In Rhode Island, many people with disabilities can't qualify for affordable, accessible housing

From The Providence Journal in Rhode Island:

“This is the first one we’ve ever, ever had a problem selling,” said Cindy Paliotto (pictured), on a tour of a house her agency rehabilitated at 125 West Ave., in Pawtucket’s Woodlawn neighborhood.

The house, priced at $175,000 last year, is now on the market for $120,000, after $15,000 in down payment assistance.

It was developed as affordable housing, and it will only be sold to an individual or family that earns no more than 80 percent of the area’s median income, or $58,500 for a family of four.

The three-bedroom, single-family house was renovated to be accessible by a person who uses a wheelchair. It was the first handicapped accessible housing project completed by Paliotto’s nonprofit agency, the Blackstone Valley Community Action Program.

Because the front-door entrance is one step up from sidewalk level, there is a ramp that leads from the sidewalk to an accessible entrance on one side of the house. There is room under the kitchen sink to accommodate a wheelchair. The knobs on the electric stove in the kitchen are on the front of the appliance.

Doorways, hallways and even closets are wide. A ramped hallway leads to bedrooms at the rear of the house. Laundry hookups are behind a wide doorway near the bathroom and bedrooms.

The full bathroom is wide and spacious, and it features an open tiled shower area that is level with the floor. The shower area has a built-in wall seat. There are grab bars near the toilet, and a wall-mounted sink has room underneath to accommodate a wheelchair.

Paliotto said one of the visitors at the first open house held for the property, a disabled man, called 125 West St. “a dream house” for anyone who uses a wheelchair. Unfortunately, he could not afford to buy the house.

Because of the tightened credit market and the income restrictions, Paliotto said, it has been difficult to sell the house, even at its deeply discounted price.

In Rhode Island, nonprofit developers often lead the way in providing housing for the disabled.

A Providence nonprofit, SWAP — Stop Wasting Abandoned Property — designed 35 rental apartments at 500 Broad St. in Providence with a universal design model so that they could easily be converted for use by the disabled.

Of the 35 one- and two-bedroom apartments at the mixed-use project, called SouthSide Gateways, five are now rented by individuals or families with disabilities.

SWAP also designed the exterior of 500 Broad St., which was completed in 2008, to be accessible. The parking spaces and entrances at the rear of the building are all one level, with no raised curbing, and all the doorways are wide enough for a wheelchair.

SWAP has eight other rental units that were designed for use by disabled individuals at scattered sites in South Providence, mainly three-bedroom units rented by families who have children with physical handicaps.

The agency reports it has a small waiting list of handicapped individuals looking for accessible housing.

But disabled people who earn too much to qualify for affordable housing are often on their own when it comes to finding a place to live.

Although awareness about the concept of universal design in buildings is growing, most housing on the market today would need considerable modification to enable a disabled person to live independently. This is particularly true of historic houses.

Providence Journal copy editor Stephanie McKenna, who uses a wheelchair, said that trying to find an accessible home is an exercise in frustration.

When real estate agents in Rhode Island list a home for sale, they can indicate whether a house is accessible on the Statewide Multiple Listing Service. But that judgment is left entirely to the seller or listing agent, and it is not based on any objective criteria.

McKenna, who is considering a move, said many houses are identified as handicapped accessible on the MLS just because they are one-story buildings, have low-pile carpets, or have “just one or two steps” at the front door.

Susan Arnold, chief executive officer of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, met with McKenna this week to discuss the way accessible houses are identified and presented on the association’s Web site, riliving.com. She said it should be easy to improve the site to make it easier to find accessible homes.

Meanwhile, Paliotto said her agency hopes to find a buyer soon for its handicapped-accessible house. There will be an open house at 125 West Ave., Pawtucket, on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 12 noon to 3 p.m. Eligible applicants must be homebuyer class graduates, meet income guidelines and have good credit.