# Presentation: 303011

## VCIL’s Home Access Program: 

- A Vermont Partnership
- Presentation for the Housing Symposium
- Universal Design and Access Modifications
- June 30, 2004

- Deborah Lisi-Baker, Executive Director
- Vermont Center for Independent Living

## “Mr. and Mrs. Cummings’ needs have already extended the thinking of architects who originally could not conceive of putting windows at wheelchair eye level. The architect did not want to sacrifice the ‘aesthetic design.’ Mr. And Mrs. Cummings did not want to either; but they did want to be able to see out of the window.”

- (1978 Project Outreach, a statewide survey of Vermonters that led to the creation of the Vermont Center for Independent Living)

## The Vermont Center for Independent Living is a statewide disability rights and services organization founded by Vermonters with disabilities in 1979. We define disability as a social issue. Our goal is to promote dignity, independence, and civil rights for all Vermonters with disabilities. 

- Our core services include statewide toll-free information services, individual and group peer advocacy services, a Youth Leadership Forum, educational workshops on disability and independent living issues, and state and national policy for disability rights and services.
- We also operate direct service programs that fund home modifications, assistive technology, and other services that promote independence.

## VCIL has 32 staff and a budget of about $2,000,000 a year. About 1/3 of our funding is used for specific assistance such as ramps and bathrooms, kitchen adaptation, adaptive communication aids, and Meals on Wheels for people under 60. 

- Our Home and Community Access Program staff includes the program manager, Sarah Wendell; a funding specialist, Kim McCarty; and administrative assistant, Joyce Werntgen. Jim Ross is our access consultant, and we have a network of builders & contractors we work with throughout Vermont.
- The program also oversees our community access training project and our Access Expo and helps staff the Vermont ADA Coalition.

##  1982 -2004

- 	VCIL began providing housing information services and entry and bathroom modifications about nineteen years ago through a partnership with Vermont Samaritans (VSAM), an ecumenical social justice organization founded by the United Church of Christ. Their belief in our work and early financial support was instrumental in helping us start this program.
- 	Later the Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund** **took over VSAM’s role. Their ongoing commitment has been key to the growth and development of this program. About four years ago the Vermont Department of Aging and Disabilities began funding our Home Access services through Act 160, Vermont’s “shift the balance” funding which uses Medicaid nursing home savings to pay for services for home and community-based services.

## Key partners today include the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, the Vermont Legislature, the Department of Aging and Disabilities, and a network of nonprofit housing and service organizations throughout the state. Two regional United Ways and a Vermont bank also sponsor Home Access Program (HAP) activities.

## Due to high demand and funding limitations HAP has focused on entrances and bathrooms and related structural work. VCIL’s Sue William Freedom Fund helps pay for kitchen adaptations and home adaptations that support independence. 

- Our AmeriCorp partnership with VHCB Stewardship Program supports a training and service Program in two Vermont schools. Children help staining and building ramps and VCIL oversees projects and provides  disability awareness program in participating schools.

## HAP’s Core Services and Strategies

- Individualized information, peer support, and technical assistance for individuals with disabilities for both design and funding
- Stable partnerships with policy makers, housing programs, and funders
- Highly respected staff and access consultant with significant expertise in ADA, Fair Housing and state access laws.

## Building Capacity Through Partnership

- In 2003, VCIL sponsored the first Universal Design Conferences educate contractors and venders, architects, realtors, local  planners, and state policy makers on independent living principles and accessibility law and practices. Other partners include Fannie Mae Foundation, VT. Housing Finance Agency, Adaptive Environments,  and AARP.

## Paying for Home Accessibility

**State Funding for staff, access consultants and direct services**: from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund, the Department of Aging and Disabilities, Community Development Block Grants, two United Way organizations, and individual and business donations for actual building costs (contractor costs and building materials for eligible Vermonters). Total funding for specific assistance is about $350,000 in FY 2004.
**Leveraging assistance from other sources**: VCIL’s (new) funding specialist helps individuals and families leverage additional funding and services from municipalities, long term care financing programs, the VA, and lending organizations.  Since 2002 Kim McCarty has leveraged an additional $150,000 to help pay for individual projects.

