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We are pleased that Congressman Albio Sires has signed on as a co-sponsor of the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008. Congressman Sires is one of thirteen co-sponsors in the House of Representatives of this crucial legislation.

Section 811 is a critically important federal program that assists the lowest income people with serious and long-term disabilities to live independently in the community by providing integrated affordable rental housing linked with voluntary services and supports.

Click here to read our previous posts.

For more information on this important legislation:

Click here to read Opening Doors on Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 in PDF or here to read it online.

Read the rest of this entry »

On Friday, June 20, 2008, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), chairwoman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, held a hearing entitled “H.R. 5772, the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008″.

To view the hearing in widows media format click here. If this does not work go to the Committee’s web site by clicking here.

Click here to read our previous posts.

H.R. 5772, introduced by Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and co-sponsored by Frank Pallone of NJ, of New Jersey, aims to increase the amount of affordable, supportive housing available for people with disabilities. Supportive housing refers to the availability of services such as assistance with housekeeping and daily living that make it possible for residents to live independently.

Witness List and Prepared Testimony:

Ms. Diane Randall, Executive Director, Partnership for Strong Communities
Ms. Ann O’Hara, The Technical Assistance Collaborative
Mr. Ronald S. Cohen, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles, Ventura & Santa Barbara Counties
Mr. Mark Shelburne, North Carolina Housing Finance Agency
Mr. Tony Paulauski, Executive Director, The Arc of Illinois

For more information on this important legislation:

Click here to read Opening Doors on Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 in PDF or here to read it online.

Read the rest of this entry »

On Friday June 20, 2008, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), chair of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity of the House Financial Services Committee, will hold a hearing on H.R. 5772, the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008. The bill, which was introduced in April by Rep. Christopher Murphy (D-CT) and Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IN) and cosponsored by Frank Pallone of NJ, would make a number of changes to the Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program. The hearing is scheduled for 10 AM in Room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Section 811 is a critically important federal program that assists the lowest income people with serious and long-term disabilities to live independently in the community by providing integrated affordable rental housing linked with voluntary services and supports.

Click here to read our previous posts.

For more information on this important legislation:

Click here to read Opening Doors on Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 in PDF or here to read it online.

Read the rest of this entry »

We are pleased that Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. has signed on as a co-sponsor of the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008. Congressman Pallone is one of five co-sponsors in the House of Representatives of this crucial legislation.

Section 811 is a critically important federal program that assists the lowest income people with serious and long-term disabilities to live independently in the community by providing integrated affordable rental housing linked with voluntary services and supports.

Click here to read our previous posts.

For more information on this important legislation:

Click here to read Opening Doors on Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 in PDF or here to read it online.

Read the rest of this entry »

Since April 10, 2008, we have posted several articles about the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 (HR 5772). This is a program worth saving and the proposed legislation will ensure its continued success. Our friends at The Technical Assistance Collaborative has released a Power Point presentation highlighting the key aspects of the modernized Section 811 program.

To view the PowerPoint as a PDF file click here.

To view it as a PowerPoint click here.

Section 811 is a critically important federal program that assists the lowest income people with serious and long-term disabilities to live independently in the community by providing integrated affordable rental housing linked with voluntary services and supports.

Among other changes the reform legislation will:

Authorizing a new Section 811 Demonstration Program that fulfills the promise of true community integration as envisioned in the Americans with Disabilities Act;

Enacting long over-due reforms and improvements to the existing Section 811 production program essential for the program’s long-term viability.

For more information on this important legislation:

Click here to read Opening Doors on Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 in PDF or here to read it online.

Read the rest of this entry »

We wanted to help answer this important question. With new reform legislation pending in Congress - Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 - this is a question that needs to be answered. Over the last month we have posted several articles about the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 (HR 5772). This is a program worth saving and the proposed legislation will ensure its continued success.
For a more detailed answer we reprint Ann O’Hara’s answer in Opening Doors.

Some federal officials have asked “Why save Section 811? There are other HUD programs that can create permanent supportive housing.” The reasons to save the Section 811 program are clear and compelling. Most importantly, Section 811 is the only federal program solely dedicated to addressing the housing crisis facing millions of extremely low-income people with significant and long-term disabilities who also need access to services and supports to live successfully in the community. In addition, Section 811 is one of the very few remaining HUD programs that can provide the essential project-based rent subsidy needed to ensure that rents in new permanent supportive housing units are affordable for the most vulnerable people with disabilities with the lowest incomes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Advocacy, Andrew Sperling, CCD, Christopher Murphy, Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act, Judy Biggert, Liz Savage, permanent supportive housing, Supportive Housing

Over the last month we have posted several articles about the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 (HR 5772). This is a program worth saving and the proposed legislation will ensure its continued success. We are pleased to share the current issue of Opening Doors that provides information on this important issue. Click here to read our previous posts. Click here to read Opening Doors in PDF or here to read it online.

In addition to reading this blog, to ensure that you receive regular Action Alerts on this important legislation, please contact the following individuals: Andrew Sperling [Email address: andrew #AT# nami.org - replace #AT# with @ ], National Alliance on Mental Illness or Liz Savage [Email address: savage #AT# thearc.org - replace #AT# with @ ], The ARC of the United States.

The following is the first few paragraphs of this important issue of Opening Doors.

The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force (CCD Housing Task Force) and the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. (TAC) are pleased to announce that on April 10, 2008, Representatives Christopher Murphy (D-CT) and Judy Biggert (R-IL) jointly introduced groundbreaking permanent supportive housing legislation - the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 (HR 5772) - in the U.S. House of Representatives. This critically important legislation will help address the enormous and unrelenting housing crisis faced by millions of extremely low-income people with disabilities and will spur the creation of thousands more new 811 units every year by:

Authorizing a new Section 811 Demonstration Program that fulfills the promise of true community integration as envisioned in the Americans with Disabilities Act; and

Enacting long overdue reforms and improvements to the existing Section 811 production program essential for the program’s long-term viability.

Historically, the Section 811 program has been one of the most successful programs available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create new supportive housing units. However, the future of Section 811 is being jeopardized by an outdated statute and program models, excessive HUD bureaucracy, and rapidly declining production levels.

For the fourth year in a row, HUD has proposed drastic budget cuts for the Section 811 Read the rest of this entry »