Accessible Housing (Home Modifications for Persons with Disabilitites)
Established in 1988 to address the housing needs of individuals with disabilities, Residential Resources, Inc. (RRI) has long been a trusted partner to its provider agency tenants. Over the years we have purchased and modified several hundred homes and thereby created much needed accessible housing for the persons with disabilities our provider agency partners work with.
In 2007 RRI expanded its charitable mission to assisting persons with disabilities of all ages in renovating existing housing to meet their specific accessibility needs. Hence RRI's Home Modifications for Persons with Disabilities Project (or Accessible Housing Project) was started. The program benefits home owners and renters of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds whose homes have to be modified and made accessible due to an accident, injury, disability, or the natural aging process.
Via our Home Modifications for Persons with Disabilities Project we have helped more than 500 renters and home owners and their loved ones by “making their homes work for them again.” The list of home modifications provided through Residential Resources ranges from simple grab bar installations to the construction of sophisticated accessible additions and single family homes. Among the more common modifications we provide are the installation of grab bars, railings, chair and platform lifts, ramps, and door frame widening to ensure wheelchair access.
Our Home Modifications for Persons with Disabilities Project relies on a wide range of volunteer referral sources who typically have direct contact with the consumers (patients) they refer to RRI. Included in our long list of referral sources are advocacy organizations, attorneys, case managers, discharge planners, geriatric care managers, homecare and visiting nurses, independent supports coordinators, life care planners, occupational and physical therapists, physicians, rehab counselors, social workers, and trust officers.
Upon assisting persons with disabilities and their families with specific home modification projects Residential Resources functions as the so-called Construction Manager, a term that is descriptive of the oversight and management our three Project Managers provide concerning the individual home modification project. Our Project Managers are Certified Aging in Place Specialists (CAPS), a professional certification bestowed by the National Association of Home Builders, and specially educated and trained to work with older adults.
The internal, software supported process we have established in order to help consumers who are being referred to us starts with an Intake Interview (Step 1) during which we collect important consumer related information and determine whether we are in a position to help. If that is the case, the consumer is assigned a project number and a Project Manager. The designated Project Manager then calls the consumer or a designated contact to schedule an In Home Assessment. As part of the In Home Assessment (Step 2) the designated Project Manager visits the consumer and thoroughly inspects and evaluates the interior and exterior living environment and assesses existing as well as future accessibility issues. The resulting findings, recommendations as to what home modifications ought to be implemented in order to achieve accessibility, and a financial estimate are shared with the consumer and the designated contact (Step 3). Should sufficient financing be available at this point, and provided the consumer has decided to go forward with the recommended home modifications, our Project Manager schedules and oversees the necessary construction or installation work, which is performed by a trusted contractor Residential Resources engages on behalf of the consumer (Step 4). Once the contracted home modifications have been completed the Project Manager conducts a Final Inspection (Step 5).
We look forward to assisting many more persons with disabilities and their families in the coming years. Should you or someone you know have a need for home modifications related to overcoming a disability, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 412.642.9033.
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