The National Home of Your Own Alliance is dedicated to the memory of Jeanne Johnson. Jeanne moved into her own home in 1985 after 23 years of forced institutional living. She married her childhood sweetheart in June of 1993. Tragically, Jeanne died in September 1993, but not before realizing her own version of the American Dream. We will miss her guidance in carrying out our mission of assuring that all people have the opportunity to control their own lives and pursue their dreams. Jeanne's tenacious spirit and positive energy will be with us always, providing the cornerstone for this unprecedented work.
Origin of the Alliance
Person-owned/controlled housing and personalized support have become part of this nation's agenda as grassroots efforts have challenged the standard way of providing services for people with developmental and other disabilities. Throughout the nation individuals, advocates and innovative service providers have made significant moves from institutions and group homes to the creation of housing and support that permit all people, including those with the most intensive support needs, to live in homes of their own choosing. This trend is part of a broader shift away from traditional, agency-controlled services toward a focus on support resources that encourage personal control and full community inclusion.
On September 1, 1993, the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) entered into a cooperative agreement with the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire to create a national information and technical assistance center on home ownership/control and personalized support. This agreement was a natural progression from the Home of Your Own demonstration projects funded by ADD to promote development of creative strategies for achieving home ownership. The National Home of Your Own Alliance is a partnership between the Federal government and nationally recognized advocates and leaders whose goal is to create housing and support opportunities that people choose and control.
The Alliance is currently working in thirteen states to develop local demonstrations of home ownership. We intend to negotiate agreements in a total of 23 states over five years, building coalitions of housing and disability organizations led by individuals with disabilities, their families, friends and advocates. In addition to state technical assistance, the Alliance is developing a national information clearinghouse in collaboration with the Center for Accessible Housing in North Carolina, United Cerebral Palsy Associations in Washington, D.C., Co-op Initiatives in Connecticut, the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University in Pennsylvania and the Human Services Research Institute in Massachusetts.
The lessons learned from Home of Your Own initiatives around the country raise new possibilities for the creation of person-owned/controlled housing and support. These possibilities can only become nationwide realities if local, state and national groups focus attention on the physical, economic, social and institutional barriers that exist.
A lack of personal financial resources and systemic dependence on programs that limit personal choices are two major barriers that deny basic opportunities and civil rights. The limited capacity to create innovative housing and support options and the limited involvement of people in these efforts are also barriers to person-owned/controlled housing and support.
Our goal is to create an infrastructure of exemplary practices and public and private sector partnerships which will link the home mortgage and social service industries to better serve people with disabilities.
For more information contact: The National Home of Your Own Alliance at 1-800-220-8770.
Alliance ACTIVITIES
The National Home of Your Own Alliance is focused on broad systems change and local efforts to create opportunities for individuals. The Alliance is addressing the need for local, state, and national systems change through three primary activities: intensive technical assistance in selected states, leadership of people with disabilities in all aspects of the Alliance, and information and referral on person-owned/controlled housing and support.
Specifically, the Alliance is working to:
State Technical Assistance
Technical assistance, the cornerstone of Alliance activities, has been carefully designed to accomplish several critical outcomes: a) opportunities for home ownership and personalized support throughout the country; b) statewide systems change efforts based on individual state needs and aimed at alleviating barriers to home ownership; c) cost-effective collaborations between public and private sectors and reallocation of existing resources; and d) rethinking home and support opportunities to reflect the beliefs upon which the Alliance is founded.
Technical assistance will be provided as part of statewide systems change initiatives in 23 states during the first five years of the Alliance. With the help of the National Alliance Advisory Board, the Alliance recruits and selects up to five states to participate annually.
State coalitions will:
In addition to work at the state level, Alliance efforts are directed toward change at the federal level concerning policies and resources which affect the availability of housing and support. This work involves three primary efforts: a) critical analysis of federal programs and policies (e.g., Medicaid waiver program, HUD programs) that affect the resources available for home ownership and personalized support; b) policy forums on legislative advocacy and legislative developments; and c) grassroots community organizing and leadership development for people with disabilities.
