Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

'We Shouldn't Have To Live Like This'

Excerpt from: NPR (click for full article)

 

Dennis Culhane, social policy professor at the University of Pennsylvania, says individuals like Hearne are increasingly common.

"We're looking at a group of people who are sort of prematurely reaching old age," says Culhane, who's done extensive research on demographics and homelessness.

He says the growth in the aging homeless population is due largely to one group — younger baby boomers — those born between 1955 and 1965. He notes that they came of age in the late '70s and '80s, amid back-to-back recessions and a crack cocaine epidemic. Culhane says individuals in this age group are almost twice as likely as those in other age groups to be homeless.

"These are folks who have been living on the margins, in and out of jail, in and out of shelters, in and out of treatment programs for the last thirty, thirty five years," he says.

Culhane says people are just coming to grips with what that means. A few communities have started to build special housing for the elderly homeless. Baltimore and other cities are also trying to get those most likely to die on the streets into permanent supportive housing. But funds are limited.

Female Veterans Are Fastest Growing Segment of Homeless Population

Excerpt from: Colorlines (click for full article)

 

The Defense Department has found that about one in three military women has been sexually assaulted, a rate twice as high as that among civilians. Follow up studies have also found men and women who have faced sexual trauma in the military are now the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, with black females disproportionately affected.

HUD AND HHS PARTNER TO PROVIDE PERMANENT HOUSING AND SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Excerpt from: HUD.gov (click for full article)

 

To prevent thousands of people with disabilities from experiencing homelessness or unnecessary institutionalization, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced nearly $98 million in funding for 13 state housing agencies for rental assistance to extremely low-income persons with disabilities, many of whom are transitioning out of institutional settings or are at high risk of homelessness.

HUD’s support of these state agencies is made possible through the Section 811 Project Rental Assistance Demonstration Program (PRA Demo) which enables persons with disabilities who earn less than 30 percent of median income to live in integrated mainstream settings.  The state housing agencies are working closely with their state Medicaid and Health and Human Service counterparts to identify, refer, and conduct outreach to persons with disabilities who require long-term services and supports to live independently.

Illinois receives affordable housing grant for those with disabilities

Excerpt from: WREX (click for full article)

 

Low-income Illinoisans with disabilities could get help finding affordable housing in the community of their choice.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a $11.98 million grant to make 825 apartments more affordable for those with special needs and low income. The plan is a part of the state's move toward a community-based care model for individuals with disabilities.

HUD awarded the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) the third-largest grant in the country. With the money, the IDHA will give rental subsidies to eligible property owners through one or more application rounds. Each subsidy awarded will then get an initial term of five years with the opportunity for renewals up to 20 years. Potential tenants will be linked to participating property owners through the State Referral Network.

Potential tenants must be have extremely low income to qualify. Qualifying tenants can make up to 30 percent of the median income for their area. For example, 30 percent of the median income in the Chicago area would be $15,480.

The IDHA will begin accepting program applications later this year. At that time, more information will be available at www.ihda.org.

Health Matters aims to end barriers to care for affected New Yorkers with disabilities

Excerpt from: Media dis&dat (click for full article)

 

Bailey House, which has served low-income homeless and unstably housed men, women and families living with and affected by HIV/AIDS since 1983 and The Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY (CIDNY), a leading advocate for people with disabilities that has worked for over 30 years to remove physical and social barriers and to ensure that people with disabilities have the tools they need to live independently, provide for financial needs, and enjoy equal opportunities, announce a strategic alliance to improve the health outcomes of low-income men and women living with all types of disabilities – physical, sensory, cognitive, developmental and psychiatric. 

The two agencies are launching this initiative, Health Matters - which combines their expertise in housing, case management, health coverage navigation, entitlement advocacy and legal advocacy - to end barriers to care for affected New Yorkers with disabilities.

Goals of the alliance include ending barriers to health care for disabled New Yorkers who are often forced to use costly emergency and acute care because they are unable to easily access primary care or mental health services in their communities. Three key factors that increase emergency department care by adults with disabilities include lack of access to care and prescription medications, the complexity of individuals’ health profiles, and disability status itself.

Non-Discrimination in Federally Assisted and Conducted Programs (On the Basis of Disability)

Excerpt from: Benefits.gov (click for full article)

 

Program Description

The program is designed to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance.

General Program Requirements

In order to qualify for this benefit program, you must claim that you have been denied housing or financial assistance due to discrimination.

Your Next Steps

The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.

Application Process

To file a complaint, go to:
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices...

