LINCOLN – An $8 million federal grant for Nebraska provides a new source of funding to provide rental opportunities for low-income adults with disabilities.

The award is the result of a competitive bidding process for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 811 Disability Rental Assistance Program, a program that Nebraska had not previously applied for or used, said Robin Ambroz of the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority.

NIFA, which learned of the award on Wednesday, is one of 18 state housing authorities set to share $138.5 million in grants under Section 811 of the PRA.

In Nebraska, the funds will create 156 new rental assistance opportunities for eligible tenants. Funding will be project-based, meaning rental assistance will be tied to the housing.

The funds come at an opportune time, Ambroz said, as NIFA and other partners focus on achieving goals set out in the Nebraska Strategic Housing Framework. The goals include creating 35,000 affordable housing units, 10,000 of which will be for low-income and disabled people with household incomes of less than $22,000.

“We are overjoyed,” said Ambroz about the funding.

The funds will open new housing options for people with disabilities, which they say can include physical, behavioral and intellectual disabilities. Eligible adults may currently live with a parent or in a residential facility.

“Honestly, some might be homeless and living in a homeless shelter,” Ambroz said.

The rental assistance should last for about five years, she said, but there will probably be the possibility of an extension.

NIFA will work with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to identify renters who must also qualify for government programs such as Medicaid and live in extremely low-income households (30% or less of the area median income).

“When people with disabilities, including developmental disabilities and mental health disorders, have the opportunity to live, work and enjoy life in their community, it benefits both the individual and the community,” said Tony Green, director of the DHHS Division of Developmental Disabilities. “This grant will help overcome one of the biggest obstacles to achieving that goal: the high cost of providing adequate housing for people with disabilities.”

In a press release, HUD officials said the grants would enable state housing authorities to develop strategies to identify and refer low-income people with disabilities to appropriate housing and provide them with rental assistance and supportive services.

“Adults with disabilities often face significant barriers to finding safe and stable places to live,” said Julia Gordon, Assistant Minister for Housing. “These awards create opportunities for more housing that is available, accessible and inclusive.”

Other states that received grants include: California, Ohio, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Indiana, Kansas, Texas, Minnesota, Washington, Michigan, Kentucky, Utah and Oregon.