs and at home primary care.

What is the adult day care program and how can it help?

The adult day care program is for Veterans in need of skilled care services, case management and assistance with daily activities. During the day Veterans can take part in social/recreational activities and peer support groups. Not only will this help keep Veterans active and social, but also for loved ones who act as caregivers, it gives you the opportunity to continue your career, run errands, or to simply have a break.  

Benefits: Medical and Disability

There are numerous disability benefit programs provided by the VA, for Veterans who return home unable to work. Whether it is due to a physical or mental service-related disability, you are eligible for some sort of compensation benefit. In addition to compensation for unemployable Vets, medical benefits are also provided for the Veteran and family. Where many are eligible there are still requirements that must be met for both disability and medical benefits. The primary for both requires you must have left service for any condition other than a dishonorable discharge. Additionally, for disability benefits your disability must be due to a service-related incident.  For full lists of VA benefits or any questions you may have, you can call +1 (800) 827-1000 or visit the VA benefit’s web page. Other benefit programs include:
  • Burial
  • Death Pension
  • Dependency
  • Indemnity Compensation
  • Direct Deposit
  • Disability Compensation
  • Directions to VA Benefits Regional Offices
  • Disability Pension
  • Education
  • Home Loan Guaranty
  • Medical Care
  • Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

What if your Claim for Benefits is Denied?

Being denied benefits can be detrimental to the well being of any Vet and his/her family. Now not everyone is eligible for some benefit programs but if you feel you were wrongfully denied or would like to find out more on your eligibility, there are many legal groups like Woods and Woods, who are dedicated to helping our Veterans. They offer free consultations and can provide detailed information on all benefit programs and their requirements.

Support Programs

Though the struggles of readjusting to civilian life is owned by the individual Veteran, they do not have to go at it alone. Support comes in many different ways such as crisis hotlines, support groups, and service animals. To make access easy for everyone, community-based counseling centers known as Vet Centers have been established throughout the nation. Vet Centers provide individual, group, family and marriage counseling for eligible Veterans, active duty service members, including the Reserves and National Guard, and their families. These other programs go further than therapy sessions by also providing assistance with addiction, PTSD, suicidal thoughts, sexual trauma and much more. For further information, all are urged to reach out to their local VA or visit their site!

Transportation Services

Living with a disability can make it difficult enough to get around your own home, let alone traveling out and about. For many, the simple task of going to a doctor’s appointment can turn into an all-day affair. Now, thanks to the VA and DVA travel can be made easy by scheduling one of the many travel solutions available to disabled Vets. The DVA has a fleet of vehicles around the country available for free to help get Veterans to all VA medical facilities for injuries or illness. Since the program began and with the help of their partners at Ford Motors, the DAV have secured over 3,517 vehicles for the Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers nationwide.   The VA offers a Veterans Transportation Program (VTP), which includes Beneficiary Travel (BT), Veterans Transportation Services (VTS) and Highly Rural Transportation Grants (HRTG). The BT program reimburses eligible Veterans for costs incurred while traveling to and from VA health care facilities and can also provide pre-approved transportation solutions and set up special mode transportation services (SMT) with a request to your local VA. The VTS program provides safe and reliable transportation for Veterans who need help traveling to and from VA health care facilities and in some authorized cases non-VA health care appointments.   In order to provide the most to our Vets, the VA also partners with local transportation providers to make it easier for those in need to plan ahead! Lastly, the HRTG program provides grants to Veteran Service Organizations and State Veteran Service Agencies, to allow them to service the needs of Veterans seeking VA and Non-VA approved care in highly rural areas where means of transportation are not as common. With the various programs provided, it can be very easy to plan and schedule your transportation needs accordingly, but only once you know where to start!

Housing Accommodations

We constantly hear about the unfortunate and difficult circumstances Veterans and Service-members face when returning home. But what about those who have nowhere to call home? In order to assure our disabled Veterans, have a warm place to lay their heads once back home, the VA has established multiple programs to help them find and afford an accessible place of their own. One program is the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant, which can be used in a number of ways, first one is to build a new home with an accessible design on land to be acquired.   Additionally, the SAH Grants can be used to build homes on land already owned, to remodel an existing home, or to be put towards the unpaid mortgage balance on homes suitable for SAH. Another option is the US Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH), a collaborative program between HUD and the VA. How it works, is by providing rental assistance vouchers for privately owned homes to Veterans who are eligible for VA health care services and are experiencing homelessness. If you think you may be eligible but are not certain, you can check your status by calling your local VA or by going online.   While we cannot always help the difficulties faced by our Veterans overseas, our country can help with some of the ones they face domestically.  
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