COVID-19 Stimulates 

New Housing and Services 

Partnerships for People 

with Disabilities and 

Older Adults 
COVID-19 Stimulates New Housing and Services 

Partnerships for People with Disabilities and 

Older Adults

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified longstanding problems with the availability of affordable, 

accessible housing for people with disabilities and older adults, including tribal elders. In addition 

to the physical threat of the virus and social isolation, income losses may have translated into 

unpaid mortgages, rent, and utilities. Obtaining supportive services to maintain tenancy or live as 

independently as possible also became more difficult. Older adults and people with disabilities may 

have delayed home repairs or modifications, along with needed health services. 

Professionals in the aging and disability networks, tribes, and the housing sector pivoted to meet the 

fast-growing needs of their communities. Driven by both necessity and the need for innovation, they 

formed new partnerships to overcome challenges in ways that a single sector alone could not undertake. 

Federal pandemic relief and recovery legislation provide a foundation for expanding these partnerships 

to enhance the availability of accessible, affordable housing where older adults and individuals with 

disabilities can receive the services they choose and need.

This brief summarizes key developments, housing innovations 

and partnerships, and new opportunities for additional action. 

Time is of the essence. Continued progress with immunizations is 

necessary to address the physical threat of the virus. Also, housing 

challenges for people with disabilities and older adults are shifting 

with respect to eviction moratoria, mortgage forbearance, and 

utility disconnections. Meeting these needs with community-based 

supports, engagement, and education will be essential to helping 

people retain their current housing and protect their health.

ENHANCING ACCESS TO COVID-19 VACCINATIONS: EXAMPLES FROM THE FIELD 

ENDependence Center for Northern Virginia, Inc., is partnering with three counties to offer a dedicated, 

expedited pathway for people with disabilities and caregivers to register for vaccines through a 

web portal.13 Via partnerships with civic groups, health departments, public housing, and a pharmacy 

company, ENDependence organized and marketed vaccine clinics tailored to this community.14

The American Association of Service Coordinators reports that residents of affordable housing 

communities are receiving on-site vaccinations through partnerships that service coordinators 

mobilized.15 Service coordinators have been working with property owners, departments 

of health and aging, and health care providers to arrange for vaccination clinics at these affordable 

housing communities. Service coordinators provided residents with forms and information, helped with 

administrative and logistics on the clinic day, and followed up with residents for potential side effects. 

Through more than 2,400 clinics, nearly 70,000 residents have been vaccinated.16

In Ohio, according to USAging, the Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) are implementing vaccination 

clinics at affordable housing sites for people age 65 and older.17 During the mandatory waiting 

period after receiving a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, staff of Ohio’s AAAs are using their 

expertise to provide information and assistance to those who are facing harmful social isolation, food 

insecurity, and other issues that affect their social determinants of health.18
3 COVID-19 Stimulates Housing and Services Partnerships 

for People with Disabilities and Older Adults

Older Adults and People with 

Disabilities Hard Hit by COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected both older 

adults and people with disabilities. The impacts range from higher 

rates of severe cases and deaths related to advanced age, prevalence 

of underlying health conditions, disrupted services and assistance, 

or difficulties with following safety practices due to a disability, 

overcrowded housing, employment conditions, inadequate supplies, 

or other reasons. Shelter-in-place restrictions made it more difficult to 

obtain basic necessities, health care services, and in-home services.1, 2, 3

Due to COVID-19’s reshaping of employment and other parts of 

community life, many people with disabilities and older adults 

experienced increased social isolation, decreased independence, 

reduced income, and additional housing insecurity.4 To avoid 

increased risk for infection in congregate settings, some residents 

may have moved back to private housing. Others may have opted 

to return home after a hospitalization instead of being transferred 

to another care setting. 

