People with disabilities have an ally in their search for affordable housing. In a program co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, five Regional Housing Coordinators are charged with helping smooth the way for persons with disabilities to move to accessible and affordable housing of their choice.
This Pennsylvania Housing Coordinator Initiative is implemented by the Self -Determination Housing Project of Pennsylvania (SDHP). SDHP is a statewide non-profit organization that works to expand affordable, accessible, and integrated housing for people with disabilities.
The regional housing coordinators work behind the scenes to smooth bumps in the road that people with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and physical disabilities may encounter as they navigate the affordable housing system. They educate local case managers or service providers in those funding programs about housing options for persons with disabilities and serve as a single point of contact for technical assistance and housing related information for program staff. Staff at housing developments may also contact the regional housing coordinators if a resident or applicant needs information on home and community-based waiver programs to live independently.
The program targets low-income persons with disabilities of all ages who need or are receiving community-based supports (commonly referred to as "waivers") to live independently in the community. Home and community-based waivers are part of the Medicaid program and provide supportive services (e.g. personal care, transportation, home modifications) that allow individuals to remain in the community and avoid institutionalization.
Contact information for each of the regional agencies that employ the regional housing coordinators is below. For more information about this initiative, contact Gail Hoffman, SDHP executive director or Mary Penney, program director for the Housing Coordinator Initiative, at 888-550-SDHP.
The five regional
housing coordinators provide technical assistance, outreach, education, and
training. They can be reached by contacting the appropriate regional agency
listed below.
| Northeast
Region The Center for Independent Living of North Central PA (CILNCP) 210 Market Street, Suite A Williamsport, PA 17701 570-327-9070 |
Southeast
Region Residential Living Options, Incorporated (RLO) 797 E. Lancaster Avenue Downingtown, PA 19335 610-518-6242 |
| Northwest
Region Voices for Independence, Inc. 3711 W. 12th Street, Suite 3 Erie, PA 16505 814-838-9890 |
Southwest
Region ACTION-Housing Incorporated (AHI) 425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 950 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-281-2101 |
| Central
Region Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania (CILCP) 415 Fallowfield Road, Suite 101 Camp Hill, PA 17011 717-731-1900 |
