Council on Disability Identifies Community Barriers
The National Council on Disability (NCD) released a new report titled Creating Livable Communities that identifies barriers to developing livable communities and sheds light on potential methods for overcoming these barriers.
According to NCD chairperson John R. Vaughn, “Communities in the United States are faced with increasingly difficult choices and decisions about how to grow, plan for change, and improve the quality of life for all citizens including children, youth, and adults with disabilities. NCD believes that for the promise of full integration into the community to become a reality, people with disabilities need: safe and affordable housing, access to transportation, access to the political process, and the right to enjoy whatever services, programs, and activities are offered to all members of the community by both public and private entities.”
“Disability prevalence is rising in the under-age-65 population and, although it has decreased slightly for people aged 65 and older, it will begin to rise sharply as the current senior population of 34 million doubles over the next 20 years. In light of these demographic developments, communities will face significant challenges as they strive to address consumers’ needs in a coordinated and comprehensive manner, reduce fragmentation in the service delivery system, provide consumer choice, and implement policies and programs that help adults with disabilities remain independent and involved in community life,” Vaughn concluded.
A livable community recognizes and responds to the universality of needs of its residents regardless of age, economic status, race, gender, or abilities. In improving its livability for one particular group of constituents, the community considers opportunities to respond to all community members’ needs from a perspective of accessibility, equality, and inclusion.
This report identifies and highlights multiple strategies that may be applied to the design and support of livable community principles. The identified strategies have been initiated by federal and state government agencies as well as the private sector. These entities have recognized the power of collaboration and use of distinct tools to guide and stimulate systemic changes to make communities more livable for all. The highlighted strategies touch all facets of what livable communities do, that is provide residents with:
* Affordable, appropriate and accessible housing
* Affordable, accessible, reliable, and safe transportation
* Work and education opportunities
* Health and support services
* Civic, cultural, social, and recreational participation opportunities
The examples presented in the report offer an optimistic view of the possibilities to change the way government organizes and manages resources, interacts with the business community and community developers, and responds to the expectations of evolving consumer interests, needs, and preferences for more choice and control in the delivery of support services.
Reviewing the six strategies presented in this report to promote more livable communities, NCD recognizes in the diverse approaches several common elements of design that support livable community objectives, such as the need to:
* Improve ease of access to and information about benefits, programs, and services for community members
* Stimulate private sector interest, involvement, and investment of resources through the use of tax incentives
* Consolidate program administration where appropriate and pool funds of multiple programs to improve consumers’ ease of access to these programs
* Allow waivers of traditional rules of program eligibility, service architecture, and management of funds to improve coordination of public and private resources and consumer satisfaction
* Reach agreement on common performance measures across program authorities that recognize the value and benefits of the livable communities framework
NCD recognizes that to accelerate awareness and adoption of the highlighted strategies, there is no single recommendation that can produce the desired results at a community level. However, the report recommendations offer multiple, complementary options for the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government to direct needed attention to and proactively adopt strategies and policy levers that invest in livable community outcomes. With the aging of America and the challenges of disability in over 20 percent of families nationwide today, and possibly a greater percentage tomorrow, knowledge utilization and transfer from these best practices examples is essential.
Recommendations include:
1. Issue a new Executive Order to charge the Office on Disability of the Department of Health and Human Services to chair a time-limited workgroup (six months, for example) on livable communities that includes representation by the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Transportation, Education, Labor, Treasury, the Social Security Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Administration on Aging, the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, and the Office of Community Services within the Department of Health and Human Services.
2. Modify federal requirements for allocation of low-income housing tax credits so that, in making awards to developers, all states require a) the adoption of universal design standards, and b) documentation of approaches to allow a minimum of ten percent of units in multifamily affordable housing developments to be affordable to individuals with disabilities on fixed incomes (SSI/SSDI recipients).
3. Modify current performance measures being used to assess individual program strengths and weaknesses to focus on cross-department and agency collaboration to enhance livable community outcomes.
4. Utilize grant funds from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Social Security Administration, and Departments of Labor, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and Housing to offer a consolidated Livable Communities Program Initiative that streamlines 1) a single application for funds, 2) utilization of waiver authority, 3) consolidation of program management and service delivery, and 4) use of tax credits to reengineer the delivery of long-term supports, transportation, housing, employment, education, and cultural, social, and recreational opportunities at a community level.
5. Expand tax incentives to promote matched savings plans for low-income wage earners across the life span.
6. Utilize and leverage community service opportunities to create livable communities.
7. Focus on the Gulf Coast recovery and rebuilding to promote livable community outcomes.
8. Establish a National Resource Center on Livable Communities to educate policymakers, government administrators, community developers, people with disabilities, and the public about best practices in policy development and program implementation.
To view the report, click here.
