In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families. Housing is a big one for autistic adults.
The Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities Program was created in 1990 as part of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (P.L. 101-625). (The program is codified at 42 U.S.C. §8013.) Until the enactment of Section 811, the Section 202 program provided housing for persons with disabilities.
Through Section 811, HUD provides capital grants to nonprofit organizations to create rental housing that is affordable to very low-income households (income at or below 50% of AMI) with an adult who has a disability.30 The program also funds project rental assistance contracts to subsidize the rent paid by tenants. Housing built with capital grants may include group homes, independent living facilities, multifamily rental units, condominium units, and cooperative housing. Section 811 developers must provide supportive services to those residing in the units. In addition, through FY2010 the Section 811 program created tenant-based rental assistance, sometimes called "mainstream vouchers," that tenants could use to find housing in the private market, much like Section 8 vouchers. However, since FY2011 (based on a law enacted in 2010 [P.L. 111-374]), Section 811 tenant-based assistance has been funded via the Section 8 account. Also as part of P.L. 111-374, Section 811 rental assistance funds were made available to be used in conjunction with capital funding from other sources (such as LIHTC and HOME funds). (For more information about the Section 811 program, see CRS Report RL34728, Section 811 and Other HUD Housing Programs for Persons with Disabilities, by Libby Perl.)
