Why We are Here

The Fair Housing Amendments of 1988 provide protections from housing discrimination for people with disabilities. However, few jurisdictions enforce these laws. As a result, required accessibility features in rental housing continue to be overlooked. Moreover, individuals with disabilities are often denied the right to make needed modifications to their homes. Finally, public and private housing policies and procedures often segregate people with disabilities and violate their right to live in housing complexes available to citizens without disabilities.

Without a coordinated community effort, people with disabilities will have no choice but to find shelter in nursing homes, institutions, jails, shelters or the streets.

Northern Virginians with disabilities face many barriers to finding and staying in housing. The primary culprits are low incomes, the lack of affordable, accessible housing, and discrimination.

Although many adults with disabilities want to work, only 32% hold full-time jobs. Moreover, thousands of Northern Virginians with disabilities are on waiting lists for housing subsidies. In a high cost area such as Northern Virginia, many people with disabilities are completely ‘priced out’ of the housing market and do not know where to turn.

Picture of man in scooter opening a file cabinet.