Affording Accessibility Home Modifications

Loans and grants are available to help some people with spinal cord disabilities afford necessary changes to homes.

By Terry Moakley

A spinal cord disability usually creates the need for specific features in the home like ramps, wider doorways, and larger bathrooms in a living space. Modifications don’t happen by themselves, so the question, naturally, is, “Does help exist out there to make such changes?” The answer is yes, but . . .

There are eligibility criteria that must be met by a person or family seeking access modifications and these requirements can vary from one state or county to another. If there is a common thread, it is your income: to qualify, one must be in a very low-, low-, or moderate- income category.

Federal Programs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development section administers a Housing and Community Facilities Program (HCFP). One of its bigger activities is the Single Family Direct Loan Program (section 502) which is used primarily to help low-income persons/households purchase a home in rural areas; but, a section 502 loan can also fund renovations to make a rural home more accessible. Seniors and persons with disabilities applying for this program, which is essentially a mortgage loan funded by the government, may have an income up to 80 percent of the area median income (AMI).

Another HCFP program, with typically far less annual funding, is Rural Housing Repair and Rehabilitation Grants. Such funds may be used “to complete repairs to make the dwelling accessible for household members with disabilities.” The lifetime maximum grant amount is $7,500, but grants must be used in conjunction with a Repair and Rehabilitation Loan; are available only to a dwelling owner/occupant who is 62 years of age or older; and, are available to a homeowner/occupant with a very low income- defined as below 50% of the AMI. For further details about these programs, contact your county Rural Development office.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administers the Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. HUD has authorized home modifications as an accepted housing rehabilitation activity under both programs, but it iscritically important to remember that funds are distributed to cities and counties—and to states in less populated areas, and the local officials decide what programs these monies will support. Therefore, depending upon where you live, a home modification grant program might be available to help eliminate architectural barriers in your apartment or home. Check with your city or county housing agency to determine if this type of assistance is available in your community. If it is, keep in mind that income limitations will probably impact your eligibility.

R*A*M*P Grants

In the event that you do not live in a rural area and your locality does not offer a state or HUD-funded home modifications program, you may want to look into United Spinal Association’s Residential Accessibility Modification Program (R*A*M*P). If you are a member in good standing and your “total household income is less than the current threshold for treatment as a low-income family” by HUD, you might be eligible for a one-time grant of $5,000 or less.

Your household income will be reduced, dollar for dollar, by the amount of any unreimbursed family medical expenses incurred during the calendar year prior to filing a R*A*M*P application; and, special circumstances such as the loss of employment due to disability during the prior calendar year will also be considered. Grants are awarded only for access modification to a member’s primary residence necessitated by the member’s disability.

For further United Spinal R*A*M*P information, please contact Diana Toro-Suco at 800-404-2898, ext. 1264.

Terry Moakley , associate executive director of Public Affairs.