Program Contact Information

Milton Turner
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th St., SW
Room 5240
Washington, DC 20410
Telephone: 202-708-2333, ext. 7057 [email protected]

Web Site Address: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/disabilities/sect504.cfm

Non-Discrimination in Federally-Assisted Programs (On the Basis of Age)

Excerpt from: Benefits.gov (click for full article)

 

Program Description

The program is designed to prohibit discrimination on the basis of age in programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance.

General Program Requirements

In order to qualify for this benefit program, you must claim that you have been denied housing or financial assistance due to discrimination.

Your Next Steps

The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.

Application Process

To file a complaint, go to:
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices...

Program Contact Information

Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th St., SW
Room 5240
Washington, DC 20410
Telephone: 202-708-2333, ext. 7057

Visit our website at: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/progdesc/title8.cfm

The R-Word and Why It Matters: The Case of Jenny Hatch

Excerpt from: Disability and Representation: Changing the Cultural Conversation (click for full post)

 

The Internet was ablaze with outrage two weeks ago when Ann Coulter saw fit to call the President of the United States a retard, and when, in an interview with Piers Morgan, she dismissed the concerns of disabled people, our loved ones and, well, anyone with any moral awareness at all by suggesting that retard is just another word for loser. When Mr. Morgan countered that using the word as a pejorative implies that disabled people are less than worthy, Ms. Coulter argued shamelessly that no one calls disabled people retards anymore.

How this woman has a public platform anywhere outside of a soapbox in a public park is beyond me.

I’m sick of Ann Coulter. You’re sick of Ann Coulter. The only person who isn’t sick of Ann Coulter is probably Ann Coulter. So I can understand it when people say we shouldn’t keep talking about Ann Coulter’s use of the R-word, because it just gives her the attention she craves. I can understand the impulse to ignore her, believe me, but it’s not going to solve the problem. Hate speech is hate speech, and it has power. Ignoring Ann Coulter may starve her of attention, but it’s not going to starve the word of its power. It’s not going to stop hate speech from wreaking its havoc.

Let’s see what happens when the word retard becomes synonymous with the word loser. Let’s see just how much people lose.

 

 

In Sandy’s Wake, Impact On Those With Disabilities Unclear

Excerpt from: Disability Scoop (click for full article)

 

As communities up and down the East Coast deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, several disability advocacy groups are stepping up to help those affected.

National organizations including The Arc, Autism Speaks and the Autism Society are reaching out to families of those with developmental disabilities to help them access assistance and in some cases offering financial support.

As of Friday, officials at Autism Speaks said they had heard from about 120 families and had added an extra staff member to handle the volume of requests.

“I believe that we are just scratching the surface so far,” said Lisa Goring, the organization’s vice president of family services.

The task has been difficult, with widespread power outages affecting communication and forcing local offices of many disability organizations in the affected region to close. As a result, the full impact of the storm on people with disabilities is unlikely to be known for some time, advocates say.

The National Disability Rights Network has an ongoing relationship with the Red Cross and federal agencies to ensure support for those with special needs in disasters.

Program gives direction to people with disabilities

Excerpt from : KETV7 ABC Omaha (click for full article)  Video included

 

When you have a job, you have a place to be and a reason to get up in the morning. That’s especially true for people with disabilities.

“I got lucky when I got this job,” said Hal Perry, who works as part of a lawn crew with the Ability One program through Goodwill Industries.

Perry works quickly and efficiently, edging the lawn as his partner mows the grass.

Each has a diagnosed disability, Perry struggling with bipolar disorder his entire life. He’s been sober for 23 years.

“I get real stressed out. It’s hard to live everyday life. I've just got to hang in there every day,” said Perry.

Hal said he simply feels blessed that he’s not homeless. He receives disability support payments and started working for Goodwill, part-time, two years ago. His supervisor said Hal’s job and the support he gets there is his lifeline.

“When they’re here, they’re smiling. They’re here early every day. I don’t know how you’re going to find that with most lawn crews out there. They’d say, ‘I wish I had these guys,’” said Kevin Brown, who supervises the seven-man crew maintaining the grounds at Omaha’s Veteran’s Administration Hospital.

Brown said it’s important that people with cognitive disabilities have a routine and a purpose in life.  He sees each team member grow the longer they’re on the job.

“Hal has really opened up and his personality has bloomed,” said Jennifer Croudy, Ability One coordinator.

Goodwill employs about 100 workers at local job sites through the program, which is federally funded.