Background
Over 7 million individuals with developmental disabilities, 110,000 in the Bay Area, worry daily about housing. It’s a national crisis that most are unaware of, receiving little public funding or community attention. 60-70% of adult children live with aging parents, often with no plan for future housing. Individuals are directly discriminated against in housing; 55% of all fair housing complaints are related to disability, more than any other minority group. Individuals are priced out of both affordable and market rate housing. The need only increases as more people have disabilities, including autism, and housing becomes more expensive.
We believe that this challenge can be solved when people, funding, and regions come together with a shared commitment to inclusion. The Kelsey led a nine-month organizing and pre-development process in the Bay Area for disability inclusive housing. Recognizing that the disability housing crisis will not be solved by one organization or one sector alone, the project convened teams of cross-sector stakeholders to harness existing resources in the Bay Area and direct them towards a shared solution. Throughout the process, the focus was on effective strategies for public-private partnerships, key areas requiring additional advocacy, and sustainable strategies for inclusive community development. The Kelsey also worked with existing organizations in disability housing to showcase existing best-practices as well as identify where key challenges exist and how they can be overcome.
Contact us to learn about leading a Together We Can Do More Initiative in your community. Find more resources including the full report on our Learn Center. See how we’re applying this to The Kelsey Ayer Station and The Kelsey Civic Center.
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