Housing and Transportation Resource Bank

This Resource Bank includes information about how you can access housing and transportation, and the work that is being done to increase available, affordable and accessible housing and transportation in the Commonwealth of Virginia for individuals participating in the MFP Project.

PLEASE NOTE:  If you are having trouble viewing any of the documents on this page, please contact mfp@dmas.virginia.gov for more information.

Looking for an Apartment?
Search for Apartments on www.VirginiaHousingSearch.com. Landlords advertise free, and there is a detailed information on each apartment, including proximity to public transportation.

• See Flyer
• See Benefits
• See Call Center Information
• See More Information

If you are having trouble reading any of these documents, please contact mfp@dmas.virginia.gov for more information.

You can also find accessible housing at http://www.accessva.org.

Looking for Public Housing Agencies?  Go to Housing Voucher Administrators in Virginia.

Looking for Public Transportation?  Go to Locate Public Transportation in Virginia

For housing AND transportation resources, also check out:
Virginia Easy Access, a secure and confidential connection to community resources for seniors and adults with disabilities and the providers that support them:

• Housing
• Transportation

VirginiaNavigator. Click on “Find Services,” then click on “Quick Search.”  Type in “Transportation” or “Accessible Housing” as the “Topic”, put in your ZIP code, then click “Search Now”.

Breaking News!

HUD Memorandum

You can now download the August 11, 2011 Memorandum from HUD to Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Staff re: Assisting Persons with Disabilities Transitioning From Institutions from this site.

DMAS

DMAS has hired an MFP Housing Specialist, Preddy Ray, to work with state and community partners to increase housing options for individuals who participate in the MFP Program.  More information to come soon!

DMAS has received an invitation to receive technical assistance (TA) that is being offered as part of the Community Living Initiative under the MFP Demonstration. This TA will assist Virginia in coordinating community supports with housing options for individuals transitioning from institutional settings to the community. This effort is intended to create supportive, sustainable relations between housing entities and human service agencies, particularly those that support transitions. The attached letter provides details, including contact information and sources for additional information.

DBHDS is now recruiting for a Housing Specialist who will work on housing for individuals with behavioral  health and developmental disabilities.  See Position Announcement here. 

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DBHDS Report to General Assembly on Affordable & Accessible Community-Based Housing: The 2008 Virginia General Assembly directed the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to conduct a study and report on investment models and best practices for the development of affordable and accessible community-based housing for persons with intellectual and related developmental disabilities.' The results of that 2009 study are available at http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/RD3652009/$file/RD365.pdf.

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Housing Expansion Task Force for People with Disabilities: The Disability Commission Housing Work Group, the Olmstead Implementation Team Housing Group, and the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Housing Task Force Work Group have merged into a one Housing Expansion Task Force. The Task Force:

• Serves as an advisory group to the Virginia Disability Commission, including keeping the Commission apprised of current housing issues and opportunities
• Develops annual updates to the housing components of the Olmstead Community Integration Strategic Plan for submission to the Governor
• Assists in developing semi-annual reports, which describe progress in implementing the housing components of the MFP Annual Housing and Transportation Action Plan, to the Secretaries of Health and Human Resources and Commerce and Trade and DMAS

This group meets monthly from March through June and from September through November of each year. For information about the meetings, contact Preddy Ray at Preddy.ray@dmas.virginia.gov.

Housing Expansion Task Force Work Plan

Date	Agenda	Meeting Notes
August 4, 2009	Agenda	Meeting Notes
September 3, 2009	Agenda	Meeting Notes
October 1, 2009	Agenda	Meeting Notes
November 5, 2009	Agenda	Meeting Notes

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HUD "Non-Elderly" Disabilities NOFA includes MFP Vouchers

In June 2009, HUD announced a special housing voucher opportunity for non-elderly individuals with disabilities.  In October 2010, HUD awarded public housing agencies in Virginia 463 (of the nationwide total of 4,300) housing vouchers for non-elderly people with disabilities.

In January 2011, HUD awarded 1,000 vouchers specifically targeted at non-elderly people with disabilities living in institutions.  The awards were made by lottery, and although several public housing agencies in Virginia applied for the vouchers, Virginia did not receive any vouchers.  

