Public housing accommodations for individuals with disabilities

The federal Housing Act of 1962 as amended and the subsequent laws of accommodations insure that all groups within American society, including those with disabilities, have access to housing opportunities. In spite of the clear provisions of various laws of accommodations enacted after 1962, it is questionable whether disabled individuals are adequately served by resident programs operated by Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) because rates of poverty, unemployment, domestic violence, and suicide are much higher among people with disabilities than in the nondisabled population. There are approximately 5 million residents living in 2.5 public housing units nationwide. New York, Puerto Rico, Chicago, Philadelphia and Baltimore have the five largest PHAs in the country. In combination, they rent 320,000 of the 1,300,495 inventory of rental properties owned by the country's 3,400 PHAs. Elderly and disabled residents without children account for 43% of all public housing families in the country.