The benefits of homeownership are well known. It is also well known that accessing those benefits is becoming increasingly rare for people who call the Oregon Coast home. And for too long, many communities along the Oregon Coast home have been systemically denied or seriously hindered from accessing the homeownership market entirely. The Oregon Coast needs a new vision for homeownership where all people who have not had the opportunity for ownership are given greater choice and options to become homeowners.
The racial homeownership gap is just now finally starting to get the attention that is deserves, and there is still a long way to go to overcome the barriers to ownership that have been placed in the way of Black and Hispanic/Latinx households becoming homeowners. Another community that has been almost entirely excluded from homeownership opportunities are people with Intellectual and Development Disabilities (IDD).
Housing choice is perhaps something many current homeowners take for granted, but for people with IDD, housing choice, albeit limited, is relatively new. As the Kuni Foundation reports, “In the past, and to some extent today, individuals with disabilities have been stigmatized, confined to institutions, and isolated from society.” In other words, people with IDD have historically been stripped of choice in making housing decisions for themselves. As thinking on this has changed, and community integration has become the accepted best practice, The Kuni Foundation goes on to point out that “policies and litigation focused on transitioning individuals out of institutions failed to consider, fund, or plan for alternative housing options.”
So, while housing choice has become the accepted practice, there remain few real housing options, with one option, homeownership, being exceedingly rare for people with IDD, especially on the Coast. In various surveys of their affordable homeownership programs, Habitat for Humanity has reported that homeownership improves physical and mental health, physical safety and security, and improved financial and employment prospects. As people with IDD disproportionately experience worse physical and mental health than the general population, experience higher rates of poverty and extreme poverty, and have fewer employment prospects, homeownership would seem to greatly benefit people with IDD.
One of the other important benefits of homeownership is its impact on housing insecurity. Despite the push for housing choice for people with IDD, housing insecurity remains incredibly high in this community. According to the Kuni Foundation, 61% of people with IDD in Oregon live with family or a caregiver, and 27% are living with caregivers that are 60+ years old. This increases housing insecurity as age and physical limitations may prevent many of these caregivers from continuing to fulfill that role and provide stable housing. Without a home of their own, many people with IDD might be out of luck when their caregiver is no longer able to provide housing.
Homeownership is for everyone. Everyone deserves the right to make the choice for themselves to become a homeowner. Everyone also deserves the dignity and security that comes with homeownership should that choose it. As more and more people are being priced out of homeownership on the Oregon Coast, it is important that we rethink homeownership, especially in our rural coastal communities, to provide more choice and opportunity for people who have historically been denied access to the housing market – because of race, ethnicity, disability, or any other factor – to enter the housing market and enjoy the security and dignity that comes with being a homeowner in their community of choice.
Affordable homeownership is a big challenge for our community, but it can be overcome with your support. The first thing to do is educate yourself about the issues. For further reading we recommend:
- The Kuni Foundation report: Housing Needs for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- The Habitat for Humanity reports:
- The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Position Statement on Housing
- The Arc’s Policy & Advocacy on Housing
- The National Low Income Housing Coalition publication: Affordable, Accessible Housing for People with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities: Start with What People Want
To learn more about what is going on along the Oregon Coast, and to see what you can do in your own Oregon coastal community, visit the Sammy’s Place website: https://sammysplace.info/
Sammy’s Place is a group of individuals, family members, caregivers, and community members who believe everyone should have access to the possibility to dream, including people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). We are invested through our work together in a welcoming Oregon coastal region where everybody has what they need to fully participate and thrive in their community of choice.