The Kelsey defines inclusive housing as housing with residents who are a mix of people with and without disabilities. But why does inclusion matter? How does it specifically benefit the community? The management and building staff will serve all residents, with and without disabilities. In inclusive housing, these efforts foster interaction, understanding, and connection across people with and without disabilities, and of all backgrounds. Inclusive housing is designed specifically to address a diversity of housing preferences and service needs among people with disabilities.

Our focus on inclusion is rooted in years of research, focus groups, site visits, meetings, conversations, and interviews. Here are the benefits of Inclusive Housing. 

Our research confirms that inclusive, community-based living is possible for all people who desire it if the needed service and support infrastructure exists alongside inclusive living models. People are welcome to choose non-inclusive housing for themselves or their loved ones, but The Kelsey believes that housing policy and new housing models should align with existing policies like Olmstead and the Lanterman Act.

In the Together We Can Do More report, we focused specifically on housing needs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). While The Kelsey has an organizational focus on individuals with IDD, we take a cross-disability approach to much of our strategy, best-practices, and advocacy. In general, we believe the interventions we explore for I/DD inclusive housing could be applied to other disability communities. Taking an inclusive approach to housing interventions—devoid of paternalism and ableism—allows us to develop a more progressive approach to advocacy and design that makes it easier to align with others across the broader disability community. 
 

There isn’t a “one size fits all” when it comes to housing. Individual residential preferences will vary based on factors like location, design, size, amenities, and proximity to friends and family. Still, while every community may look different in the details, The Kelsey believes there are three key factors that should be universal across all communities to ensure they’re fully inclusive. 

A truly inclusive community is open to people with a range of incomes. People with disabilities include those across all income levels. Some individuals rely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as their sole source of income; with less than $900 monthly income, there is no city in the US where those relying on SSI can afford market rents. Other people with disabilities are employed full or part-time, but still cannot afford escalating rents in most cities. Still, others don’t have significant cost concerns and can afford market rents and prefer not to have income-restricted units.  An inclusive community is one where there are units available to those with extremely low incomes like SSI, those making low to moderate-income, and those who can pay market rate. A range of affordability isn’t just relevant for disability inclusion but also supports diverse community development generally.

An inclusive community is built utilizing universal design principles. Universal design is “the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, or  disability.” An inclusive building is not only physically accessible for people with disabilities but factors sensory and other access needs into the design as well. The building does not cater simply to one person or one type of disability but is suitable for people with and without disabilities, of all ages and lifestyles. 

An inclusive community is one that values diversity and, of course, inclusion. Management prioritizes the inclusion of residents with and without disabilities of all backgrounds. The building’s emphasis on inclusion is illustrated in on-site programming, shared values, and operating principles. Communities don’t separate disability (i.e., there is no segregated disability manager, wing, or programs), but rather all staffing, spaces, and programs are designed for inclusion. At The Kelsey, we achieve our goals of a supportive community through our Inclusion Concierge. Other residential communities may utilize their own strategies. Whatever the strategy is, support isn’t something you do for people with disabilities, but something you do with people, with and without disabilities, as a value and an amenity benefitting whole communities.

Building housing and want to ensure you’re focused on inclusion? Take a look at our checklist below for a quick self-assessment. We know there are lots of additional project-specific factors to consider, but this is a good place to start. How does your building measure up?

We’re committed to open-sourcing new ideas and sharing systems-level thinking that can make communities more inclusive. Learn with us.

www.thekelsey.org/learn

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