Adults with disabilities or special health care needs are successfully living independently in their own home. These resources will provide information to assist an individual who is considering buying their own home and other federal housing issues.

The Center for Housing and New Community Economics (CHANCE) -- The Center is located at the University of New Hampshire and has done a considerable amount of research in assisting persons with disabilities purchase their own homes and lead independent lives. They have written a very complete 190 page guide entitled A Home of Your Own that walks prospective home owners through the complex process of buying a home, from the initial decision to make the purchase, through the steps for acquiring a mortgage, and finally, to life as a homeowner. This guide introduces a "person centered approach" to homeownership, which places people with disabilities at the center of the decision-making process on issues affecting their personal lives and living situations. The website for the guide is: http://chance.unh.edu/Guide.htm

Homes and Communities, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development -- This page is entitled People with Disabilities and has general information about the Department as well as federal housing resources and the Fair Housing Laws. Information is available in both English and Spanish.
The website is: http://www.hud.gov/groups/disabilities.cfm

Florida Housing Resource Guide -- This 34 page document is provided by the Florida Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program and is located on the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (see listing for Assistive Technology). It is meant to be an introductory guide (not all inclusive) to housing resources and assistance for persons served by the Florida Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program.
The website is: http://faast.org/bscip/Housing_Resource_Guide.pdf

For more information please contact your local CMS office:

• CMS Network contact list