Roanoke pushes for housing opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities

The $50k grant will go towards a consultant for the project

ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke City Council is pushing an incentive forward to increase housing opportunities in the Star City – City leaders approved a $50,000 grant from the Virginia Housing Development Authority during their session Tuesday.

The grant will be used to hire a consultant to look into the best ways to increase housing opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Council member Stephanie Moon Reynolds explained how parents are concerned about their children’s futures as adults.

“They’re finding that parents are now getting concerned, ‘What’s going to happen to my adult child? Where can they go? Will they have to go stay with another family member? What kind of facilities are available to take them in?’” Reynolds said. “So with this grant, we’re going to be able to look at perhaps talking about that and doing some studies.”

An idea of a possible facility discussed at the meeting was that of a cottage living facility.

The city hopes to take the ideas discussed and use them to help other housing vulnerable members of the community, like senior citizens, as well.


About the Author:

Abbie Coleman officially joined the WSLS 10 News team in January 2023.