Housing for people with disabilities: vouchers and apartments

Finding housing for people with disabilities usually means applying on two tracks at once. Apply for regular affordable housing, where many buildings save apartments with mobility, hearing or vision features. Also apply for housing only people with disabilities can get, such as Section 811 apartments and Mainstream vouchers, which pay part of your rent.

A Mainstream voucher works like a Section 8 voucher, which means the housing office pays part of the rent on an apartment you find yourself.

What housing programs exist for people with disabilities?

Some kinds of housing are open to everyone and give people with disabilities priority. Others are only for people with disabilities, such as Section 811 apartment buildings and group homes.

To see whether your income is under the Section 8 income limit, read our guide to Section 8 income limits.

What is Section 811?

Section 811 is a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the federal housing department. It pays for apartments with support services for adults with disabilities who have very low or extremely low incomes, HUD says. It works in two ways.

Lower rents in regular buildings. HUD gives money to state housing agencies, which work with their state's health and Medicaid agencies. Medicaid is government health coverage for people with low incomes. The money lowers the rent on some apartments in buildings paid for by other programs, such as tax-credit apartments, which get a federal tax break for lower rents. The lower rent is for that apartment only, so if you move out, you lose it.

To live in one, a household must have an extremely low income, at or under 30% of the area median income, says HUD Exchange. At least one adult must have a disability and qualify for ongoing support at home, such as help with daily tasks, paid for by Medicaid or a state program. The Section 811 law covers adults aged 18 to 61. Your state housing agency, not HUD, tells you how to apply.

Buildings built for people with disabilities. HUD also paid nonprofit groups to build apartment buildings for very low income adults with disabilities. These are mostly older buildings, and you apply at each building's office. You pay about 30% of your income in rent, under the Section 811 law. You can't be required to accept support services to live there, HUD says. Our building directory lists 5,269 Section 811 buildings, and our guide to Section 811 supportive housing shows how to apply.

How many accessible apartments are required?

HUD's rule on accessible housing sets a minimum for new buildings paid for with HUD money:

• At least 5% of the apartments, and never fewer than one, must be accessible for people who use wheelchairs or have other mobility needs.
• Another 2%, and never fewer than one, must be accessible for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision.

HUD can require more where there is a need. New York City uses the same 5% and 2% shares in buildings funded by its Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) or its Housing Development Corporation (HDC). Tenants there can ask for extra features, such as talking appliances or alarms that flash, when they move in, HPD says.

Can a housing office give a preference for disability?

Yes. A preference is a rule that moves some households up a waitlist. Federal Section 8 rules let a housing office give a preference to households that include a person with a disability. It can't give a preference for one kind of disability over another. A housing office may also put single people with disabilities ahead of other single people.

Many housing offices with Mainstream vouchers give them first to people with disabilities who are homeless or at risk of it, says HUD's guide to Mainstream vouchers. Many also put first people leaving a nursing home or other institution. When you call a housing office, ask: "Do you give a preference for people with disabilities, and do you have Mainstream vouchers? How do I apply for each?" To see which housing office lists are taking names today, check our waitlists page.

How does priority for accessible apartments work?

Buildings usually offer an accessible apartment first to a household that needs its features. The rules for one San Francisco building, 1303 Larkin Street, work this way. If no household that needs the features applies, someone else can rent the apartment, but must agree to move to a similar apartment without those features when one comes free. Every lottery on San Francisco's DAHLIA housing portal shows how many apartments are built for mobility or for hearing and vision needs.

Asking for an accessible apartment doesn't shut you out of the rest. In New York City, a household with a member who has a mobility, vision or hearing disability is considered for the accessible apartments, the housing agency says. It is also considered for any other apartment in the building it qualifies for.

How do you ask for an accommodation?

A reasonable accommodation is a change to a rule, policy or service that lets a person with a disability use their home as fully as anyone else. Examples are a parking space near your entrance or letters in large print. Tell the housing office, building or landlord what you need, in writing, and keep a copy. A service animal is not a pet, HUD says, so there is no pet fee or deposit for one.

Don't assume you have to prove everything up front. New York City's housing agency doesn't ask for medical records, but for an accessible apartment it wants a statement from a medical professional. Ask each office: "What do you need from me to show that I need this?"

Where can you look for accessible housing?

Los Angeles lists accessible apartments on Access Housing LA, the city housing department's site. San Francisco's lotteries and many New York City listings name the apartments built for mobility, hearing or vision needs. Not every accessible apartment is labeled, so when you apply, ask the building's office which of its apartments are accessible.

To see which listings fit your household, use our qualify check. You can also browse San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City and all listings. If you are 62 or older, our guide to low-income senior housing covers buildings for older adults.