[wapadc] Baltimore county commission on disabilities housing report

Greetings. For those of you working on housing or disabilities, I thought this report may be of interest.  The housing work group for the Baltimore County Commission on Disabilities has been working on a report on housing for people with disabilities within the county.  As chair of the committee, I am pleased to give you a copy of the report.  Please share it with others as appropriate.
 
All the best,

Jo Anne Schneider

Please see the formal release on the report below for an outline of the report:

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KEVIN KAMENETZ                                                                                                    ANDREA VAN ARSDALE, DIRECTOR

County Executive                                                                                                                                 Department of Planning

            June 21, 2013

 

It is with great pleasure that, in our official capacities as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Commission on Disabilities, we present the report, “Housing Availability and Resources For People with Disabilities in Baltimore County.” Our Housing Work Group has been researching and developing the report for the past year, and it represents the input from Commissioners from non-profit agencies, local and state government agencies, and higher education.

 

The report is set up in three sections:  Housing Need;  Review of Existing Resources;  and, Recommendations.   While the report is ambitious in its scope, the Commission has developed four recommendations (from a total of 15) which we believe can be addressed immediately:

 

Ÿ      Encourage the County Council and the Planning Department to prioritize creating more accessible housing of all forms in Baltimore County.

 

Ÿ      Provide training to all Public Housing Office staff regarding disability sensitivity, the needs of individuals with disabilities, the support systems that help them, the role of live-in companions and caregivers, and reasonable accommodations.

 

Ÿ      Working with the County Council, the Department of Permits, Approvals and Inspections and the OCIE Rental Office to develop policies that support the creation of shared housing for people with all levels of disability, and provide exemptions or financial assistance to property owners with disabilities to assist them in  complying with county codes as they change.

 

Ÿ      Create clear guidelines on accommodations for people with disabilities for both the Department of Permits, Approvals and Inspections and the Office of Code Inspections and Enforcement  Rental Office, and ensure that staff in these offices at all levels are trained in the Fair Housing Act, reasonable accommodations, cultural competence and how to interact with people with all types of disabilities.

 

We thank the Housing Work Group for their efforts in addressing the residential needs of our citizens with disabilities, and look forward to addressing the report’s recommendations with the appropriate staff from Baltimore County.

 

Sincerely,

 

Terri S. Parrish, Chair

Benjamin J. Dubin, Vice-Chair

Baltimore County Commission on Disabilities

--   This email does not represent the views of George Washington University in any way.    Jo Anne Schneider  Associate Research Professor  Anthropology Department  George Washington University  jschneid@gwu.edu  home.gwu.edu/~jschneid  www.faithandorganizations.umd.edu