• View 2009 Notice
• June 22, 2009 Letter to PHAs from former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan
• Former Governor Kaine's July 1, 2009 Letter to PHAs
• Former DMAS Director Patrick Finnerty Responds to HUD MFP Voucher Notice
• CMS' Overview and Comments on HUD NOFA
• CMS Reminder Regarding HUD NOFA
• Virginia Public Housing Authorities that meet one of the experience criteria included in HUD’s Draft NOFA 2009 Rental Assistance for Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities
• ACT NOW: “Discussion for MFP grantees and HUD Vouchers, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• October 2010 Press Release
• January 2011 Press Release

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Housing and Transportation Sections of MFP Protocol

MFP Operational Protocol: includes many housing and transportation resources currently available to individuals transitioning to the community under the MFP Project. You can access this section and its related appendices here:

B. 9. Housing and Transportation

• Appendix 12
• Appendix 13
• Appendix 14
• Appendix 15
• Appendix 16
• Appendix 9
• Appendix 17
• Appendix 8

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Virginia's MFP Housing and Transportation Action Plan

MFP Annual Housing and Transportation Action Plan: was developed and sent to the Secretaries of Health and Human Resources and Commerce and Trade in fall 2008. The Plan contains recommendations for increasing housing and transportation opportunities for individuals who participate in the MFP project. Progress implementing the recommendations is being tracked by the Office of Community Integration. Two major groups participated in the development of this Plan:

• The Statewide Independent Living Council and the 16 Centers for Independent Living, through Goal 2 of the 2007 Statewide Plan for Independent Living. See Appendix IV, pages 28-29 of the MFP Annual Housing and Transportation Action Plan.
   
• A Task Force comprised of housing, transportation and human services experts (Appendix 2 of the Plan), through a report adopted in September 2008. (Appendix 3 of the Plan).

• Action Plan First Semi-Annual Report: May 14, 2009
• Action Plan Second Semi-Annual Report: November 13, 2009

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Housing and Transportation Presentations

Housing and transportation presentations made to the following organizations about Virginia’s MFP project:

• CIL Housing Training, Sponsored by the Statewide Independent Living Council–November 2009
  • The Housing Game
  • HUD Section 504, Fair Housing and the ADA, Vantoria Clay, Endependence Center
  • Consolidated Planning:  HUD CPD Programs, Shea Hollifield, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Housing Choice Voucher Program, Sharon Fairburn and Diana Crosswhite, Virginia Housing Development Authority
  • Expansion of Housing for People with Disabilities, Julie Stanley, former Director, Community Integration for People with Disabilities
• November 19, 2009 Governor's Housing Conference Presentations
  • MFP
  • CILs
  • Smart Homes
• Virginia Disability Commission Presentation: October 22,2009
• Virginia Disability Commission, June 18, 2009: Centers for Independent Living: Housing Planning and Advocacy
• Virginia Association of Housing and Community Development Officials, January 2009
• Governor’s Housing Conference, November 2008
• Virginia Disability Commission, October 2008
• Council of State Community Development Agencies, September 2008
• Virginia Association of Housing and Community Development Officials, May 2008
• Statewide Independent Living Council, April 2008
• Virginia Association of Housing and Community Development Officials, February 2008
• MFP Housing and Transportation Task Force, June 2007

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Other Virginia Housing and Transportation Resources

• Housing Study Committee Meeting Presentation – April 24, 2009.
   
• Former Governor Kaine’s 2007 letter to Virginia’s public housing agencies.
   
• 2008 Cross-Governmental Strategic Community Integration Plan housing and transportation strategies.
   
  
• Virginia Livable Home Tax Credit and Virginia Livable Home Tax Credit Program Guidelines
   
• Virginia Easy Living Homes Program
   
• VHDA Accessibility Grants
   
• Virginia Disability Commission Housing Work Group
  • NOTE:  In August 2009, this group was merged with two other housing groups.  See Housing Expansion Task Force for People with Disabilities above.
     
• 2011 Biennial Assessment of the Disability Service System in Virginia, Virginia Board for People with Disabilities
   
  • Community Housing
  • Transportation
     
• Report to the General Assembly on Housing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Virginia, House Document No. 86, November 2005. To view the full report, click on “View pdf version” at the top right hand side of the page.
   
• DRPT Initiatives on Transportation Services For Older Adults, People With Disabilities and People With Lower Incomes In Virginia, May 30, 2008
   
• Update on New FTA Initiatives on Transportation Services, DRPT, June 2007
   
• Virginia GrandDriver Program
   
• NewWell Vehicle Loans
   
• Virginia Assistive Technology System
   
• Disability License Plates

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National MFP Housing Resources

• Choose, Get, Keep... Integrated Community Housing: A Supplement to ABCs of Nursing Home Transition: An Orientation Manual for New Transition Facilitators, a publication of CIL-NET National Training and Technical Assistance Program, Independent Living Research Utilization.
   