In both health and housing outcomes, racial/ethnic disparities 

have persisted or widened. American Indians and Alaska Natives 

(non-Hispanic), Blacks (non-Hispanic), and Hispanics are at 

higher risk for COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths 

than non-Hispanic Whites.5 Both evictions and financial stress 

related to rent have been greater among Blacks and Hispanics 

than other populations.6 

PROVIDING MEALS 

TO RESIDENTS OF 

LOW-INCOME HOUSING 

The Florida Association of Centers 

for Independent Living partnered 

with the Florida Disability and 

Health Program and Feeding 

Florida to ensure persons with 

disabilities had equitable access 

to food during the pandemic.20

This partnership helped ensure 

that people with disabilities who 

could not travel to daily food 

distribution sites received meals 

delivered to their homes. 

The Pima Council on Aging in 

Arizona used emergency federal 

funding from the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES 

Act to partner with low-income 

housing apartments and others to 

provide meals to residents.19 

Similarly, Title VI Native American 

Aging Programs adapted their 

services to drop off food at 

the doors of older American 

Indians living in public 

housing. 

COVID-19 IMPACT ON TRIBAL COMMUNITIES 

Tribal communities have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to disparities 

in health and socioeconomic status resulting from racial inequity and historical trauma. Reduced access to 

health care and gaps in community infrastructure — especially in electricity, Internet, and clean, piped water 

— contribute to increased prevalence of chronic disease. These disparities also heighten the risk for death 

from COVID-19, and advanced age also increased risk for serious illness or death due to COVID-19. Elders 

are the bearers of cultural, linguistic, and ancestral knowledge, so their premature deaths have a deep, 

lasting impact on tribal communities. 

Thoughout the pandemic, Older Americans Act Title VI Native American Aging Programs and the elders they serve 

have shown resilience, as they have done through prior challenges. Despite many programs being understaffed 

and underfunded, they adapted their programs to ensure elders received meals and other critical supports.

In both health and housing outcomes, racial/

ethnic disparities have persisted or widened.
COVID-19 Stimulates Housing and Services Partnerships 4 for People with Disabilities and Older Adults

Work of the Aging and Disability Networks During the Pandemic

Throughout the pandemic, older adults and 

people with disabilities have needed accessible, 

affordable housing and services to help them 

shelter in place and remain in their communities. 

As a result, Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), 

Centers for Independent Living (CILs), and Title VI 

Native American Aging Programs, and other aging 

and disability community-based organizations 

experienced growth in the number of clients 

seeking support with a variety of needs. In an April 

2020 survey of AAAs conducted by USAging, 

93 percent reported an increase in new clients 

seeking assistance and 69 percent reported that 

their existing clients had greater needs than before 

the pandemic.7 Conditions during COVID-19 

have disproportionately affected people with 

disabilities who turned to CILs and other agencies 

for additional assistance. 

Since March 2020, these agencies have provided 

non-stop emergency response to help ensure 

older adults and people with disabilities receive 

the services they need. Their efforts enabled 

high-risk, underserved populations to shelter in 

place, provided care and wellness supportive 

services, and boosted local vaccination efforts.8, 9

AAAs, Title VI programs, CILs, and other 

community-based providers referred clients to 

local housing organizations, often assisted with 

eligibility determinations for public or subsidized 

housing, and directly delivered housing services 

or connected clients to housing service providers. 

Finally, the networks adapted their existing efforts 

for older adults and people with disabilities who 

followed restrictions to self-isolate at home. These 

adaptations included:10, 11, 12 

• Adding new services, including the delivery of 

groceries, hygiene products, and medication 

to individuals living in single-family and 

congregate housing;

• Implementing telephone reassurance and 

wellness checks to provide emotional support 

and assess health status and need for services; 

• Replacing meals provided in congregate 

settings with grab-and-go meal sites and 

increasing home-delivered meals; 

• Enhancing transportation services to and from 

medical and vaccine appointments while 

adhering to COVID-19 protocols; and

• Providing virtual and telephonic programming 

ranging from exercise and cooking classes 

to book clubs and coffee klatches to prevent 

social isolation.

Conditions during COVID-19 have disproportionately 

affected people with disabilities and older adults 

who turned to CILs and AAAs for additional assistance.
5 COVID-19 Stimulates Housing and Services Partnerships 

for People with Disabilities and Older Adults

Partnering to Assist People with Disabilities and Older Adults with 

Housing and Services

New or expanded partnerships between the aging 

and disability networks and the housing sector have 

been instrumental to the COVID-19 response. 

