Housing discrimination can force people into institutions P eople with disabilities face huge obstacles to finding affordable, accessible, discrimination- free housing. There are strong antidiscrimination laws on the books, but neighbors, landlords and government agencies still block individual rights. Rules for land use prevent group housing or supported housing in some areas.
Many landlords screen out, evict, or refuse to accommodate tenants with disabilities.
Funding and public policy decisions force people with disabilities to live in undesirable neighborhoods or segregated housing. Housing discrimination, and lack of affordable housing, can lead to homelessness or to unnecessary, more costly institutionalization. The Niederhausers both have cerebral palsy. They have been married for more than 48 years and have lived at Independence Square since 1979. Their federally subsidized apartment is supposed to benefit the elderly and people with disabilities.