Silicon 
Valley 
Independent 
Living 
Center 


A 
disability 
justice 
organization 
that 
creates 
fully 
inclusive 
communities 



Photos 
by 
Tom 
Olin 


FOR 
IMMEDIATE 
RELEASE 
Contact: 
Jody 
Yarborough 
Phone: 
408.894.9041 


SVILC 
and 
HACSC 
successfully 
secure 
housing 
vouchers 
for 
people 
with 
disabilities 
living 
in 
institutions 
in 
Santa 
Clara 
County 


SAN 
JOSE 
— 
There 
is 
an 
overwhelming 
demand 
for 
accessible 
affordable, 
integrated 
housing 
for 
people 
with 
disabilities 
in 
Santa 
Clara 
County. 
Many 
people 
with 
disabilities 
are 
on 
housing 
waiting 
lists 
for 
years. 
Silicon 
Valley 
Independent 
Living 
Center 
(SVILC), 
in 
partnership 
with 
the 
Housing 
Authority 
of 
the 
County 
of 
Santa 
Clara 
(HACSC), 
achieved 
success 
in 
addressing 
this 
demand 
by 
securing 
federal 
housing 
vouchers 
from 
the 
office 
of 
U.S. 
Department 
of 
Housing 
and 
Urban 
Development 
(HUD). 
As 
one 
of 
only 
five 
counties 
in 
California 
to 
receive 
the 
vouchers 
SVILC 
is 
proud 
of 
their 
advocacy 
effort 
and 
collaborative 
relationship 
with 
HACSC 
to 
secure 
10 
Category 
II 
vouchers 
totaling 
$143,039 
in 
funding. 


“Santa 
Clara 
County 
is 
mandated 
to 
provide 
safety 
net 
services 
for 
all 
its 
residents,” 
said 
Supervisor 
Dave 
Cortese, 
President 
of 
the 
Board 
of 
Supervisors. 
“We 
are 
fortunate 
to 
have 
the 
Silicon 
Valley 
Independent 
Living 
Center 
partnering 
with 
the 
County 
in 
those 
efforts. 
Their 
diligence 
and 
hard 
work 
is 
evidenced 
by 
the 
support 
they 
have 
received 
from 
the 
U.S. 
Housing 
and 
Urban 
Development 
Office 
in 
the 
form 
of 
housing 
vouchers 
for 
local 
persons 
with 
disabilities.” 


In 
Santa 
Clara 
County 
the 
lack 
of 
affordable, 
accessible 
housing 
that 
is 
integrated 
in 
the 
community 
is 
a 
tremendous 
hardship 
for 
individuals 
with 
disabilities. 
Many 
reside 
in 
nursing 
homes 
not 
because 
they 
are 
ill, 
or 
require 
acute 
care, 
but 
rather 
because 
they 
have 
a 
physical 
disability 
and 
use 
equipment 
that 
encounters 
physical 
barriers. 
Also, 
many 
people 
with 


Main 
Office: 
2202 
N. 
First 
Street 
• 
San 
Jose, 
CA 
95131 
• 
Ph: 
408.894.9041 
• 
TTY: 
866.945.2205 
• 
Fax: 
408.894.9050 
Branch 
Office: 
7800 
Arroyo 
Circle, 
Suite 
A 
• 
Gilroy, 
CA 
95020 
• 
Ph: 
408.846.1480 
• 
TTY: 
866.945.2205 
• 
Fax: 
408.842.2321 


www.svilc.org 



disabilities 
are 
on 
a 
fixed 
or 
low-income, 
and 
cannot 
afford 
Bay 
Area 
housing 
costs 
without 
financial 
assistance. 


According 
to 
information 
provided 
by 
the 
federal 
center 
for 
Medi-Cal 
and 
Medicaid 
Services, 
a 
startling 
20 
percent 
or 
1,068 
of 
nursing 
home 
residents 
in 
Santa 
Clara 
County 
have 
expressed 
a 
desire 
to 
live 
in 
the 
community. 
This 
represents 
the 
fifth-highest 
percentage 
among 
California’s 
58 
counties. 
Prior 
to 
the 
availability 
of 
this 
funding, 
in 
2010, 
SVILC 
helped 
nine 
people 
with 
disabilities 
transition 
into 
the 
community, 
with 
the 
expectation 
that 
number 
will 
double 
with 
housing 
choice 
voucher 
availability. 


HUD 
joined 
with 
the 
U.S. 
Department 
of 
Health 
and 
Human 
Services 
(HHS) 
to 
offer 
federal 
funding 
for 
the 
rental 
vouchers 
which 
includes 
supportive 
services 
for 
nearly 
1,000 
non-elderly 
persons 
with 
disabilities 
living 
in 
institutions. 
The 
funding 
was 
awarded 
to 
states 
with 
Money 
Follows 
the 
Person 
Rebalancing 
Demonstration 
(MFP) 
programs 
that 
have 
demonstrated 
relationships 
with 
housing 
authorities. 
In 
California, 
the 
MFP 
Project 
is 
the 
California 
Community 
Transitions 
(CTT) 
Program. 


SVILC 
is 
the 
only 
certified 
CCT 
Lead 
Organization 
in 
Santa 
Clara 
County 
and 
will 
work 
closely 
with 
HACSC 
to 
determine 
the 
administration 
procedures 
for 
the 
vouchers. 
SVILC 
will 
assume 
responsibility 
for 
the 
case 
management 
of 
the 
person 
transitioning 
once 
they 
have 
been 
determined 
eligible 
to 
receive 
a 
voucher. 


This 
work 
continues 
the 
“Year 
of 
Community 
Living,” 
a 
charge 
set 
forth 
by 
President 
Obama 
in 
June 
2009 
to 
make 
a 
dedicated 
commitment 
to 
enforce 
the 
civil 
rights 
for 
Americans 
with 
disabilities 
and 
to 
ensure 
their 
fullest 
inclusion 
into 
the 
community. 
The 
Supreme 
Court 
ruled 
in 
the 
1999 
Olmstead 
v. 
L.C. 
case 
that 
people 
with 
disabilities 
have 
a 
right 
to 
live 
in 
the 
community 
of 
their 
choice. 


SVILC 
is 
a 
disability 
social 
justice 
and 
advocacy 
organization 
that 
provides 
comprehensive 
services 
to 
people 
with 
disabilities 
in 
Santa 
Clara 
County. 
For 
more 
information, 
go 
to 
www.svilc.org. 
Information 
on 
HACSC 
is 
available 
at 
www.hacsc.org. 


Main 
Office: 
2202 
N. 
First 
Street 
• 
San 
Jose, 
CA 
95131 
• 
Ph: 
408.894.9041 
• 
TTY: 
866.945.2205 
• 
Fax: 
408.894.9050 
Branch 
Office: 
7800 
Arroyo 
Circle, 
Suite 
A 
• 
Gilroy, 
CA 
95020 
• 
Ph: 
408.846.1480 
• 
TTY: 
866.945.2205 
• 
Fax: 
408.842.2321 


www.svilc.org