Transportation and housing vie for NYC top billing.

Just as transportation for persons with disabilities took center stage, affordable housing for persons with disabilities jumped on to garner the lime light in New York. The transportation report released on Sunday, January 13, 2008 contained rather startling findings. And for the housing, it took a lead role in the Governor’s “State of the State” address the following evening. If only these concerns were an anomaly unique to the “Big Apple”.

Traveling throughout our nation Enable America has found repeatedly that both transportation and housing are consistently within the top five “impediments” between persons with disabilities and the communities in which we live. Surprising, however, were many of the indisputable findings contained in NYC’s City Council transportation report. Housing has, topped the list of concerns surveyed in our “Listening Tour” that took us into the city for Community Connection Meetings on several occasions. It was hard to digest, for example, how, after spending $350 million only 10% of MTA’s subway stations were wheel chair accessible. And hard to swallow, the lack of sensitivity attributed to bus and van drivers. On the other hand, the mere fact that there is a report based on analytical research and input from focus groups that included 83 PWDs, is an extraordinary accomplishment in and of itself; now onto accessible and affordable housing.

If not already available, and we have not completed an exhaustive search, perhaps City Council should take on affordable/accessible housing for persons with disabilities next. While fortunate to have several good organizations that provide interim housing for the advancement of independent living skills, “independent” should remain the operative word. Some of us will always need assistance, to some degree. But, how much, depends on a variety of factors including, the opportunity to “push the envelope”.

Recently we learned of an independent living arrangement that was organized, privately, by the families of several PWDs in Illinois. Several apartments in a complex were secured, roommates paired, and transportation arrangements confirmed. With minimal assistance, a dozen young people live on their own with minimum but consistent outside support. They all have jobs and while trained on how to ask (call) for help, a support person only checks in on them periodically to make ensure all is in order and that their shared house keeping assistance is keeping up with them and their needs.

Governor Spitzer has called for $400 million to be spent on affordable housing is, indeed, to be commended. But what kind of road map will there be to guide the progress of his initiative toward truly fulfilling the needs of PWDs in the city?

With both transportation and housing on stage and the media helping the audience to focus on them now is the time to turn up the stage, foot and house lights. One of the precepts upon which Enable America was founded and forges ahead is “civic engagement” by and among persons with disabilities. There could not be a better time for us to join together, both persons with disabilities and our able bodied families and friends, to join together in developing a road map, advancing it through a ground swell of momentum in so doing we encourage our civic and political leaders to take heed and take action on what, has in New York, and is pervasive elsewhere in our great nation, been vividly identified as basic – priority requirements that can be readily addressed.

Richard Salem is the Chairman of Enable America, a national organization endeavoring to increase employment among persons with disabilities and social inclusion, civic engagement through building grass roots and grass top, community, business and vet “connections.” Join us at http://www.enableamerica.org

Praise and Questions for $400 Million Housing Plan

By TRYMAINE LEE
The New York Times

In what he called “the biggest housing initiative in a generation,” Gov. Eliot Spitzer said in his State of the State address on Wednesday that he would propose a $400 million affordable housing fund to help working-class New Yorkers, the poor and people with special needs.

While some lawmakers lauded the proposal, others said they needed details about how the governor would pay for it, given an anticipated $4 billion deficit for the fiscal year that begins in April.

“When the governor said no new taxes, how do you get to achieve these goals with the economy softening, with revenue softening?” asked Senator John J. Bonacic, a Republican from Mount Hope and the chairman of the Senate’s Housing Committee.

Nevertheless, Mr. Bonacic added that he thought the governor’s proposal was “not a good thing” but “a wonderful thing.”

“Housing, generally they give lip service to it in the past, or it’s not so high on the radar screen,” Mr. Bonacic said.

Education, health care and transportation typically gobble up the bulk of the state’s annual funding. And the interest groups that support those issues have generally been able to trump the housing issue and the nonprofits that advocate on its behalf.

The governor’s proposed Housing Opportunity Fund, in addition to the state’s regular funding, would more than triple the amount normally allocated for affordable housing, according to Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, a Brooklyn Democrat and the chairman of the Assembly Housing Committee.

The new fund would also be used to develop housing for those with mental and physical disabilities, as well as those dealing with addictions, Mr. Spitzer said.

“This is an issue the state has abdicated over the years,” he said after an appearance in Brooklyn on Sunday. “Especially in New York City, it has resulted in the exodus of our middle class and our work force. Our teachers, our firefighters, our hospital workers have found it impossible to find housing that they can live in.”

The bulk of the money to pay for the program would come from the state’s Mortgage Insurance Fund and proceeds from the state’s mortgage tax, according to Mr. Lopez.

More will be known about the initiative next week after Mr. Spitzer presents his budget, but it appeared that the assistance would mainly be provided through state bonds for housing construction and rehabilitation.

Tom Dunham, a spokesman for Senator Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican and the deputy majority leader of the Senate, said Mr. Skelos would reserve judgment on the proposal until he learned its details.

The increase would be a divergence from the housing policy of Gov. George E. Pataki.

During much of Mr. Pataki’s tenure, nearly every developer building rental apartments who asked the state for tax-free bonds got them as long as they agreed to set aside 20 percent of the units for low- and moderate-income tenants for 20 years. The 80-20 program, as it was known, meant millions for developers. But critics said the program overly benefited developers of luxury projects that were out of reach for poorer residents.

Funding for affordable housing had remained “flat” at about $180 million a year for about the past 15 years, Mr. Lopez said.

