The Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council has issued a Request for Application (RFA) for a two-year project on the topic of residential housing and services. Below is a summary of the project. The full RFA is available at www.paddc.org under the Grants & Funding tab, or by calling the Council office at 717-787-6057.

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Housing & Services: Advocacy & Education
Objective: “To advocate and educate for separate, exchangeable, and sustainable housing and services that are person directed and controlled by people with developmental disabilities.”

Background
During years of public forums and listening sessions in Pennsylvania, people with disabilities and their family members have consistently asked for alternatives to provider-managed residential housing and services. The majority of housing for people with disabilities in Pennsylvania are homes owned and managed by provider agencies that also deliver the services for the people living there. Many people also continue to live with their parents and family members long after childhood, with little other options for accessible and sustainable housing and service provision. Council believes Pennsylvania can achieve better alternatives for housing that is separate from services and controlled by people with developmental disabilities. We can do this with renewed commitment to Person Directed Services, Money Follows the Person, The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, increased flexibility in our state’s Waiver systems, and by providing hands-on assistance to expand housing programs statewide to individuals who want to obtain the housing and services of their choice.

With this Request for Application (RFA), Council seeks to fund one advocacy and education project that will:

  • Function as a liaison between, and work collaboratively with the two Council-funded housing demonstration grants.
  • Develop and share resources and information on the barriers and best practices determined through the demonstration grants.
  • Conduct outreach and advocacy throughout Pennsylvania to create systems change, eradicate the barriers, and expand knowledge of the best practices proven by the housing demonstration grants.
  • Create and provide training and technical assistance to support replication of the housing and service models developed by the demonstration housing grants.

NOTE: As this grant is for only two years, the successful applicant must propose immediate, ambitious and focused plans of action.

Important Information and Dates

  • Planned Allocation: One Project @ $45,000 per year, for up to two years
  • Preapplication Conference Date: Thursday, October 10, 2019 at 1 m. Webinar: http://paddc.adobeconnect.com/housing0819/
    Conference Call: 1-866-210-1669 code: 3478987# (if you don’t have web access)
  • Due Date for Applications: Monday, November 4, 2019

In order to apply for this grant, you must follow the procedures outlined in the full Request for Application document. This includes submitting the Interest Form located in the forms section of the Appendix. Failure to meet the mandatory requirements will mean automatic disqualification.

If you have reviewed the full Request for Application and have additional questions, please contact:

Dana Thompson, Project Officer

Phone: 717-214-8103 | Email: danathomps@pa.gov