These partners worked closely to:

• Advocate in pandemic response 

planning for housing options 

for people with disabilities and 

older adults;

• Help individuals move 

from nursing homes into 

the community;

• Directly assist individuals who 

need housing and services or 

provide them with referrals to 

organizations that can help; 

• Provide home modifications and repairs; and

• Coordinate supportive services in housing facilities.

This response, and those featured throughout 

this brief, helped enable many older adults and 

people with disabilities to remain safely at home 

and in the communities of their choice. 

Transitional housing support also has expanded 

during the pandemic. Along with housing partners, 

the aging and disability networks joined with 

public health, behavioral health and human 

services agencies to weave together the 

delivery of supportive services. To quickly 

help individuals who are at risk of or 

who are experiencing homelessness, 

these partners assist individuals with: 

• Applying for housing;

• Understanding their housing rights; 

•Connecting with advocates to 

support negotiations with landlords; and 

 • Receiving care planning and ongoing 

support as individuals adjust to new homes. 

Intensive coordinated services across the sectors 

aimed to address the root causes of homelessness, 

such as economic insecurity, employment barriers, 

racial inequities, and a range of chronic and 

behavioral health conditions. 

REDUCING SOCIAL ISOLATION WITH WELLNESS CHECKS AND ACTIVITIES 

The Oklahoma Wyandotte, Quapaw, Miami, Peoria, Eastern Shawnee, and Ottawa Title VI 

programs partner with the Grand Gateway AAA and tribal casinos to hold monthly bingo games in 

a parking lot. Bingo cards are sanitized and distributed to vehicle occupants for each event. Title VI 

staff use microphones and equipment to call numbers and scooted around on casino-donated golf carts.

Aging & Disability Services, the AAA serving King County in Washington state, piloted the Stay 

Connected Program with senior centers, community-based agencies, and low-income senior housing 

providers. The AAA conducted wellness calls and offered a script that housing providers can use to 

contact senior housing residents. The AAA’s drop card put critical telephone numbers at residents’ 

fingertips so they could call for assistance with food support, transportation, emergencies, and other issues.23

Northwest Georgia Center for Independent Living (NWGA) is offering peer support groups 

that matches consumers who had goals similar to relevant experiences of staff members. These 

peer calls evolved into a community peer virtual meeting with accurate information related to 

the pandemic, exchanges with community partners about best practices, and peer-to-peer discussions.21

NWGA also provided masks to the paratransit system for riders and drivers and partnered with a new 

day shelter to help them with food, PPE and sanitizing products.22

Discover promising practices and more by visiting ACL’s new Housing and Services Resource Center online

at ACL.gov/HousingandServices.
6 COVID-19 Stimulates Housing and Services Partnerships 

for People with Disabilities and Older Adults

Opportunities for Further Partnership

COVID-19 resulted in a new set of partnerships 

among aging, disability, and housing professionals, as 

described in this brief. By aligning goals for safe and 

supportive housing, these partnerships have enabled 

older adults and people with disabilities to continue 

living in the community, reduce risk of becoming 

infected, address social isolation, and receive 

assistance that was vital to maintaining their health.

Both the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic 

Security (CARES) Act of 2020 and the American 

Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provided federal, state, 

tribal, and local governments with additional 

resources to address housing instability and 

homelessness. The provisions expanded existing 

programs (e.g., the Fair Housing Initiatives 

Program) and support for rapid rehousing to 

prevent homelessness, emergency rental assistance, 

mortgage and utility assistance rural housing, tribal 

housing improvements, and housing counseling. 

Other provisions of these laws expanded support 

provided to the aging and disability networks for 

services that some individuals need to live in the 

community. The networks are using some of these 

resources to assist people with disabilities and 

older adults with receiving COVID-19 vaccinations 

and boosters. ARPA also provided additional 

funding and flexibilities for supportive in-home 

services and transitions from institutions to homes.

