The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to implement HUD’s supportive housing for persons with disabilities (Section 811 program) enacted in 2011. The new rule would require that housing funded under Section 811 offer service coordination in order to assist residents with disabilities in obtaining “supportive services.” The rule specifies that participation is voluntary and is not a precondition for living in HUD-funded housing. Each resident will be permitted to choose and acquire their own services or choose to not receive any services at all. These supportive services may include health-related and mental health services, case management, and assistance with activities of daily living, and can be provided through any source, including Medicaid-funded home and community-based services (HCBS) programs.
As a result, these supportive housing placements will help connect individuals with disabilities with the health care and independent living services that they need in order to live and seek employment in the community.
However, because supportive services are initially defined in a section that focuses on elderly individuals, the proposed rule does not clarify whether individuals with disabilities in supportive housing will be eligible to receive supported employment services as part of the range of supportive services associated with their placements. By increasing access to economic stability and community integration, supported employment may further HUD’s goal of helping individuals with disabilities remain in the community and avoid institutionalization.
Stakeholders, including people with disabilities and other advocates, are encouraged to submit comments by December 8, 2014. Read the full Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/10/07/2014-23276/supportiv...