## Paying for Home Accessibility, continued:

- VCIL now receives  $300,000 from VHCB (funded from the state’s property transfer tax) as well as $20,000 in HUD Home Funds from VHCB to help nonprofit developers with accessibility costs.
- To be eligible for building funds from HAP, applicants must have an income at or below 80% the HUD median income. Most HAP applicants require grants rather than loans; but many are unaware of programs and services they are eligible for. Funding Specialists and other VCIL staff help them identify other services/sources of funding.

## Challenge: Disability as “Special Interest”

- When we started this work in the early1980’s, housing developers, low income advocacy groups, and state housing organization saw disability as a “special interest” constituency competing for Vermont’s limited housing funds.
- We built a long term partnership with the Low Income Advocacy Council, the Affordable Housing Coalition, the Vermont Housing Council, and VHCB to develop a shared belief in the importance of the Home Access Program and other accessibility initiatives.
- Ongoing involvement in development and changes to the state’s Consolidated Plan for Housing and Economic Development has helped shift public policy toward accessibility.

## Challenge:  Need Far Exceeds Resources

- The program started in early 80’s with $65,000 grant from Vermont Samaritans and has grown to have a budget of about $450,000 and is able to leverage another $100,000 or more in match from other sources. Average project cost is $7,500.
- Despite this success the program waiting list runs between two and three years. The HAP Sustainability Study noted that the program would need a budget of $2,000,000 a year to meet projected demand.
- VCIL is exploring other ways to access state and federal funds, mortgage and loan services for Vermonters at different income levels. We also help Vermonters leverage home ownership loans and AT funding from the USDA and the Vermont Development Credit Union.

## Challenge: Program has been dependent on “one time” legislative and special project funds.

- From the beginning VSAM and VCIL treated program development as a social justice and public policy initiative rather than a special project for the disabled and began identifying and gaining new partners and funding sponsors.
- VCIL worked with legislators to craft language for the state appropriations bill that would expand state use of CDBG funds for accessibility in housing and economic development projects.
- The HAP Sustainability Study called for by the legislature also allowed us to frame the public policy, financing, and demographic issues driving the need for an inclusive “life span” approach to home accessibility.

## Challenges: Statewide Strategies

- Funding levels must be stable to retain skilled staff and consultants: Most of our contractors are small business owners who will take other jobs if we are not able to offer regular work during the Vermont’s short building season.
- Old housing stock means that the costs of renovations are higher. We are expanding our use of temporary and portable ramps and related devices and promoting planning for accessible entrances, adaptability and universal design in new housing.
- Partnerships with municipalities and housing developers for CDBG funding and other projects are time intensive. As a statewide organization we cannot be a direct applicant for these funds.

## Challenge: “My neighbor built my ramp but I can’t seem to get up it.” or “My accessible bathroom just fell into the cellar.”

**Do It Right**! It is important to have some procedures to ensure that the design and construction of home modifications is accessible, architecturally sound, and usable. We have experienced staff and access consultants review and approve every project.
- For usable design, listen to and observe individuals in action in their own homes. Ask them about their lifestyle. Home modifications do not have to meet state  and federal standards for public buildings but they have to be safe and usable by the individual or family they were designed for.

## We have a very experienced access consultant, Jim Ross, who oversees each project and signs off on all plans before they are funded. In addition, especially with new contractors, follow-up calls, project evaluation with the individual or family, and site visits are done to ensure that the construction follows the approved design.

## Challenge: Sponsors would rather pay for ramps than staff and operating costs.

- United Way and other small but essential partners were able to see their funds targeted for services in their communities.
- Sponsors begin to value investment in staff and operations when you can document the impact and accomplishments achieved by funding staff and operating costs: dollars leveraged, local families served, money that goes back to targeted  areas of the state, benefits of faithbased, housing and school partnerships to Vermont.