Together, the new or expanded resources from 

the CARES Act and ARPA offer additional ways 

for aging, disability, and housing organizations to 

further develop partnerships to enhance housing 

and service options for people with disabilities 

and older adults. Read the HHS-HUD Housing 

Partnership Fact Sheet to learn more about these 

resources that can help state, tribal, and local 

partners These partnerships can work together to:

• Evolve the delivery of services and supports 

as pandemic conditions improve to align with 

the changing needs and preferences of older 

adults and people with disabilities;

• Expand eviction prevention and intervention 

services for the eventual lifting of moratoria on 

evictions and utility disconnections; and

• Adapt innovations generated 

during the COVID-19 

response into sustainable 

models to address 

homelessness, improving 

housing security, and 

enabling older adults 

and people with 

disabilities to live in 

the community with 

choices that meet 

their evolving needs. 

COVID-19 resulted in a new set of partnerships 

among aging, disability, and housing professionals. 

By aligning goals for safe and supportive housing, 

these partnerships enabled older adults and people 

with disabilities to continue living in the community, 

reduce risk of becoming infected, address social 

isolation, and receive assistance that was vital to 

maintaining their health. 
CONCLUSION

The need to enhance and expand affordable, accessible, and supportive housing has never been so great. 

The extensive human and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic made housing stability more tenuous 

for people with disabilities and older adults. In many communities, these challenges will become more pronounced in the future with the growing population of people with disabilities and older adults as housing and 

health care costs continue to rise. Together, these issues mean that housing will remain a critical challenge 

that demands a greater community response. 

The promising practices highlighted in this brief demonstrate the potential of collaborations between the aging 

and disability networks and the housing sector. The CARES Act and ARPA provide these partnerships with the 

means to develop more robust solutions to the challenges of providing older adults and people with disabilities 

with affordable, accessible housing and community services. Investments in housing and services for people 

with disabilities and older adults are a primary way for communities to generate better health, quality of life, 

and independence for these populations.

December 2021

OFFERING TRANSITIONAL HOUSING ALTERNATIVES 

FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS

Using CARES Act funding, CILs and homeless shelters 

partnered to provide non-congregate settings for people 

with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness. In these partnership arrangements, CILs and homeless 

shelters coordinate before sending a person with a disability to a nursing home, according to the IL-NET 

National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Independent Living at Independent Living Research 

Utilization (ILRU).24 Funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other pandemic relief 

sources helps cover emergency shelter (hotel rooms) to lessen potential exposure to COVID-19. To reduce 

homelessness, some CILs arrange for security deposit payments for housing units or utility deposits.25

Recognizing that during COVID-19, congregate shelter settings were unsafe for older adults and people with 

chronic conditions, Prince William County, Virginia implemented a hotel shelter program where medically 

fragile individuals experiencing homelessness could have a private room to reduce the risk of contracting 

COVID-19. The Prince William County Area Agency on Aging provided funding for this initiative, as well as 

case management referrals, daily meal delivery, and other administrative tasks.26 Looking ahead to a time 

when the current public health emergency lessens, the AAA and Department of Social Services are exploring 

alternatives to the traditional overnight congregate shelter model that could be sustainable.

Discover promising practices and more by visiting ACL’s new Housing and Services Resource Center online

at ACL.gov/HousingandServices.

ENDNOTES

1 Gallo HB, Wilber KH. Transforming Aging Services: Area Agencies on Aging and the COVID-19 

Response. Gerontologist. 2021 Mar;61(2):152-8, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa213.

2 NORC at the University of Chicago. Needs Assessment and Environmental Scan Report: 

Maintaining the Physical and Mental Well-Being of Older Adults and Their Caregivers 

During Public Health Emergencies. 2021. Chicago, IL: NORC. https://www.norc.org/PDFs/

Maintaining%20Physical%20and%20Mental%20Well/ESandNAReportNarrative.pdf.

3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Underlying Medical Conditions Associated with 

Higher Risk for Severe COVID-19: Information for Healthcare Providers. https://www.cdc.

gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/underlyingconditions.html.

