For millions across the United States, securing stable and affordable housing remains an elusive dream, a challenge compounded significantly for individuals with disabilities and their families. This intersection of housing instability and disability creates a critical crisis, forcing impossible choices and exacerbating existing vulnerabilities.
When SSI Can’t Cover Rent
A January 2024 report by the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC), titled “Priced Out: The Affordable Housing Crisis for People with Disabilities in 2024,” illustrates this stark reality. The report reveals a pervasive issue where Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, a primary income source for many individuals with disabilities, are woefully inadequate to cover even modest rental costs nationwide. This financial shortfall pushes millions into precarious housing situations, often leading to chronic homelessness, incarceration, or institutionalization.
The TAC report highlights that a significant percentage of homeless individuals have a disabling condition, underscoring the direct link between a lack of affordable housing and the perpetuation of homelessness within the disability community. Many individuals with disabilities are also institutionalized not because it’s their preferred or most appropriate care setting, but simply due to the absence of accessible and affordable housing options in their communities.
Rent vs. Medication for Families
The struggle is even more acute for families raising children with disabilities, where the financial strain can reach breaking points. A survey study published in PMC (PubMed Central) on April 24, 2025, titled “Health Care Cost Concerns and Hardships for Families of Children With Disabilities,” provides a poignant look into these challenges. The research, drawing from the National Health Interview Survey, found that families of children with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to report difficulty paying medical bills compared to families of children without disabilities. They also experience higher levels of anxiety regarding medical expenses.
Most critically, the study reveals the heartbreaking “rent vs. medication” dilemma these families often face. It explicitly states that families with children with disabilities experienced higher rates of delayed and forgone care due to cost, including the difficult decision to delay or forgo essential prescriptions. This means that for some families, keeping a roof over their heads literally comes at the cost of their child’s health and well-being. Despite many such families having public insurance like Medicaid/CHIP, significant out-of-pocket burdens persist, particularly for those with lower incomes. Recent changes to Medicaid funding is expected to compound this dilemma for many households.
North Carolina’s Challenges and an Illustrative Story
This national crisis reverberates deeply at the local level here in North Carolina. One in three North Carolinians report one or more disabilities. According to NCSU’s Institute for Emerging Issues, North Carolinians with a disability had median annual earnings of only $23,072 in 2020. Given the exponential rise in rental housing costs, that leaves these individuals at risk for housing instability and financial crisis.
Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC), in their March 6, 2025, resource page on “Housing Programs for People with Disabilities,” outlines existing programs and ongoing advocacy efforts in the state. While not a research paper, the DRNC resource highlights the ongoing challenges at the intersection of disability and housing.
Public Housing Authorities often prioritize people with disabilities on waitlists, and Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organizations (LME/MCOs) run housing programs for individuals with mental health disabilities, including the Transitions to Community Living Initiative.
The collaboration between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the NC Housing Finance Agency to provide affordable housing with supportive services also attempts to address this critical need. However, the sheer demand often outstrips the available resources, and issues of discrimination, though unlawful, continue to impact housing access for individuals with disabilities in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
Crisis Assistance Ministry’s Role
Crisis Assistance Ministry has been offering hope, help, and understanding to Mecklenburg County residents for 50 years now. Our mission to provide assistance and advocacy for people in financial crisis, helps to bridge the gap for individuals with disabilities striving for housing stability. Today, an average of 125 families per day visit for stability services, including emergency rent and utility assistance, clothing and essentials, and financial empowerment coaching. These are critical interventions for people with disabilities whose limited incomes often render them vulnerable.
These comprehensive services ensure that the dignity of customers is preserved while addressing immediate crises. You can help people with disabilities and other vulnerable residents in Mecklenburg County meet their basic needs and secure housing through financial contributions, volunteering your time, or donating clothing and household goods that will be distributed through the Free Store or Partner Agency Network.
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