For charitable organizations that desire to provide housing for individuals with special needs, a variety of grants are available to cover the cost of acquisition, construction or rehabilitation of suitable structures, and operations. Special needs' housing grants may be available from the federal government, state government, municipal or regional governments or organizations. Housing grants may vary by type of special needs, whether mental or physical disability.
Federal Housing Grants
The federal government offers grants in many areas through their main website Grants.gov. Most of the housing grants are offered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and will be awarded to large organizations or to states to provide for housing needs, but small organizations are allowed to apply and may be awarded large sums to purchase and rehabilitate properties for special needs housing. Some grants include funds for operations of special needs housing complexes, such as providing counseling, meals, cleaning and other on-site services.
Sign up to be notified of upcoming grant opportunities at Grants.gov.
A growing area of housing grant opportunities is supplying housing for returning and disabled veterans and new grants are being awarded in this area. Individuals may also apply for these grants to adapt their own home. Apply at Benefits.va.gov
All grants submitted through Grants.gov must be submitted electronically, and applicants must register as contractors through central contractor registration. It can take up to two weeks to receive all the required sign-in clearances.
State and Municipal Special Needs Housing
Most states and large municipalities also offer grants for special needs housing. The requirements and the definitions of what constitutes a special need varies from state to state. Phoenix, Arizona includes homeless persons and victims of domestic violence among special needs populations, while Massachusetts limits consideration to people with mental illness, mental retardation or physical disability among those special needs.
For specifics in each state, start with the government website for the particular state of interest and search for the housing or disability section of the state government. It is important to start at the official state government website to gain direct access to available grants.
For large municipalities, go to the government unit for that city or county and look for community affairs or disability sections.
Grants Specific to Type of Special Needs
Grants for special needs housing specific to a type of need may also be found through organizations or units of government that serve that particular population. The websites below offer excellent and thorough information:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health, samsha.gov Department of Health and Human Services, hhs.gov Department of Justice, justice.gov Department of Education, ed.gov Veterans Affairs, va.gov
