Individuals with Disabilities. According to the U.S. Census, there are over three-quarters of a million individuals with disabilities 1 living in the City of Los Angeles:
- Of the half million individuals with disabilities between the age of 21 and 65 -- over a quarter had incomes below the federal poverty level
- Another 158,000 seniors (age 65 and older) considered themselves disabled--about 15 percent of these people had incomes below poverty
- Of the nearly 70,000 children and youth with disabilities, age 5 to 20, about one-third lived in households with incomes below the poverty level.
People who qualify for Social Security disability payments are eligible for apartments created for individuals with disabilities and in some types of subsidized senior buildings.
Homelessness. There are an estimated 82,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County on any given night. Many of them need supportive housing in order to stop being homeless. Political leaders from across the County have come together to create "Bring Los Angeles Home: A Partnership to End Homelessness." For in-depth information on the extent of homelessness and strategies for eliminating homelessness, visit:
Persons Living with HIV/AIDS. According to the City’s 2003-2008 Consolidated Plan, over half of the County's estimated 50,000 people living with HIV/AIDS live within the City of Los Angeles. The City's HOPWA Program (Housing Opportunities for People with HIV/AIDS) conducts housing needs assessments and funds a variety of housing and service programs for persons with HIV/AIDS. These programs serve people with HIV/AIDS countywide. Contact the HOPWA Program at (213) 808-8805 for referrals to the service-providing agencies, or visit http://www.lacity.org/lahd/.
Accommodating the Needs of People with Disabilities in Housing. Disabled renters may request a reasonable accommodation from their landlord to make it possible to live in a home or apartment. The federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations in their policies, rules and practices to afford people with disabilities equal housing opportunities. For example, a tenant with a mental disability may be entitled to have an emotional support animal despite a "no pet" rule in an apartment building.
People with physical disabilities may need particular kinds of modifications in their apartment or home, such as ramps, elevators, and lowered kitchen work surfaces to make their housing accessible to them. Other modifications include accessible door and faucet handles, bathroom grab bars, and widened doorways for wheel chairs and turn around space for wheel chairs in bathrooms. Some modifications, such as ramps, bathroom grab bars and accessible door handles can be added to existing buildings and renters are entitled to ask for these as a "reasonable accommodation," although they may have to pay themselves for the alterations (except in federally assisted housing). Other items, such as elevators, widened doorways and bathrooms with wheelchair turn around space have to be designed into buildings built after March 13, 1991, but may not be available in older buildings.
The City of Los Angeles is working on an ordinance to be considered by the City Council that would create a reasonable accommodation procedure by which individuals with disabilities or developers of housing for people with disabilities can request deviations from the zoning code. For more information, contact Ms. S. Flynn at LAHD (213) 808-8648.
Information about accessible housing and other community resources for the disabled is provided by the Living Independently in Los Angeles (LILA) information system (http://lila.ucla.edu/).
Supportive Housing for Individuals with Disabilities. People who have HIV/AIDS, mental illnesses or developmental disabilities may need assisted or "supportive housing." Frail elderly persons may also need this type of housing. In Los Angeles, there are several non-profit organizations that specialize in building supportive housing including:
- Corporation for Supportive Housing
Focuses on developing housing with services for the homeless population.
- A Community of Friends
Partners with mental health agencies to create housing and services for persons with mental illness.
- Project New Hope
Provides supportive housing for persons living with HIV/AIDS.
- Homes for Life
Providing permanent, service-enriched housing for persons with mental disabilities.
1An individual with a disability includes a person who has a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities, anyone who is regarded as having such an impairment, or anyone who has a record of such impairment.
