Passive Impact: Real Estate Investing & Special Needs Housing
Welcome to "Passive Impact: Real Estate Investing & Special Needs Housing," where we explore how real estate investment can generate passive income while making a positive difference. Join host Sarah and Johnathon as they share strategies, success stories, and opportunities for investors looking to create financial stability and meaningful community impact. Also, Understand how you as a Real Estate investor make a positive difference in someone's life through Special Needs Housing for Adults with mild disabilities.
Passive Impact: Real Estate Investing & Special Needs Housing
Breaking Down Walls: How Cities Are Tackling Accessible Housing Challenges for People with Disabilities
Housing represents more than just shelter—it's foundational to independence, community participation, and quality of life. Yet for nearly 25% of American adults living with disabilities, finding appropriate housing remains a profound challenge marked by both systemic barriers and persistent discrimination.
Our deep dive reveals a troubling reality: despite decades of protective legislation like the Fair Housing Act amendments and the Americans with Disabilities Act, disability-based discrimination accounts for over half of all housing complaints filed annually. The dual barriers of insufficient accessible housing stock and discriminatory practices by housing providers create a perfect storm that leaves many disabled Americans without suitable living options.
We explore how cities across America are pioneering innovative solutions to this crisis. Alameda, California has implemented a forward-thinking universal design ordinance requiring all new multi-unit developments to incorporate accessibility features from the ground up. Chicago's HomeMod program takes a different approach by subsidizing modifications to existing homes, helping residents with disabilities remain in their communities. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has established a dedicated compliance office to help disabled individuals navigate housing systems and advocate for their specific needs.
These city-level innovations offer a blueprint for addressing this nationwide challenge through multiple approaches: mandating universal design in new construction, increasing subsidies for home modifications, strengthening discrimination enforcement, and creating better information systems to connect people with accessible units. We also touch on market-based solutions that complement policy efforts, highlighting how individual action and entrepreneurship can contribute to expanding housing options for disabled Americans.
The path forward requires aligning policy levers, market forces, community awareness, and individual actions toward a common goal—ensuring that everyone, regardless of disability status, has access to housing that is truly adequate, accessible, and affordable. Join us as we examine how these interconnected approaches might finally bridge the persistent gap between housing rights and housing realities for millions of Americans with disabilities.
Okay, let's dive in. Here's a statistic that really jumps out at me Nearly one in four adults in the US lives with some kind of disability.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right. It's a huge number when you actually stop and think about it, not a small group at all.
Speaker 1:Definitely not. And for this pretty big slice of the population there's this recurring challenge right finding housing, not just any housing, but places that are actually adequate and accessible and affordable too.
Speaker 2:Exactly, it's such a fundamental need, isn't it? But, like you said, one where people hit some serious roadblocks.
Speaker 1:And that's really the core of our deep dive today, isn't it?
Speaker 2:It is. We're looking at this whole issue and we're using a piece from the National League of Cities as our guide, Specifically an article by Sam Charlton that really focuses on housing for individuals with disabilities.
Speaker 1:Okay, so our plan is to unpack what the source says on the main issues, look at the legal side of things and then see what cities are actually doing, maybe some potential next steps, all based on this NLC article.
Speaker 2:That's the plan Get into the weeds of what this source tells us.
Speaker 1:All right. So, according to the article, what are the biggest hurdles? What do people with disabilities really come up against looking for a place?
Speaker 2:Well, the piece really points to two main things, and they're kind of linked. First, maybe the most obvious one, is just a basic shortage Not enough housing out there that's both accessible and affordable.
Speaker 1:OK, supply and cost Makes sense. What's the second thing?
Speaker 2:The second one is, well frankly, discrimination from landlords, housing providers. It's still a major issue.
Speaker 1:Discrimination? Wow, that sounds incredibly serious. Does the article give us a sense of how big that problem is?
Speaker 2:It does, yeah, and the numbers are pretty stark actually. It cites the 2022 Fair Housing Trends Report and it says that discrimination based on disability get this accounted for over half.
Speaker 1:Over half.
Speaker 2:Yeah, more than 50 percent of all fair housing complaints filed that year.
Speaker 1:Whoa.
Speaker 2:It's kind of well disheartening, you know, that it's still so widespread, even with laws meant to stop it.
Speaker 1:Over half. You'd really think, with big laws like you know the Fair Housing Act, the ADA that this would be less common now.
Speaker 2:That's what you'd hope, right, and the article does lay out that legal background. It mentions the Fair Housing Act amendments in 88. That was huge because it was the first time people with disabilities were explicitly named a protected class in housing.
Speaker 1:Right 1988.
Speaker 2:And then the ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, came along in 1990. That required accessible common areas like lobbies and hallways and also certain adaptable features inside apartments in new builds.
Speaker 1:Okay, so those are major pieces of legislation.
Speaker 2:Absolutely critical steps. But, like the article points out, even with these laws on the books for decades, people with disabilities are still facing huge struggles finding a suitable place to live today.
Speaker 1:So that really begs the question, doesn't it? If the laws are there, why is this still such a big problem? Is it enforcement awareness? Just not enough accessible places being built?
Speaker 2:That is the million dollar question. The article sort of leaves hanging there, you know why, the gap between law and reality.
Speaker 1:OK, so given that gap, the article then looks at what cities are doing right, trying to bridge it. Maybe.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Yeah, it's just some concrete examples, highlights a few cities taking different approaches. Let's hear about them. What about Alameda, California? What does the article say? They did so, Alameda? They went for a really proactive strategy focused on new buildings right from the start. They put in place what's called a universal design ordinance.
Speaker 1:Universal design.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it applies to new residential projects with more than five units and it mandates that 100% of those new units have to be universally visitable.
