ABSTRACT
Th e federal government, as discussed in the previous chapters, has provided very little direct funding in the past quarter-century for the development of new rental housing for low-income households; it has focused instead on rental vouchers, block grants, tax credits, and the preservation of existing subsidized housing developments. A key exception in this regard consists of housing built for low-income people with disabilities and other special needs. Apart from the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and the Section 515 program for rural housing, the only projectbased subsidy programs that continue to fund new rental housing focus on the elderly, persons with severe mental illness or AIDS, and the homeless. Persons with disabilities present special challenges for housing policy. Th e disabled tend to have lower incomes than the rest of the population and are therefore more likely to require fi nancial assistance with their housing costs. In addition, many persons with physical disabilities require housing that can accommodate their needs. For example, persons with impaired mobility often require housing that can accommodate wheelchairs. Th e frail elderly may need their homes to be retrofi tted with chair lifts, grab bars, and more accessible counters and cabinets.
