Campaign for Affordable, Accessible Housing
People with Disabilities and the Housing Crisis
People with disabilities face unique challenges in the housing crisis. Much of the housing that exists was not build with the needs of people with disabilities or older adults in mind.
While nearly one in five households has accessibility needs, the supply of homes designed to meet those needs is far below demand. Decades of underproduction, combined with an aging population and increasing demand for accessible housing, have created an urgent challenge that requires coordinated action.
Community Vision is helping to lead the way. Our newly released Accessibility Roadmap points the way forward in expanding inclusion for people with disabilities. We are advocating alongside people with disabilities and partners for policies that create more affordable, accessible housing.
The Need
For a deeper dive into the challenges people with disabilities and older adults experience with housing, check out our 2024 report “Access Denied: An Overview of the Housing Crisis for People with Disabilities”. The report:
- Explores housing affordability. People with disabilities experience inequities in income. Part-time employment, restrictions on Social Security income, and not enough rental assistance limit the rent they can afford. This profoundly impacts housing choice.
- Exposes the limited number of accessible homes. Current accessibility standards do not match the need for accessible housing. In addition, accessible units are difficult to find due to widespread noncompliance with accessibility standards.
- Examines how fair housing and equal opportunity laws are not being followed. Housing providers are failing to grant reasonable accommodation requests and to match people with disabilities to accessible homes.
The Solution:
Our collective advocacy is yielding results! In 2026, the Oregon legislature passed SB 1576, requiring affordable housing developments to ensure that at least 5% of their units are accessible. Huge thanks to our coalition partners Disability Rights Oregon, 1000 Friends of Oregon, and the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, along with the more than 30 organizations that supported the legislation—including Housing Oregon, the Oregon Housing Alliance, Home Forward, and Northwest Housing Alternatives.
Now, we are launching the next phase of our advocacy, the Accessibility Roadmap. We will work together with housing stakeholders on education, policy change, and matching pathways so people with disabilities and older adults can live in apartments that meet their accessibility needs.
For more, see our recent stories on our housing advocacy work.
Contact
Allen Hines
Housing Access Program Director
(971) 263-0048
ahines@cvision.org