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November / December 2011
Volume 23, Number 6
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News you can use |
Grants Available To Help Residents with
Disabilities Modify Homes
State program helps counties remove housing barriers for persons with disabilities
 Bertha Hill had no problems
getting about when she first moved
into her Austin home nearly 40 years
ago. But age eventually caught up
with her, and she became increasingly
frail and less able to move around the
house.
Simple tasks like reaching up to
her kitchen cabinets now required
a dangerous balancing act on a step
ladder. Bertha realized that her
home’s layout was the main source of
her problems; however, rehabbing it
was beyond what she could afford on
her meager income.
Unfortunately, she isn’t alone.
There are thousands of low income
Texans with disabilities whose
independence is threatened less by
their physical condition than by the
design of their home.
The Texas Department of Housing
and Community Affairs (TDHCA)
recognized this unmet need and
created the Amy Y oung Barrier
Removal Program to help remove
barriers to accessible housing for low
income persons with disabilities.
Named in honor of a longtime
advocate for persons with disabilities
who died in 2009, the state-funded program provides grants
to county governments to widen doors, adjust countertops and
cabinets, install walk-in showers and elevated toilets, and make
other home alterations for persons with disabilities.
The program not only helped finance modifications to Bertha’s
home, bringing cabinets and countertops within reach, it also
helped construct a new ramp for her home.
TDHCA is actively seeking interested local contract
administrators, and the Department encourages counties like yours
to apply. But hurry – the funds may go quickly.
Contact the Housing Trust Fund Division toll free at (800) 462-
4251 or by email at htf@tdhca.state.tx.us and learn how easy and
rewarding it can be to administer funds through the $4 million
Amy Y oung Barrier Removal Program.
Form of Assistance
• One-time grant of up to $20,000 per
home for accessibility and the elimination
of hazardous conditions
Eligible Administrators
• Units of local government, nonprofit organizations,
and public housing authorities
• Administrating entities must demonstrate
knowledge of accessibility guidelines and
applicable construction standards
• Administration fees are 10% of the project
cost paid upon completion of each
project
• Simple three-step application process:
1. Review the Amy Young Barrier Removal
Program Notice of Funding Availability
(NOFA) at www.tdhca.state.
tx.us/nofa.htm
2. Sign and return the 1-page application
with attachments to access the
new funding reservation system.
3. Start reserving grant funds on behalf
of qualified persons with disabilities
(up to $20,000 per household)
Eligible Household Beneficiaries
• Persons with disabilities at or below 80% Area Median Family
Income (AMFI) who are tenants, homeowners, or their
household members with disabilities |
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