How The Young Decision Affects Accessible Public Housing In D.C.
You must get on the public housing &/or section 8 housing list maintained by dc housing authority in order to get public housing in D.C. to do so,
Complete an application and submit it to:
DC Housing Authority
1133 N. Capitol St. NE
Washington, Dc 20002
Get a receipt from DCHA for your application (in person or mail)
Stay in touch with the housing authority by giving your current address and responding to all mailings. You can also call the housing authority periodically to check on the status of your application: 202-535-1706.
Background of Lawsuit:
In March 2001, University Legal Services (ULS-P&A) filed a class action lawsuit against the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) on behalf of Capital Area ADAPT and all disabled people with mobility impairments (including people who must use wheelchairs or other equipment to move around) who are eligible for accessible public housing.
The case was amended to add people with visual impairments (such as blindness) who need assistance in the Section 8 Program (for discounted rents in private buildings). If you qualify for DC public housing and need accessible housing, you are automatically covered by this court order.
Summary of Settlement/Court Order:
In March 2002, the DC Housing Authority signed a Consent Order which requires the Housing Authority to:
Renovate or build 565 PUBLIC HOUSING units that meet the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards ("UFAS") as follows:
108 units each year for three years (324 units to be completed by 12/31/04);
106 new units to be completed by 5/31/05, and
135 new units to be completed by 12/31/07
Offer, in the following order of priority, based on availability to each applicant with a mobility impairment who reaches the top of the waiting list and qualifies for the public housing selection pool:
a UFAS Accessible public housing unit, or
a partially accessible public housing unit, with accessible features that meet the applicant's needs or
a public housing unit on an accessible route that DCHA will modify to meet the applicant's needs, and assign priority status to ensure that modifications are completed within a reasonable period of time.
For people with disabilities who reach the top of the Section 8 waiting list, Section 8 housing vouchers will be valid for 120 days and extension(s) of 60 days will be allowed if people with mobility or visual impairments show that they are unable to find available, accessible housing;
Process Section 8 applicants as eligible for the homelessness preference if they live in nursing homes and verify that they do not have homes to return to;
Develop a list of available wheelchair accessible Section 8 housing apartments and distribute it to mobility impaired people when they get their Section 8 Vouchers;
Offer search assistance to people with visual and mobility impairments who need help in locating suitable Section 8 housing;
Ask the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for permission to raise the value of Section 8 Vouchers to 120% of Fair Market Rent (FMR) to encourage private landlords to make housing accessible and available to people with mobility impairments.
For more information, please contact: Marjorie Rifkin, Esq., University Legal Services - P&A, 220 I St NE #130, Washington, DC 20002 (202) 547-0198 ext.112 email: mrifkin@uls-dc.com
