Programs

CHANCE, Inc. (The Coalition for Housing Accessibility, Needs, Choices & Equality, Inc.), incorporated as a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the year 2000. The purpose of the agency is to work with adults and families with developmental disabilities to help meet their community-based affordable and accessible housing needs. CHANCE’s activities focus in three primary areas:

Direct Services

Provide Targeted Housing Case Management, perform intake, assessment, strategic planning, and case management to resolution or conclusion.
Consult with the person with the disability, family, guardian, conservator, authorized representative, Service Coordinator, service provider(s) and/or other members of a person’s circle of support to assess their affordable and accessible housing needs and resources.
Provide assistance and advice to correctly complete a rental or Housing Authority applications and assistance with application review, tracking and/or information updating.
Explore community-based affordable and accessible housing options that are related to a person’s needs, choices and resources.
Perform rental housing search and search assistance, representation to landlord/owner/manager, sole point of contact if needed.
Consult with local generic housing-related resources for move-in expenses, retrofit and special needs funding, etc.
Locate and applies for all sources of generic resource funding for the purpose of providing loans and grants to people needing move-in costs.
Intervene as may be requested (or required) to resolve the variety of housing-related problems that emerge as obstacles or barriers to the successful acquisition of affordable accessible housing.
Advocate as needed at the individual level for affordable and accessible housing, funding, and services - and problem resolution.

Program Administration

Move-in Cost Grant/Loan Program: Community Development Block Grant funding to provide gap funding for low-income adults and families who receive services funded through a regional center.
Accessibility Rehab/Retrofit Grant/Loan Program: Community Development Block Grant and/or HOME funding to pay the cost for accessibility work that may be required in rental or owned residential property occupied by low-income adults or families who receive services funded through a regional center.
Housing Needs Assessment Program: In addition to gathering basic demographic information for reporting purposes, CHANCE utilizes a proprietary data gathering and assessment tool to comprehensively document an individual or family’s housing-related needs, preferences, wants, challenges, and experiences. The purpose of CHANCE’s program and its assessment is two- fold; not only does it help guide case management personnel in housing search, it is used in CHANCE’s local and state housing advocacy and capacity building work to ensure that the planning documents and funding programs are crafted and approved that will meet the current and future needs and preferences of people with developmental disabilities receiving community-based services and needing affordable and accessible housing.

Capacity Building

Monitor, advise, and participate in public policy development for affordable housing for people with developmental disabilities.
Cultivate and maintain local landlord/property owner relations which serve to enhance opportunities for affordable housing for people with disabilities.
Provide development assistance to local individuals, developers, and agencies considering projects which will benefit people with disabilities.
Work with cities and county to influence local housing policies, programs and projects and to identify accessible and adaptable units, create and maintain lists of suitable units and friendly property owners, and review funding opportunities/grant solicitations for applicability in Santa Barbara County to meet additional housing needs of low-income people with developmental disabilities.
Disability policy and housing advisor to public and private entities: City of Goleta; City of Santa Barbara; City of Carpinteria; County of Santa Barbara; Department of Developmental Services; Tri-Counties Regional Center; The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara; The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara; Housing Finance Division, County of Santa Barbara.