Survey 1: Contracts, Communications and Data Collection

Below are the ideas under consideration by the Housing Subcommittee relating to the availability of and barriers to securing affordable, accessible housing for individuals with disabilities.

None of the ideas constitute formal recommendations at this time and the ideas are being presented strictly for stakeholder feedback to be considered by the subcommittee. In some cases, competing, parallel or complementary ideas are presented for addressing challenges or barriers to gather feedback on multiple approaches discussed. The subcommittees may revise, discard or advance any one or more of the ideas as recommendations later this year.

Members of the public are invited to answer any or all of the following questions about each idea:

What do you see as the strengths or benefits of this change to current Colorado law?
What would be any areas of concern, unintended consequences or other implications?
Do you have specific revisions, additions or key elements relating to this particular idea that you would like the subcommittee to consider?

Require all residential leases and associated legal agreements be provided in plain language and in accessible forms.

Direct the Colorado Division of Housing to work with disability advocates, the new Colorado Disability Opportunity Office (CDOO) and others as appropriate to develop guidance and best practices for ensuring leases or other agreements and publications are accessible to individuals with a disability.

Direct the Colorado Division of Housing to establish a position or office within the Division with at least one full-time employee to assist individuals with disabilities navigating the housing markets. The employee(s) should have appropriate training and knowledge working with individuals with a broad range of disabilities and their work should be informed by an advisory group of individuals with lived experience

Consider state grants to non-profits, community organizations, or local housing authorities for dedicated programs to provide similar or complementary services to those described in Item 3 above in collaboration with the Division of Housing.

Require any publication or other advertisement for a property available for lease that lists any features of the unit or property to list all accessibility features which should include but not be limited to counter heights, grab bars, outdoor and garage available accessible parking spots, number of elevators and which common building amenities are accessible (pools, common areas, etc.)

Require any multi-unit property to list the number of available Type A units, Type B units, Type C units, units with accessibility related communication features (e.g. visual and audible) and units with roll-in showers.

Require that all jurisdictions include consideration of accessibility features in development approval and building permit applications.

Establish within an appropriate division of state government, an accessibility navigator position or office to provide technical assistance to property owners seeking to comply with requirements and meet greater standards of transparency of the availability of accessible housing. The office would also perform the roles in #7 above relating to development approvals and building permit applications where no individual performs that function in a jurisdiction.

Establish a statewide process and requirement for an accessibility report by a licensed architect or engineer on all properties when they are bought, sold or refinanced to confirm compliance with federal and state disability laws.

10.

Build on the information by directing Colorado Disability Opportunity Office (CDOO) to collaborate with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) and other state agencies to maximize the current and future collection of data to support the greatest available information about the inventory of accessible and adaptable housing which includes features relating to other services including those for the IDD community as well as the aging caretakers community.

11.

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