It’s not part of the job description, but our case manager texts me whenever she runs across the kids in the community with something that makes us smile. Today (Saturday) it was:
Allie: Hi Lora, I was at the Y this morning with my daughter for swimming lessons and Jay made my whole day. He was coming into the Y and came right up to me, we had a great conversation. When I was leaving the Y he shouted my name to say bye from up on the track where he was walking . . .
Me: AWESOME! That’s my boy!
Allie: A community member took me aside and said they’ve seen him there before, and he’s one of the politest, nicest people they’ve ever seen.
Me: Yippee!!
These voyeuristic glimpses into the lives of our adult sons with autism in the community—without us—help us feel good about the decisions we have made to cut them loose. If an adult child is neurologically typical, one measure of our parenting success lies in whether or not the offspring are living in our basement past the age of majority. But when the individual has an intellectual disability, things get complicated. Probably like you, we ping pong between guilt over the boys’ emancipations (is this about us, deep down, and we’re sacrificing their safety because of that?) and pride over their accomplishments (man, he’d never have done that if he was still living at home!)
Sometimes it’s still so hard to believe that these two young men with autism are out on their own. We could never have managed it without programs that have been put in place for people like them.
So as I said last week, there are two kinds of Section 8 housing: Project-based, and Tenant-based.
“Tenant-based rental assistance allows people with disabilities to choose their own housing unit from a community’s private rental housing market.”[1] Unlike as with Project-based Section 8, once an individual (or household) receives a Tenant-based Section 8 voucher, if the tenant moves, the subsidy goes with the individual. For that reason I call Tenant-based Section 8 vouchers “the golden ticket.”
But the demand for these vouchers exceeds the supply, so wait lists can be long. Complicating matters further, public housing agencies (PHAs) administering the vouchers have the discretion to be closed to applications, which they often do in order to keep the wait lists from getting too long. For these reasons it can be strategic to get onto the wait list at more than one PHA. The trick is it’s only possible to do that when the lists are “open,” or accepting applications. Determine which communities are where your family member would like to live, and keep an eye on when their wait lists are expected to open. How? My suggestion is to call. If you ask “When will you be accepting applications for Tenant-based Section 8 vouchers?” some will answer (maddeningly) “The list is closed right now,” which of course does not answer the question. When you press for a time for when they will be accepting applications, you will likely get a “We don’t know.” So you have to check back often.
On occasion the PHA will have an answer to your question. When that happens, plan to be at the PHA on that date as early as you can—the applications are processed and in most (but not all) cases awarded to eligible individuals in the order in which they are received. If you are the legal guardian for the individual seeking the voucher, be sure to bring a copy of the guardianship papers you can leave with your completed application. There will be questions on the application about income, so be prepared with data regarding the individual’s sources and amounts of income, and any assets s/he may have, such as savings accounts and vehicles.
PHAs also have the authority to establish local preferences for individuals on the wait list, such as victims of domestic violence, people transitioning after a flood or fire, the homeless, and people with disabilities. Ask each PHA in communities of interest about the preferences adopted by their agency.
How long will you have to wait for a Tenant-based Section 8 voucher? No one really knows. In each community, it’s a soup of vouchers available, people on the list who are eligible at the time a voucher becomes available, people who are on the list but not, after all, eligible, and so on. Jason and Joshua are on the lists, but we have not yet received a Tenant-based voucher for either of them. I fantasize that when that day comes, a prize van will pull up with balloons, flowers and a big cardboard card. More likely, however, something will come in the mail.
How much of a subsidy will you get? The PHA should be able to tell you that in the communities they administer. Jason is eligible for a one-room housing unit, at rent consistent with “moderately priced rental housing in the community.”[2] That converts to $736 a month in Bath. In 2015, Jason gets $826 a month from SSDI, Social Security Disability Insurance. That means under a Tenant-based Section 8 voucher he’s expected to pay $248 a month of this toward “total housing costs,” which includes utilities. Should Jason choose housing that is more than $736 a month (perhaps a two bedroom option for extra space), he can choose to spend up to 40% of his income on total housing costs.[3]
Joshua requires 24/7 staff for his care and safety.[4] When Josh’s Tenant-based voucher is awarded, the requirement for staff, and the space this requires, will be taken into account. Josh will therefore qualify for a larger unit, and therefore a higher rent. However, he will not be required to contribute more than 30% of his income to the total housing costs, and can choose to spend up to 40% of his income on total housing costs. This means Joshua’s unique needs result in a higher overall subsidy.
There was a time we never imagined Jason and Joshua living in our community as adults; and we never anticipated that many people in our community would consider it enriched because the boys are part of it.
One step at a time—it’s an adventure.
[1] Section 8 Made Simple; http://www.tacinc.org/knowledge-resources/publications/manuals-guides/section-8-made-simple/
[2] Section 8 Made Easy
[3] Jay also has to spend up to 30% of income from his job, but I’m leaving that out here to keep it simple. Jason does not yet earn enough to no longer be classified as low income, but if that day comes (and I hope it does), he will not qualify for Section 8 housing assistance.
[4] The staff is funded by a Medicaid waiver, for which Josh had to be found eligible. Josh then went on a wait list until funding became available.
I am one of those people who sees our community enriched by having the boys in it. I am grateful that you were courageous enough to push past all the obstacles, not the least of which is fear, and reach for something better for your boys. There are certainly risks in transitioning, but the benefits, it seems, are further reaching than anyone could have foreseen!