News

On February 12, 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it had preliminarily selected 13 states to participate in the first ever Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities Project Rental Assistance (PRA) Demonstration. This new Section 811 Demonstration is designed to assist state housing agencies to expand integrated supportive housing opportunities for people with the most significant and long term disabilities, and was the centerpiece of the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2010.

"This is an incredibly important day for the disability community - particularly for 3,530 people with the most significant and long term disabilities who are institutionalized or homeless but will soon be living in integrated, affordable housing because of the revitalized Section 811 program. TAC and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force are enormously grateful to the Melville Charitable Trust for their vision, and their unwavering commitment to the permanent supportive housing approach, which made today's HUD Section 811 Demonstration funding awards possible," stated Ann O'Hara, Associate Director of TAC.

Today's announcement reinforces the guiding principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the landmark 1999 Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v. L.C., which requires state and local governments to support individuals with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. The rental assistance announced today also supports the Obama Administration's strategy to prevent and end homelessness.

"Too many people with disabilities are living in institutions or are homeless because they cannot afford housing. TAC applauds HUD and HHS for their effort to bring together integrated, affordable housing and services designed to support individuals in the community," stated Kevin Martone, Executive Director of TAC.

A total of $98 million in competitive FY 2012 PRA funding was made available to state housing agency applicants through a HUD Notice of Funding Availability published in March of 2012. Thirty-five state housing agencies submitted applications for PRA funds, an indicator of the enormous demand within the states for integrated supportive housing units. Under the PRA Demo, 3,530 units are expected to be produced, more than three times the number of units produced with FY10 and FY11 funds before Congress reformed the legislation.

The innovative and flexible PRA option provides a systematic and state-oriented approach to expanding supportive housing by requiring that a formal partnership between the state's housing and health and human services/Medicaid agencies be created prior to the submission of the PRA application to ensure the availability of support services for individuals accessing housing.

States selected to receive an award of Section 811 PRA funds include:

View the HUD Press Release

View 811 Information on HUD's Website

Visit TAC's Resource Center on Supportive Housing for up-to-the-minute information on implementation of the Section 811 Demonstration Program