• HUD: Former Secretary Alphonso Jackson of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sent two letters about Money Follows the Person to public housing agencies across the country:
   
  • October 5, 2006
  • July 9, 2007
     
• A Medicaid Primer for Housing Officials -- A joint publication of the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy and the National Academy for State Health Policy. Published for the Community Living Exchange, and funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
   
• Developing an MFP Housing Strategy (Candace Baldwin of NCB Capital Impact and Diane Dressler of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, September 10, 2008
   
• MFP Toolbox, Rutgers Community Living Exchange (see chapter on Housing Barriers)
   
• An On-Line Guide to State and Local Housing Policy

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Other States’ MFP Projects and Related Housing Components

• Arkansas
• Kentucky
• North Carolina
• Maryland
• Ohio
• Texas

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Special Reports

• Supporting Integrated Planning and Decision Making by Joining-Up Housing and Transportation: Congressional Testimony of Robert Puentes Senior Fellow and Director, Metropolitan Infrastructure Initiative, Brookings Institution. March 19, 2009.
   
• Coordinating and Leveraging Long-Term Supports with Affordable and Accessible Housing for Persons with Disabilities: Maryland Case Study
   
• Assessing the Barriers to Community Living: Accessible Housing in a Rural State
   
• Priced Out in 2008–helps measure the gap between HUD's Fair Market Rents and the incomes of individuals who receive SSI benefits.
   
• Public Housing: Distressed Conditions in Developments for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities and Strategies Used for Improvement
   
• The Hidden Housing Crisis: Worst Case Housing Needs Among Adults with Disabilities

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Topical Housing Resources

• Universal Design, Design and Contracting Assistance
   
  • The Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State University, College of Design
  • Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access, University of Buffalo, School of Architecture
  • AARP Resources
    
  • National Association of Homebuilders (includes information on the NAHB Remodelors Council, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists (CAPS))
  • Survey Results from the 2006 Livable Lifetime ShowHouse
     
• Housing Financing
  
  
  • Housing Solutions for People with Disabilities, the Disability Opportunity Fund.
     
  • Note: Due to the recent and historic turmoil in the credit markets, many previously viable financing tools may no longer be feasible or may require substantial adjustments. The following resources were developed prior to these events, and you are advised to check with the program administrator to determine whether there have been any changes.
     
    • Funding Sources Successfully Used by States to Support Development of Integrated, Affordable, and Accessible Community Housing
    • Regional Housing Forum: A Technical Assistance Guide for Housing Resources and Strategies
    • Tennessee Creating and Expanding Housing Options that Promote Recovery Opportunities
    • Financing Community Supports in Partnership with Permanent Supportive Housing: Medicaid Combined with Other Funding Sources, Stephen Day, Technical Assistance Center, September 2008
    • HUD Title I Home Improvement Loans
    • HUD 203K Rehabilitation Loans
    • HUD Home Equity Conversion Mortgages
    • USDA Rural Development, Rural Housing Service: Section 504 Very Low-Income Rural Housing Repair and Rehabilitation Loans (and Grants if 62+)
       
• Pending Legislation
   
  • Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Trust Fund Act of 2009 (HR 1675)
     
    • Testimony of Ann O’Hara, Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force
    • Written Testimony of Mark H. Shelburne, Counsel & Policy Coordinator, North Carolina Housing Finance Agency
    • Virginia Disability Commission Letter in Support
       
  • Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2009 (HR 1205), which would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for the establishment of tax deferred accounts for the future use of family members with disabilities to promote independent living and other support needs.

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Topical Transportation Resources

• Coordinated Transportation Planning
   
  • Preparing Coordinated Transportation Plans, A Guidebook for State Departments of Transportation
     
• Accessible Community Transportation
   
  • FTA New Freedom Program
  • FTA Job Access and Reverse Commute Program
  • FTA Transportation for Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities
  • Enhancing Mobility for People: Transportation and Long-Term Care,  Mary A. Leary, Ph.D., Senior Director, Easter Seals Project ACTION, the National Center on Senior Transportation & Other Transportation Initiatives
  • Expanding Access to Transportation in south-western South Carolina, Lynnda Basham, Director, Human Services, Lower Savannah Council of Governments
  • Easter Seals Project Action
     
• Driver Education
   
  • AARP
     
• Volunteer Drivers
  
  
  • Volunteer Drivers Guide: A Guide to Best Practices:  http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/transit/training/vdg/default.htm
    This guide will assist organizations that provide passenger transportation services to persons with special transportation needs, with developing and maintaining volunteer driver programs. The guide is a tool kit that provides the framework for developing and maintaining volunteer driver programs. From the Washington State Department of Transportation.
    
    
  • Getting There Safely:  Insurance & Liability Information: http://www.cts.umn.edu/ct/publications/documents/2008-GettingThereSafely.pdf
    Brochure from the Minnesota Board on Aging, Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and Office of Transit, Department of Transportation.
    
    
  • Public Risk Entity Institute: http://www.riskinstitute.org/peri/
    PERI is a nonprofit research institute that develops risk management education and training resources for local governments, school districts, small businesses, nonprofits and others.

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