**Challenge:** Sponsors would rather pay for ramps than staff and operating costs.

## Challenge: “We built it and nobody came.” or “I can get around in my house but I can’t get anywhere else.”

- Don’t forget– and don’t let home seekers, planners, housing developers, and policy makers forget– that housing, transportation and economic development are intrinsically linked and must be built into any effective planning for independence, employment, and community participation.
- Key vehicles and partners for getting the message across: local planning commissions, transit planning organizations and sessions, hearings and advisory meetings on State Consolidated Plan for Housing and Economic Development, etc., disability, senior and low income advocacy groups.

## Challenge: Providers referring individuals to HAP for funding that they  are entitled through through waivers, VA programs,  and other disability services.

- Two years ago part of the funding VCIL received from the Department of Aging and Disabilities was used to pay for a funding specialist. This position is now part of our ongoing operating budget sponsored by VHCB. Started as a half time position and now at 75% FTE.
- We also worked with the state to build HAP into approved Medicaid waiver  benefits and we do individual and systems advocacy when a funding source resists paying for covered services.

## Funding and Policy Goal: 

**Funding and Policy Goal:**
- Shifting public policy and financing away from “special needs housing and toward “life span” planning and accessible communities...from segregated projects to adaptability, visitability, and universal design.

## Both the HAP Sustainability Study and a recent demographic analysis (including future projections) by the Vermont Department of Aging and Disabilities has helped point out the need for sustainable development of accessible housing and community design. 

- We were able to gain reform of VT’s CBDG program to include an accessibility fund to help towns and regional consortiums (housing developers and municipal partners pay for home accessibility modifications in their municipality or region.) This lessened the tension between general housing development and the commitment to accessibility.

## “Nothing About Us, Without Us.”

- In addition, VCIL is a mandated member of the Vermont Access Board which oversees requests for variances and monitors implementation of VT access laws. We also serve on the committee which oversees the Consolidated Plan for Housing and Economic Development, the Olmstead Commission, the Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, and the Vermont Transit Advisory Committee.

*“**Nothing About Us, Without Us.”*

## In closing, some thoughts to summarize what we have learned over the years. The first is that you can’t do it alone. At the same time, they can’t do it without you. Supportive funding sponsors, contractors, and policy makers have been key to our success, but without an organization committed to and experienced in independent living programs and practices it is difficult to get it right and to build the needed momentum for change. 

- I want to end where we started: with the voices of our peers whose experiences, insights and needs have built this program and kept us mission centered. They have continued to show us the power the voices and experiences of individuals have to reshape a community and change society.

## “This [Home Accessibility]is an amazing tool for a child to gain independence.  People often don’t understand what it is like to raise a child with a disability. We could not afford to make our house accessible for our child. We were not looking for a hand out through these programs, just help so Danielle could gain more independence.  I wonder what would have happened to Danielle if programs like Home Access and others at VCIL had not been there to teach how to advocate, and advocate for us. Years ago Danielle may have ended up in an institution- that would have been tragic.” 

- 				**Parent, Swanton, Vt.**

## “We may be disabled but because of this program we can become enabled once again.  We are able to be productive, and do things for ourselves with less help from our loved ones, whose lives are also affected...Accidents happen in split seconds.  This assistance program should be one on the top of every politician’s list..” 

- “We may be disabled but because of this program we can become enabled once again.  We are able to be productive, and do things for ourselves with less help from our loved ones, whose lives are also affected...Accidents happen in split seconds.  This assistance program should be one on the top of every politician’s list..”
- 	Participant**, Hyde Park**

## For More Information about VCIL’s work in home and community accessibility and universal design, contact:

- Sarah Wendell, Manger
- Home and Community Access Program
- The Vermont Center for Independent Living,
- 11 East State Street, Montpelier, VT. 05602
- 1-800-639-1522		www.vcil.org