Advocacy groups that have long sought to have the state put muscle behind initiatives to lower housing costs for New Yorkers applauded Mr. Spitzer’s proposal.

“We think it’s great that the governor is really looking at the crisis of affordable housing across the state, and he is making that link between housing and economic development,” said Josh Lockwood, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of New York City.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/nyregion/15spitzer.html

Spitzer pitches affordable housing plan

By Jordan Lite
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Gov. Eliot Spitzer made a sales pitch Sunday for his proposed $400 million affordable housing plan, saying it was “a moral obligation” and “an economic imperative” to keep working families in New York City.

Spitzer made his remarks after touring the Rheingold Houses in Bushwick, which he called “a wonderful, wonderful example of all we are trying to create.”

The housing plan, to be hashed out during Spitzer’s budget address later this month, still needs the approval of the Legislature. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who supports it, said he expected it to get Senate backing.

“I believe the Senate will be supportive of it as well,” Silver said Sunday. “We need this program.”

Housing advocates say the plan would be the most substantial commitment to affordable housing by the state, and take considerable burden off of strapped local agencies such as the New York City Housing Authority.

Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/01/14/2008-01-14_spitzer_pitches_affordable_housing_plan.html

Better Transit for City’s Disabled Is Urged

By RAY RIVERA
The New York Times

The City Council assailed the state of transportation for the disabled in the city, and recommended a system of improvements, in a new report released on Sunday.

In addition to problems that have long plagued the public transit system, like the dearth of subway stations with elevators and a shortage of taxicabs that are wheelchair-accessible, the report also cited problems — including rude paratransit drivers, insensitive subway employees and poorly maintained equipment — that council members believe can be quickly and inexpensively corrected.

The report recommended better training for Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees who provide paratransit services, and increased inspections and maintenance of wheelchair lifts and other accessibility components on buses.

“I think sometimes when you look at systemic problems, you throw your hands in the air and say, ‘Sure, if we have a billion dollars and 10 years we could fix it,’ ” said Councilman Eric N. Gioia, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Investigations, one of three committees that collaborated on the report. “But we found that a lot of things we heard complaints about are really quite simple to fix.”

The 84-page report relied on data collected by 11 focus groups, which included 83 disabled riders, from April 30 through June 7, 2007. The study was conducted in conjunction with the City University of New York’s office of student affairs and graduate program in disability studies.

Officials at the transportation authority said on Sunday that they had not yet seen the report, but cited a number of improvements the agency had already made to enhance service for disabled passengers, including having spent more than $350 million since 2001 to provide wheelchair access at subway stations. The report, however, notes that 90 percent remain inaccessible.

“We look forward to reading the report and working with the Council to identify ways we can improve our service,” the agency said in a statement.
Some of the report’s harshest criticism was directed at the authority’s Access-A-Ride program, which provides van service for people who are unable to use the subways, buses or commuter railroads.

Passengers in the study who use the service said that drivers often refused to help them enter or exit the van or to assist them with their packages, claiming that Access-A-Ride policy prohibited them from leaving the vehicle, according to the report. One passenger recalled being stuck in his snow-covered driveway while the paratransit van driver refused to get out and help him board.

“Oh no! I’m not coming out to help you — it’s not my job,” the passenger quoted the driver as saying.

According to the authority’s guide to Access-A-Ride, a driver can assist a passenger as long as he does not lose sight of the vehicle and is within 100 feet of it.

The report also recommended that wheelchair vans display their vehicle and driver identification in a more conspicuous place inside the van so riders can report complaints more easily.

The report cited complaints of buses’ moving before program participants had found a seat, and of drivers’ refusing to lower or “kneel” the bus or lower the wheelchair lift for them, saying either that the equipment was broken or that they did not have the proper key to operate it.

One focus group participant who had difficulty walking said a bus driver refused to lower the lift for her because she was not in a wheelchair. She then had to slowly pull herself up the steps as impatient and angry customers waited to board behind her.

Bus drivers and subway personnel also often refused to offer any assistance to disabled passengers, including helping out when other passengers refused to give up seats reserved for the disabled, the report said.

Focus group members also complained of taxis that refused to transport them with their guide dogs, and one said she was charged extra to transport her wheelchair. The report recommended that the Taxi and Limousine Commission, as well as all other city agencies, conduct more regular enforcement to assess the prevalence of discriminatory practices.

The taxi and limousine commissioner, Matthew W. Daus, said that he had not seen the report, but added that the agency already conducted routine sting operations, using undercover inspectors and police officers posing with service dogs, to uncover discrimination.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/nyregion/14disabled.html

Disabled face unfare obstacles

By BILL EGBERT
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Buses and subways are supposed to help disabled New Yorkers get around - but broken elevators and bus lifts often leave them stranded, a new City Council report finds.

Simple solutions could address chronic problems, said disabled advocate Michael Harris, who uses a wheelchair and once had to try boarding five buses before one had a working lift.

"A simple thing like cycling the lift before sending a bus out in the morning would go a long way to improve things," Harris said. "Disabled people pay fares. We deserve fair treatment."

CUNY researchers and disabled advocates who worked on the report highlighted other simple fixes, like having cleaning staff test elevators and intercoms, announcing broken elevators at train stops before passengers get off and putting GPS on Access-A-Ride vans.

"The city has both a legal and a moral obligation to do better," said Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens), chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Committee.

"Most of the recommendations are common-sense steps than can be implemented almost immediately."

NYC Transit said it had not seen the report but has launched a new elevator maintenance program and is posting information about broken elevators online.

Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/01/14/2008-01-14_disabled_face_unfare_obstacles.html