Speaker 1:Okay, visitable, and there's another term.
Speaker 2:Right and 30% have to be universally habitable.
Speaker 1:What's the difference there, according to the source Visitable versus habitable?
Speaker 2:Good question, so visitable. The article explains means the basics are accessible the main entrance you can get around inside the main living area and there's at least one accessible bathroom. Ok.
Speaker 1:Habitable goes further For that 30 percent. It means you also need a universally accessible kitchen, at least one bedroom and the laundry area, all on the ground floor. Ah, okay, so it's about more core living functions being accessible.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and the idea is you build more accessible stock from the get-go which, as the article notes, could cut down on costly renovations later. And maybe, just maybe, it helps with that discrimination issue too, If landlords don't see accessibility as this big, expensive add-on they have to deal with after the fact.
Speaker 1:That makes sense. Build in from the start. Ok. What about Chicago? The article mentioned them too. Different approach.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Chicago focused more on the existing housing, specifically helping low-income residents with disabilities make their current homes work for them. They have this program called HomeMod.
Speaker 1:HomeMod.
Speaker 2:Right, and it basically subsidizes those essential modifications, you know, putting in ramps, rolling showers, widening doorways, maybe lowering counters or sinks.
Speaker 1:So helping people stay in place, essentially.
Speaker 2:Exactly. They partner with licensed remodelers and they can work either through the landlord or directly with the tenants if they're low income and eligible.
Speaker 1:That seems really practical, directly tackling the cost barrier for people who need changes right now. And the third city example was Pittsburgh. What was their angle?
Speaker 2:according to the article, Pittsburgh took more of a systems approach. They set up a specific office, a disability compliance office.
Speaker 1:Okay, what does that office do?
Speaker 2:The article describes it as sort of a navigator or an advocate. Really, its main job is to help people with disabilities, especially if they're also elderly or low income, connect with the housing programs and services they need.
Speaker 1:So helping people find the right resources.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like maybe working with the housing authority to make sure the features in a particular unit actually meet someone's specific accessibility needs, helping cut through red tape, basically.
Speaker 1:It's interesting how these three cities took such different paths.
Speaker 2:It really is. You've got Alameda focused on future supply with design codes, Chicago on making current homes work with modifications, and Pittsburgh on navigating the existing support systems, tackling different pieces of the puzzle.
Speaker 1:So, based on these examples and just the overall picture in the article, what does the source suggest? Other places, cities, towns, villages should think about doing. What are the next steps?
Speaker 2:Well, the article pulls together a few clear recommendations from these models. It suggests, you know, encouraging or even requiring universal design in new builds like Alameda. Boost the supply of accessible places from the start.
Speaker 1:Okay, mandate design standards.
Speaker 2:Right and also increase the subsidies for modifications, like Chicago's program to help with existing housing.
Speaker 1:More money for retrofits, got it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then it stresses improving the systems to catch and act on discrimination by landlords or developers. It's still a huge piece.
Speaker 1:Better enforcement or identification of discrimination, or identification of discrimination Exactly.
Speaker 2:And finally, just making information better, making it easier for people with disabilities to actually find the accessible units that are available, like a better database or listing service.
Speaker 1:Okay, that gives us a pretty clear picture from the NLC article the scale of the problem, the laws, what some cities are trying. But what does this mean for you? Listening? Maybe you're hearing this and thinking about how you could get involved or, you know, address this need. The article focuses a lot on policy, government action, but there are other ways people are looking at this, including market-based approaches. That's true. Solutions can come from different directions. If exploring how individuals can contribute to the specific housing need is something you're interested in, maybe even thinking about passive income streams focused on this, well, there are resources out there. For instance, one company working in this space is Flowers Associates Property Rentals. Their focus is specifically on special needs housing. If that's an area you want to learn more about, you could reach out to them. Their number is 901-621-3544.
Speaker 2:So looking beyond just policy for solutions.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and, speaking of that, I actually picked up a book recently that ties into this. It's by Robert Flowers and it's called the Joy of Helping Others Creating Passive Income Streams Through Special Needs Housing. I bought it myself on Amazon and, honestly, I found it really insightful. It gives you a perspective on how you can approach this market, but not just as a business thing, you know, really focusing on providing quality needed housing for folks. So if this is an area you're curious about, I definitely recommend checking it out. It was a good read.
Speaker 2:Interesting resource.
Speaker 1:So, okay, we've covered quite a bit today, based on this National League of Cities piece, the sheer size of the housing challenge for people with disabilities.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the laws that are supposed to help, but the persistent problems of not enough supply and ongoing discrimination.
Speaker 1:And then these creative approaches Cities are trying universal design, subsidies, better navigation.
Speaker 2:Different strategies trying to make a dent in the problem.
Speaker 1:Right. So when you think about all of this, that one in four statistic, the laws, the city efforts, even these potential market or individual approaches we just touched on, it really brings up a bigger question, doesn't it?
Speaker 2:Where do we go from here? How do we make it all work better?
Speaker 1:Exactly Given everything the article lays out, the discrimination stats, the supply issues, that just won't go away.
Speaker 2:And considering all these different tools. We've talked about policy mandates like universal design, financial help like subsidies, better enforcement, clear information, maybe even those market-based solutions.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the big question for you to maybe think about is this how can all these different approaches, the policy levers, the market forces, community awareness, individual action, how can they actually work together more effectively?
Speaker 2:How do we align everything to really move the needle to make sure that everyone, regardless of disability, truly has access to housing that's not just there but is actually adequate and accessible for them?
Speaker 1:Something to ponder as you go about your day. That's our deep dive for today.