Leadership Development
The Alliance National Advisory Board, comprised of people with disabilities who serve on steering committees in technical assistance states, builds leadership capacity and ensures that the Alliance remains driven by its key constituency. Advisory board members, in partnership with a state contact person usually associated with a state agency, serve as liaisons with the Alliance staff. Our goal is for people with disabilities who serve on state steering committees to be prepared and supported to make major decisions and to help forge partnerships with key players such as representatives of the service and housing finance industry. The Alliance also promotes opportunities for employment by recruiting qualified project staff, subcontractors and consultants who have disabilities, and encouraging such hiring within subcontracts and other aspects of our work.
Information and Referral
The Alliance serves as a national Information and Referral clearinghouse on person-controlled housing, based on the experiences of the participating states. Dedicated to timely dissemination of accurate information about home ownership and person-controlled support, the clearinghouse administers a toll-free telephone line, a Web-server and a set of publications and materials based on real-life situations and produced in formats understandable to a broad range of audiences. All materials are available in Braille and large print, on audio tape and computer disk, in Spanish translation and through captioned videos.
The Information and Referral of the Alliance shares information about promising programs and practices with all relevant audiences. In keeping with the beliefs that guide the Alliance, our dissemination strategy focuses on broad-based methods that are accessible to all communities.
For more information contact:
The National Home of Your Own Alliance
1-800-220-8770
This brochure is available in alternative formats upon request.
The Home of Your Own Project developed by the Institute on Disability and funded by the New Hampshire Finance Authority is an award winning program of NCSHA (National Council of State Housing Agencies) and the type of program we would like to encourage. John T. McEnvoy, Executive Director, NCSHA
The Governors urge the federal government to strengthen efforts to increase home ownership. One approach is to strengthen the public/private partnership. National Governor's Association
Home ownership provides a sense of control and belonging unachievable in the living arrangements typically available to people with developmental disabilities. As home owners, people with disabilities take charge of their homes and lives while contributing to the general economy as borrowers, taxpayers, citizens and consumers of goods and services.
Extending the American Dream
The complexity of the mortgage application process and the cash requirement at closing are the largest barriers to homeownership for many families. The costs can be reduced and the process simplified by streamlining the way mortgages are created and serviced. Fannie Mae, Showing America the Way Home
I remember the first Home of Your Own client that came in. Jenny was actually a woman my age, a former resident of the Laconia State School, and I could see myself in her. And I knew that she wanted to move out of the group home into her own home and control her own environment. I could empathize with her and I felt it was important for me to play a part, a small part, of that process and make it happen. It made me feel good about my job and doing something for Jenny. Claira Monier, Executive Director, New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority
National Home of Your Own Alliance
A Technical Assistance Center at the University of New Hampshire
Institute on Disability/University Affiliated Program
Funded through a cooperative agreement with:
The Administration on Developmental Disabilities,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
In collaboration with:
Center for Accessible Housing, North Carolina State University
Co-op Initiatives, Hartford, Connecticut
Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association), Washington, D.C.
Granite State Independent Living Foundation, Concord, New Hampshire
Human Services Research Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Institute on Disabilities, Temple University
National Action Coalition, Topeka, Kansas
National Experts, Planners, and Consultants
State Steering Committees in; Arizona,Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho,
Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New
Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Texas
United Cerebral Palsy Associations, Washington, D.C.
People with disabilities want a place to live that they can call their own. In this regard, their dreams are no different from their fellow citizens. Many people with disabilities, however, also need supports in order to enjoy everyday community living. For these individuals, having a home of their own frequently is intertwined with the availability of natural, community and public supports to help address their needs. (Gary Smith, National Association of Developmental Services Directors)
To me owning a home is like getting your freedom, freedom out of the dark ages. That was my dream. I wanted to see how it would feel to own my
own place.
(Doug Brooks, homeowner)
Our belief is that everyone is ready to live in their own home. The issue is support. There is nothing magical about any building that we have seen anywhere in the country. What we know is that the magic is with the people who surround the person, and what we need to do is provide support to people so that they can live in and control their own homes.
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