BOSTON —  To help prevent thousands of people with disabilities from being unnecessarily institutionalized or possibly becoming homeless, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced it is awarding $2 million in rental assistance to Maine. In turn, the Maine State Housing Authority will provide permanent affordable rental housing and needed supportive services to 66 households who are extremely low-income persons with disabilities, many of whom are transitioning out of institutional settings.

HUD’s support of state housing agencies is made possible through the Section 811 Project Rental Assistance program which enables persons with disabilities who earn less than 30 percent of their area’s median income to live in integrated, affordable housing. State housing agencies and their state Medicaid and Health and Human Service partner agencies identify, refer and support target populations of persons with disabilities who require community-based, long-term care services to live independently. This is one of several recent collaborative efforts between HUD and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The announcement reinforces the guiding principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the landmark 1999 Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v. L.C., helping states and local governments to provide services in the most integrated settings appropriate to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities.