Affordable Housing for people with Disabilities

Affordable Homeownership Foundation just was approved for two grants to build the third house and we should be able to start construction in February of 2020. As fast as we can build these Single Room Occupany Dwellings (SRO's) they are rented in advance because as we have stated previously the average person on Social Security Disability makes $770 per month and the average rent starts at $1000 in our area, Several other non-profits have requested copies of our plans and we have given them to them so that they may build some of these houses.

From the outside these homes look just like a regular home so there is no NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) as most of the population think affordable housing means slum housing, which the opposite is true with these homes. It allows the average person who is disabled or a senior, Veteran or a youth that has aged out of the Foster Care System to live within their means, so the rent is no more than 30% of their income. If they are disabled we also have partnered with our local housing authority to provide "Mainstream Vouchers" to those that qualify thus reducing their rent even further.

We are looking forward to making this housing a reality on most vacant lots that we can aquire so that everyone has a beautiful safe place to live.

• New Floor plan Revised for Lot size (PDF)
  

So two houses have been completed and are completely occupied, and we have just drawn up plans for one more house ( the plans had to be redesigned to fit on a different size lot) with the hopes of being able to build 5 more next year (we could build 40 of these a year and it would not be enough). The units rent for 30% of the client's income which with individuals that are disabled and seniors in most cases that is very little and includes utilities. For example the average person that is very low income and is disabled does not make more than $771 per month, the average rents in our area and in most ofthe country starts at $1000 for a 1 bedroom apartment. Given those two figures what do you think happens to most of these individuals? They become homeless, and the avaerage life span of a person living on the streets, especially disabled and or a senior is six months or less.

This housing is not just necessary but it is an emergency, just looking at the number of individuals that are disabled in and the rising costs of rents would make you understand the urgency. We appreciate anything you can do to help us with this cause, for most clients it can be the difference between life and death. Thank you for your support.

• These are the new plans (PDF)
  

It has been a long two years but finally two of the houses for individuals with disabilities are completed with more to be built. The average amount of income for an individaul with disabilities is $771 per month, and the average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment is $1000 leaving most people with disabilities homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

When we first started these projects we had a waiting list of over 50 individuals (and only 4 openings for housing) so when we knew we were going to build we signed a MOU with the housing authority for "Mainstream Vouchers" what that means in layman's terms is we could reduced the rent for each individual by hundreds of dollars if we signed up everyone on the waiting list  so even if we could not house them they could be housed. That coupled with  the reduced rent price for the four lucky individuals ment their rent would only be below $200 per individual thus alllowingthem to be able to live.

Once the homes were completed (these two, we plan to build at least 3 more this year, maybe more) the disabled individulas moved in and are enjoyin their new homes. What most people don't understand is these individuals have nothing, no bed, no furniture, no sheets, no pillows, no blankets, nothing that a "normal" person would have because they have been just barely surviving. So once housed we provide all of these items for the clients so that they can stop just surviving and start to try and enjoy their lives. 

With these two houses finished (they look like a regular single family house) we now can start building more of these and help save more lives, so every donation helps so thank you for all of your help it is appreciated.

Two of our Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Homes are almost finished! Our target dates for moving clients in is April 1st and April 5th. The homes have rooms that have 700 Sq ft under air for each occupant and each room contains it's own bedroom bathroom and kitchenette built in, so 4 tiny homes build in to one!

Each unit is built with Universal Design for individuals with disabilities with grab bars in the showers and by the toilets. We have chosen the clients from a waiting list so most of our clients were previously homeless or at risk for becoming homeless and are 30-50% of AMI (Area Median Income). The great part about this housing at each resident can't pay more than 30% of their income for this housing and that includes utilities.

We are excited that these units are almost complete and can't wait for the tenants to move into their new homes!

Every day individuals on a limited income are faced with increased rents and having to make a decision between food and having a place to live. The Single Room Occupancy Homes that we are currently building for Individuals with disabilities, seniors and Veterans have a bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette all combined into one unit with a shared common area. The average rent for  Individuals with disabilities, seniors and Veterans is between $350-$500 depending on income and that includes all utilities. This can make the difference on whether or not they live on the streets or are housed.

The avaerage person on Social Security disability makes between $600- $1,300 on avaerage and with rents starting at $1000 in most cities (and in our area) for a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment you can see where that would cause these individuals to become homeless. As a HUD approved Housing Counseling Agency we see individuals daily that are faced with this challenge so we decided that we had to do something to change the dianamic by creating affordable rental housing that would allow people that are considered very low and low income to have a safe affordable place to live.

The money donated to this cause will help to build these units and other affordable housing units, changing lives one at a time. THank you for your help and consideration.