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Low-Income Elderly, Disabled Get $710 Million HUD
Housing Help
Jan. 6, 2006 - It will soon be easier for thousands
of senior citizens and people with disabilities to find affordable
housing, thanks to more than $710 million in housing assistance
announced today by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso
Jackson. These grants, he said, will help the nation's very low-income
elderly and people with disabilities find decent, safe housing that they
can afford.
"Our senior citizens have given us so much, and
Americans with disabilities make remarkable contributions to our society
every day. Neither group should ever have to worry about being able to
afford a decent place to live," said Jackson. "The grants we are
announcing today will go a long way toward achieving that goal."
Section 202 Grants ($574.8 million to assist
very low-income elderly)
HUD's Section 202 grants program helps expand the
supply of affordable housing with supportive services for the elderly.
It provides very low-income elderly with options that allow them to live
independently but in an environment that provides support activities
such as cleaning, cooking, and transportation.
In addition to funding the construction and
rehabilitation of projects to create apartments, HUD Section 202 grants
will subsidize rents for five years so that residents will pay only 30
percent of their adjusted incomes as rent.
To be eligible for the assistance a household must
be classified as "very low- income," which means an income less than 50
percent of the area median. Nationally, based on 50 percent of the
national median family income with an applicable adjustment for
household size, a one-person household would need to have an income
equal to or less than $20,300 a year.
HUD provides two forms of Section 202 funds to
non-profit groups:
Capital advances. This money covers the cost
of developing the housing. It does not need to be repaid if the housing
is available for occupancy by very low-income seniors for at least 40
years.
Project rental assistance. This money covers
the difference between the resident's contribution toward rent and the
cost of operating the project.
Section 811 Grants ($135.8 million to assist
very low-income people with disabilities)
This housing, most of which will be newly
constructed, typically is small apartment buildings, group homes for
three to four people per home, or condominium units. Residents will pay
30 percent of their adjusted income for rent and the federal government
will pay the rest.
The grants are awarded under HUD's Section 811
program, which provides housing for households with one or more very
low-income individuals, at least one of whom is at least 18 years old
and has a disability, such as a physical or developmental disability or
chronic mental illness.
The term "person with disabilities" also includes
two or more people with disabilities living together, and one or more
persons with disabilities living with one or more live-in attendants.
The program allows persons with disabilities to live independently in
their communities by increasing the supply of rental housing with the
availability of supportive services.
To be classified as "very low-income," a household
income cannot exceed 50 percent of the area median income. However, most
households that receive Section 811 assistance have an income less than
30 percent of the area median. Generally, this means that a one-person
household will have an annual income of about $12,180.
HUD provides the Section 811 funds to non-profits
in two forms:
Capital advances. This is money that covers
the cost of developing the housing. It does not need to be repaid as
long as the housing is available for at least 40 years for occupancy by
very low-income people with disabilities.
Project rental assistance. This is money
that goes to each non-profit group to cover the difference between the
residents' contributions toward rent and the cost of operating the
project.
HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to
increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating
affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and
supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people
living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community
development as well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More
information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at
www.hud.gov
and www.espanol.hud.gov.
Detailed state-by-state breakdown of individual
grant summaries is available in pdf –
click here
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