CW: Poverty
Millions of Americans receive Supplemental Security Income benefits. Unfortunately, the benefits don’t cover many expenses. There is nowhere in the country where an SSI beneficiary can reasonably afford an apartment, according to a report published by the Technical Assistance Collaborative.
Nationwide, the average rent for a basic studio or one-bedroom apartment exceeds the average monthly SSI benefit of $983. Even in the country’s cheapest rental market, Dallas County, Mo., the rent for a one-bedroom or efficiency apartment would be 64% of a person’s monthly SSI benefit.
The national average rent for a basic one-bedroom apartment is $1,398 per month, while a studio is just shy of $1,300. To afford a studio or one-bedroom apartment in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville housing market in California, SSI beneficiaries would require two and a half times their monthly benefits. Statewide, the current average monthly benefit of $1,193.62 is less than the FMR (fair market rent) for a studio unit in 25 counties.
Some disabled people can qualify for Section 8. However, this can be a years-long process. Housing vouchers are limited each year.
According to a The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities examination of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data, only two of the 50 largest housing agencies have average wait durations of less than a year for families who have made it off the waiting list; the longest have wait times of up to eight years. Families in need of vouchers have waited on waitlists for over 2.5 years on average nationwide before receiving them.
Justin Smith lives in Minnesota. He receives SSI due to his cerebral palsy. It took ten months for him to finally receive his housing voucher. He waited for over a year. With such high rents, it’s no surprise that according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, 38.6% of sheltered homeless people in America are disabled.
Making things more complicated is the lack of accessible, affordable housing available for disabled people. Apartment List conducted a study in February 2020 utilizing data from the American Community Survey and the American Housing Survey. According to the report, only 9% of households with a disabled family member reside in an accessible home. Even though more than 15% of American households have a member who is physically disabled, just 6% of homes are accessible.
I moved into my own apartment in August of 2020, a month before my 21st birthday. The first barrier was finding a suitable apartment which isn’t easy when you use a power wheelchair and a walker. I was able to find an apartment that was suitable for me.
I was able to have a ramp put in. For the first few years, I used a bath transfer system to shower. Last year, I was able to have a roll in shower installed thanks to my local independent living center.
Housing should be affordable for everyone including disabled people Hopefully, by recognizing how hard it is to find accessible housing, we can all work together to minimize housing barriers for disabled people.
Sources:
“Homelessness in America: Overview of Data and Causes.” The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, 2018, https://homelesslaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Homeless_Stats_Fact_Sheet.pdf.
Diament, Michelle. “SSI Recipients Can’t Afford Housing Anywhere in the US.” Disability Scoop, 5 Feb. 2024, http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/02/05/ssi-recipients-cant-afford-housing-anywhere-in-the-us/30731.
Saucedo, Monica. “Inadequate SSI/SSP Grants Leave Californians Unable to Afford Basic Needs.” California Budget and Policy Center, EARN, 8 Jan. 2024, calbudgetcenter.org/resources/inadequate-ssi-ssp-grants-leave-californians-unable-to-afford-basic-needs/.
Smith, Justin. “Random updates: Housing, Football & Travels” Justin Smith Writes, WordPress, 3 Dec. 2022,
Warnock, Rob. “How Accessible Is the Housing Market?” Apartment List , Apartment List, 19 February, 2020, http://www.apartmentlist.com/research/how-accessible-is-the-housing-market.