Letter to Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States - Schakowsky, Clay, Duckworth Seek Answers on Availability of Accessible Public Housing

Letter

Dear Mr. Dodaro:
Securing affordable and safe housing is a challenge for millions of Americans, particularly those
who face access and functional needs, like persons with disabilities. Through its Public Housing
and Housing Choice Voucher programs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) provides millions of households with the opportunity to live in safe and affordable homes
and communities. HUD's programs subsidize rents for lower-income households and HUD's
policies are designed to ensure that the homes its beneficiaries rent are safe and sanitary.
Further, under the Fair Housing Act, as amended, HUD and the housing agencies that help
administer its programs must accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities who rent Public
Housing units or privately-owned units through the Housing Choice Voucher program, either by
offering accessible units or providing alternatives and reasonable accommodations.
Despite these requirements, and the recommendations of the National Council on Disabilities, 1
many cities, have a limited supply of affordable and accessible units for persons with disabilities.
For example, in 2019, HUD and the City of Los Angeles entered into an agreement to provide
accessibility improvements throughout the City's affordable housing program, including the
construction of 10,000 new accessible units over the next 10 years. Additionally, a 2017 study
conducted by the University of Chicago found that the distribution of affordable and accessible
units in Chicago was uneven and limited, resulting in higher prices and less housing choice for
persons with disabilities in the Chicago-region.
HUD's agreement with Los Angeles and the 2017 study raise significant concerns about HUD and
housing agencies' ability to serve the particular needs of persons with disabilities. Also, through
their municipal housing departments, many large cities fund and oversee the development of thousands of affordable rental housing units, usually in the form of apartment buildings. This
inquiry seeks to determine whether such units are complying with the accessibility requirements
of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the Fair Housing Act. As a
result, I would like GAO to explore:
1. How does HUD oversee public housing agencies' implementation of requirements to protect
persons with disabilities from discrimination when applying for or living in public housing?
2. What is the inventory of accessible public housing units in the twenty-five largest
metropolitan areas in the US? What is the estimated gap between households requiring
assistance and available units in those areas?
3. What are the processes that housing authorities follow to help voucher-assisted households
with disabilities find accessible units or retrofit non-accessible units? What happens if a
voucher-holder is not able to find an accessible unit?
4. What are the twenty-five largest metropolitan areas, including Chicago and St. Louis, doing
to accommodate the housing needs of low-income households with disabilities
5. How does HUD promote, catalog, and work to increase housing for people with disabilities?
Thank you for your consideration.

Source