Meeting the needs of low-income housing for senior and disabled populations: an analysis of low-income housing tax credit residents in Ohio

ABSTRACT

This article examines the preferences, satisfaction, and perceived ability to age in place for 633 Ohioans living in housing subsidized by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. Using resident responses to a survey, we examine how these items may vary by age and disability status. While all residents prioritize affordability and safety, other preferences vary by age and mobility disability. All residents show high levels of satisfaction with both housing and neighborhood components, however, senior citizens demonstrate higher overall housing satisfaction and perceived ability to age in place. This paper highlights the challenges for affordability and accessibility for residents in developments subsidized by the LIHTC program, despite age or disability status, but argues that age and mobility disability should be considered when designing LIHTC housing.

KEYWORDS:

• Affordable housing
• low-income housing tax credit
• inequality
• aging in place
• disability

Notes

1. A mobility disability in this paper is defined as ambulatory disability: a person that has serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs. The definition is drawn from questionnaires included in the American Community Survey (ACS). These surveys provide six disability types: hearing difficulty, vision difficulty, cognitive difficulty, ambulatory difficulty, self-care difficulty, and independent living difficulty.

2. Between 2014 and 2060, the percent of people aged 65 years or older is projected to increase by 112.2% (Colby & Ortman, 2015; Vega & Wallace, 2016). This increase is consistent with the growth in the number of individuals with a disability since the prevalence of disability in senior citizens is more than three times larger than the prevalence in the general population (Brault, 2008; Smith et al., 2008b; 2012). Projections show that almost a quarter of households will have at least one person with a disability by 2050 (Smith et al., 2008b).

3. Under disability discrimination laws, landlords must provide reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications when necessary to provide someone with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing. Accommodations and modifications must be necessary due to a disability, and they must be reasonable. Accommodations and modifications are reasonable if they do not fundamentally alter the nature of the services provided and do not impose an undue burden on the landlord. In private housing, landlords must pay for the cost of any reasonable accommodation, while tenants must pay for the cost of any reasonable modification (see DisabilityRights.org)

4. The urban and non-urban distinction is defined on by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget definition in which counties with 50,000 or more residents and outlying areas that are tied to the core counties, as measured by commuting patterns.

5. General and senior occupancy represent designations for LIHTC properties. A general occupancy property is not age-restricted, but is open to all income-qualifying households that apply. A senior occupancy property is age-restricted, and residents must meet both income and age qualifications.

6. See OHFA’s 2020 QAP: https://ohiohome.org/ppd/documents/2020-21-QAP-BoardApproved.pdf

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Katherine F. Fallon

Katie Fallon, Ph.D. Katherine if the Director of Housing Policy at the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. Her research and work experience has focused on race, housing, and inequality. She received her Bachelor’s in Public Policyfrom the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. .

Cody R. Price

Cody R. Price, Ph.D. Cody R. Price is a Research Analyst in the Office of Housing Policy at the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. His research focuses on  a wide variety of issues related to affordable housing, ranging from the design and stigma of affordable housing to a survey of Housing Tax Credit residents to studies of NIMBYism. He is also the host of OHFA’s podcast, Doorsteps. Cody holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University.