Housing Resources

Housing Resources

Emergency Housing or Shelters, and Programs for Low-income Families

Abby's House Abby Kelley Foster House, Inc. (Abby’s House) is emergency Shelter in Worcester, MA where homeless women and children reclaim and rebuild their lives.

Covenant House Opening Doors for Homeless Youth

FamilyPromise helps homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence.

Find A Homeless Shelter Near You! The Homeless Shelter Directory that provides a map of more than 3,000 homeless shelters across the U.S. You can use this website to find contact information for shelters and other services for people who are homeless.

FindFamily Resources Find the Help Your Family Needs, for Free.

Great Non-Profits is a data base of homeless programs, charities, organizations that help those in need.

HUD The Housing & Urban Development's (HUD) housing choice voucher program provides assistance to low income families, people with disabilities, and the elderly to provide for housing on the private market.

NHLP The National Housing Law Project is a nonprofit national housing and legal advocacy center established in 1968. Our mission is to advance housing justice for poor people by increasing and preserving the supply of decent, affordable housing; improving housing conditions, including physical conditions and management practices; expanding and enforcing low-income tenants’ and homeowners’ rights and increasing housing opportunities for racial and ethnic minorities.

Section 8 Housing List a website for people that have already filed their Section 8 application and heard back from their local housing authority. This is where you can start looking for possible landlords and your new home.

Fair Housing

Fair Housing First Information on the fair housing act.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

Universal Design vs Accessibility

Universal Design is a concept where the creation of accessible spaces becomes an integral part of the design process. Accessibility has a stronger focus on providing separate accessible accommodations for individuals who need them and making existing public accommodations compliant by removing architectural barriers.

The United States ADA standards are issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) and apply to facilities covered by the ADA in new construction and alterations.   DOJ’s standards apply to all facilities covered by the ADA, except public transportation facilities, which are subject to DOT’s standards.

Information on ADA Guidelines are listed separately under ADA & Accessibility Guidelines

Adaptive Living Products and Accessible Home Improvements

Building a Custom Universal Design Home An article on universal design and building your own dream home.

Concrete Change is an international network whose goal is making all new homes visitable.

Disappearing Stand Mixer Shelf is a lifting, mechanical shelf for a heavy stand mixer. Mixer not included.

Evan Terry One of the nation’s leaders in architectural design.

EzAble is a comprehensive resource for people with disabilities and has a nice section on home improvement.

Home Smart is a construction company that focuses on accessibility. They do new home constructions as well as renovations and modifications. Their mission is to enable people to remain in their homes – at whatever budget level and style they choose, for as long as they want – safely, comfortably and independently.

Live Smart Design is a company that specializes in universal design as well as home renovations and modifications.

NeedHelp Paying Bills? Assistance programs from State, city and county government, as well as local organizations.

New Horizons is a data base of companies that specializes in Accessible housing and modifications.

Pierce Lambert Architects Pierce Lamb Architects are not only committed to designing accessible spaces, Deborah Pierce wrote the book- The Accessible Home.

Schrock Cabinets is a Cabinetry company based in Jasper, IN they offer cabinets that are accessible.

The Mobility Project Tips for Making Your Rental Mobility Ready.

Universal Design Online Home plans and additions that are universally designed and include sustainable green features- homes that provide independent living while conserving and protecting our natural resources.

Accessible Ramps

DiscountRamps Ramps and so much more…

Ez Access  American Made Mobility Ramps and Vertical Platform Lifts

Ez Access Incline Chart An incline chart to help the consumer determine proper ramp length.

Portable Wheelchair Ramps The Wheelchair Ramp Experts

Ramps.org Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about ramps, including a contractor database and product reviews.

Wheelchair Ramp Manual Layout and design for accessible ramps.

Free Ramp Building Programs

Free Ramps Community Ramp Building Programs, a nationwide database.

Programs for Elderly Housing Ramp Program A database of free accessible ramps for low income seniors. Also contains links for regional programs that provide assistance for home modifications for people with disabilities of all ages, as well as seniors.