COMMUNITY INTEGRATION

Community Integration

Many states are seeking to expand integrated permanent supportive housing (PSH) options for people with disabilities, as they work toward compliance with the terms of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead decision. Increasing the availability of integrated PSH allows more people to live independently in the housing of their choice, reduces reliance on expensive institutional care, and helps prevent homelessness among people with disabilities.

The expansion of PSH using innovative, systems-level approaches such as those authorized in HUD's reformed Section 811 program holds great promise for systematically creating new integrated supportive housing. This program has given public helps the lowest-income people with significant and long-term disabilities to live independently in the community by providing affordable housing linked with voluntary services and supports. Strong partnerships between housing finance and human service agencies, housing developers, and the disability community can foster state-driven strategies to create more integrated PSH options and successfully compete for Section 811 funds to support this goal.

Other policy and funding initiatives offer additional ways to increase community living options. HUD has given public housing agencies (PHAs) more than 70,000 housing choice vouchers exclusively for people with disabilities. 

The Community Integration Center at TAC (CICTAC) provides the latest information and resources on community integration, Olmstead, and related topics.  

TAC Resources on Olmstead:

• TAC maintains a comprehensive voucher database showing the PHAs in each state that administer all vouchers targeted to special needs populations.
• Olmstead at 20: Using the Vision of Olmstead to Decriminalize Mental Illness
• TAC Analysis of CMS' Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule compared with Olmstead & PSH Principles
• Olmstead & Supportive Housing: A Vision for the Future
• The Olmstead Decision & Housing: Opportunity Knocks

Other Olmstead-Related Information:

• Pursuing Justice: The Impact of the Olmstead Decision 15 Years Later Olmstead at 20: Using the Vision of Olmstead to Decriminalize Mental Illness A symposium at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (video)
• U.S. Department of Justice Olmstead Page
• DOJ Statement on Enforcement of Olmstead & the Integration Mandate in Title II of ADA
• Bazelon Center Olmstead Page
• Bazelon Center Webinar "Olmstead Integration - Utilizing Core Services" (8/29/2014)
• CMS Info Bulletin on Housing Resources to Support Olmstead Implementation

CMS Money Follows the Person (MFP) Initiative

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Money Follows the Person (MFP) Initiative has helped transition more than 90,000 people with disabilities to community living in 43 states and the District of Columbia.