4 Kendall E, Ehrlich C, Chapman K, Shirota C, Allen G, Gall A, Kek-Pamenter JA, Cocks K, 

Palipana D. Immediate and Long-Term Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for People 

with Disabilities. American Journal of Public Health. 2020 Dec;110(12):1774-9. 

5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Risk for COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalization, 

and Death by Race/Ethnicity. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/

investigations-discovery/hospitalization-death-by-race-ethnicity.html.

6 Himmelstein G, Desmond M. 2021. Eviction and Health: A Vicious Cycle Exacerbated by a 

Pandemic. Health Affairs Health Policy Brief, April 1, 2021. https://www.healthaffairs.org/

do/10.1377/hblog20210401.444459/full/.

7 USAging, #AAAs at Work for Older Adults: A Snapshot of Area Agency on Aging Responses to 

COVID-19, https://www.usaging.org/Files/n4a_MemberSurveyReport2020_Web_07July2020.pdf. 

8 USAging, Examples from the Field, https://www.usaging.org/covid19fieldexamples.

9 Independent Living Research Utilization. Examples of How CILs Are Using CARES Act 

Funding, https://www.ilru.org/sites/default/files/CARES%20Act%20Funding%20Uses%20

Factsheet.docx.

10USAging, #AAAs at Work for Older Adults: A Snapshot of Area Agency on Aging Responses to 

COVID-19, https://www.usaging.org/Files/n4a_MemberSurveyReport2020_Web_07July2020.pdf.

11 USAging, The Impact of COVID-19 on Title VI Native American Aging Programs and Services, 

https://www.usaging.org/Files/Title%20VI-Fast%20Facts-Covid-508.pdf.

12Disability Achievement Center for Independent Living, Centers for Independent Living 

Recognized for Food Delivery During COVID-19, http://www.mydacil.org/centers-forindependent-living-recognized-for-food-delivery-during-covid-19. 

13Administration for Community Living, Strategies for Helping Older Adults and People with 

Disabilities Access COVID-19 Vaccines, https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/

ACLStrategiesVaccineAccess_Final.pdf. 

14Battiston L. Hundreds of Loudouners with disabilities vaccinat ed by Arlington nonprofit. 

Loudon Times, 3/31/21.

15American Association of Service Coordinators, Vaccine Clinic Best Practices, https://cdn.

ymaws.com/www.servicecoordinator.org/resource/resmgr/files/misc/covid19/covid-19_

vaccine_clinic_best.pdf.

16Ibid. 

17USAging, Roles of Area Agencies on Aging in the Vaccination of Older Adults, https://

www.usaging.org/Files/AAA%20Roles%20in%20the%20Vaccination%20of%20Older%20

Adults%202.9.21%20Final%20to%20Share.pdf. 

18Ibid.

19USAging, Examples from the Field, https://www.usaging.org/covid19fieldexamples.

20Florida Association of Centers for Independent Living. Florida CILs recognized for Covid 

Efforts, https://floridacils.org/covid-19-resources-for-cils

21Administration for Community Living, Improving Social Connection Among People with 

Disabilities [transcript of 3/30/21 webinar]. 

22Ibid.

23AgeWise King County. Housing Providers, COVID-19, and “The 4 Ms”, https://www.

agewisekingcounty.org/ill_pubs_articles/housing-providers-covid-19-and-the-4-ms.

24Independent Living Research Utilization. Examples of How CILs Are Using CARES Act 

Funding, https://www.ilru.org/sites/default/files/CARES%20Act%20Funding%20Uses%20

Factsheet.docx.

25Ibid.

26USAging, Innovations from the Field: AAA Housing and Homelessness Programs, https://

www.usaging.org/Files/AAA-Case-Study-Housing-508.pdf.
This publication was supported by the U.S. Administration for Community Living through a contract with Mission Analytics Group, Inc. 

(Contract number HHSP233201500060I) which subcontracted the work to USAging. The views expressed do not necessarily 

represent the positions or policies of the Administration for Community Living/Department of Health and Human Services.