President Obama Signs Legislation Modernizing HUD's Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities Program

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On January 4, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2010 into law. This groundbreaking legislation will reinvigorate and modernize a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program - the Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program. Section 811 provides critically important affordable housing linked with community-based supportive services for the most vulnerable people with disabilities. By leveraging other sources of capital funding, such as federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, the reformed Section 811 program will now develop thousands more units of supportive housing every year and - for the first time - create integrated supportive housing units within affordable housing properties.

Shortly after Congress passed the Melville Act, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan commented on how these important Section 811 reforms will help improve housing for people with disabilities.
The Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act makes long overdue improvements to the Section 811 program by:

• Modernizing and simplifying the capital advance program for non-profit sponsors;

• Integrating supportive housing for people with disabilities into larger multi-family affordable rental housing developments;

• Protecting an existing tenant-based program targeted to people with disabilities; and

• Creating an innovative subsidy approach that will allow states and localities leverage additional capital funds for the creation of new units of supportive housing.

TAC and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force led an intensive three-year advocacy effort that culminated on December 21 in the House of Representatives. On Friday, December 17th, the U.S. Senate passed this legislation - S 1481 - by unanimous consent. The House passed a similar bill in 2009 and voted on December 21 to adopt the bill passed by the Senate before final adjournment of the 111th Congress.

TAC applauds the bipartisan leadership that made this legislation possible and extends its thanks to the Members of Congress who, along with their staff, helped make this groundbreaking legislation a reality including:

• Congressman Christopher Murphy (D-CT) and Congresswoman Judy Biggert (R-IL) who were the lead co-sponsors in the House;

• Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) and Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee;

• Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) who were the lead co-sponsors in the Senate; and

• Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee.

This legislation is named in honor of the late Frank Melville, the first Board Chair of the Melville Charitable Trust. Frank Melville and the entire Melville Charitable Trust family have been national leaders in promoting supportive housing as a highly successful and cost-effective best practice that can prevent and end unnecessary institutionalization and homelessness among people with the most significant and long-term disabilities.