Affording Accessibility Home Modifications
By Moakley, Terry; Action Magazine,Publication Date: March 24, 2006
Article describes loans and grants available to help persons with disabilities finance necessary changes to their homes. Federal programs discussed include (1) the Single Family Direct Loan Program, part of a Housing and Community Facilities Program (HCFP) administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development section, which provides mortgage loans to seniors and persons with disabilities living in rural areas who have a maximum income of 80 percent of the area median income (AMI); (2) the HCFP-administered Rural Housing Repair and Rehabilitation Grants, offering a lifetime maximum grant amount of $7,500, which must be used in conjunction with a Repair and Rehabilitation loan, to a dwelling owner/occupant 62 years old or older with an income below 50 percent of the AMI; (3) The Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which distributes funds to cities and counties where local officials decide what programs these monies will support; readers are advised to check with their city or county housing agency to determine availability of funding to eliminate architectural barriers in their apartment or home; and (4) United Spinal Association’s Residential Accessibility Modification Program (R*A*M*P), which, at the time the article was written, provided one-time grants to low income members in good standing; however, these grants are not available as of June 2009 as funding of the program came to an end.
Published by: United Spinal Association (Website:http://www.unitedspinal.org)
Link to text: http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/2006/03/24/affording-accessibility-home-modifications/
