Redefining ‘home for holidays’ for people with disabilities
LONDON: A new team is pioneering a disability housing solution that makes every home welcoming.
Justin Tsang recalls his time living in congregate disability-specific housing with indignation. “Imagine being an adult, living in a place where a curfew was enforced, having to share a bedroom, not being allowed to be home alone, being forced to follow a routine schedule and not being allowed to cook for yourself.” These homes restrict personal choices and privacy, force residents to follow a strict schedule and recently became a hotspot for the spread of COVID-19.
Tsang believes it doesn’t have to be this way. “People with disabilities shouldn’t live in congregate-based settings, regardless of support needs,” he says. “We can live independently with supportive services at home. If we had enough accessible, affordable and inclusive housing in the United States, we wouldn’t be here.”
Recognizing this injustice and opportunity for change, Tsang joined a team of grassroots policy advocates convened by The Kelsey.
A nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, The Kelsey seeks to pioneer disability-forward housing solutions that open doors to homes and opportunities for everyone. In 2021 The Kelsey assembled a team of advocates to work on advocacy related to housing and disability. In addition to Tsang, core team members include Fatimah Aure, Allie Cannington and Zan Thornton. Together, they envision a world where people with and without disabilities live in housing that is deeply affordable, accessible, inclusive and fully integrated into the community.
What is disability-forward housing? To the team, it means centering the perspective of people with disabilities to design spaces, policies and programs for disability access and inclusion to advance opportunities for everyone. Disability-forward recognizes disability as an identity that is valued and visible and creates spaces where people of all identities are seen, welcomed and supported. Advancing inclusion and creating access not to solve or dilute disability, but to include and embrace it.
The bottom line, Aure says, is “We want everyone to afford to live in the housing community of their choosing.”
The 61 million Americans with disabilities are among the nation’s most impacted by the current housing crisis. Only 5% of US housing is accessible to people with mobility or sensory disabilities.
Tsang describes what this means for people in the affected community. “When you layer issues like race and poverty over disability, this intersectionality can ultimately contribute to homelessness, segregation, institutionalization, isolation and severe economic and health disparities that disproportionately impact disabled people of color.”
The team is exploring various policy interventions related to housing and disability, focusing on both housing policies and funding as well as services provision.
According to Cannington, the team’s most immediate policy goal is to develop a Director of Disability Policy position at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). “Our movement needs a HUD insider to be accountable to the community for the affordable, accessible, integrated and inclusive housing future we need,” Cannington says.
The core team includes advocates from California, Georgia and Illinois, all with various physical and cognitive disabilities. They are experienced in grassroots organizing, policy advocacy and activism. In the words of Thornton, “We have an intersectional, diverse and brilliant team. It is important that every member of our team has a disability, as this legislative issue has uniquely affected each of us personally. Driving a movement led by people with and without disabilities is essential.”
Cannington shares the following advice with other organizers, “Set yourselves up for tangible wins, with the knowledge that there will always be more work to be done.” Thornton adds, “Campaigns always cost more and take more time than initially planned. Remember to breathe!”
