Reasonable Accommodations
DCHA is committed to ensuring equal access to its housing programs and events for individuals with disabilities.
DCHA provides Reasonable Accommodations as a part of its commitment to equal access to DCHA’s housing programs and events for all Applicants, Public Housing Residents, or Voucher Participants with disabilities.
A Reasonable Accommodation is a change or modification to a policy, procedure, service or structure that will assist an individual with a disability to live safely and independently in a DCHA housing program. If you have a disability and need a Reasonable Accommodation or modification to fully enjoy your home, please contact us.
A request for a Reasonable Accommodation should be tied to the individual’s disability and its impact on housing activities, such as applying for a unit, securing housing, or using the home.
Request a Reasonable Accommodation
DCHA’s Public Housing Residents, Voucher Participants, and Waitlist Applicants can request a Reasonable Accommodation at any time. If you have a disability and need a Reasonable Accommodation, there are three ways to submit a request.
Online
Submit your request via the RentCafe Resident Portal.
For RentCafe help visit the Resources webpage.
In-Person
Complete the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form and the Release of Information Form.
To download forms, visit the Resources webpage.
Then, drop the forms off at a DCHA Customer Service Center or with your Public Housing Community’s property manager.
Complete the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form and the Release of Information Form.
To download forms, visit the Resources webpage.
Then, mail the forms to:
District of Columbia Housing Authority Headquarters
ATTN: ADA/504 Program
300 7th Street SW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20002
If you are unable to download and/or print a document, you may request a copy by visiting a Customer Service Center.
After a complete request is submitted, DCHA must process it within a reasonable period, usually within 60 days of receipt.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, or
- People with a history of a disability, or
- People regarded as having a disability.
If you are a DCHA public housing resident, voucher participant or waitlist applicant who has a disability, you must submit a Reasonable Accommodation request to DCHA. There are three ways to request a reasonable accommodation: (1) digital forms submitted via the online RentCafe portal, or written forms submitted (2) in person or (3) by mail.
In these requests, you identify the need, explain how the accommodation will help you use and enjoy your housing, and if needed, provide documentation from a doctor or health care provider who can certify the existence of your disability.
For some — but not all — requests, DCHA may need documentation from a doctor or health care provider who can certify the existing of your disability. DCHA may also need to contact your doctor or health care provider to discuss alternative accommodations or request additional information.
All documents about the client’s health is maintained confidentially and only accessible to the ADA/504 Program.
DCHA must process the request in a reasonable period of time, usually within 60 days of receipt. DCHA’s Office of the ADA/504 Program will respond within 10 days of receipt to acknowledge the request.
DCHA will provide a decision to approve or deny the request by mail and in the RentCafe Resident Portal.
Denied requests can be appealed through the informal hearing process. Review the information provided with DCHA’s denial notice for how to request an informal hearing.
For Public Housing Residents, any modification to a unit or common area must be paid for by DCHA. If the modification requires the public housing resident to transfer, DCHA will pay for moving services.
For Voucher articipants, landlords must allow their tenants to make reasonable modifications to their units. Landlords are not required to pay for the modification. DCHA cannot modify and cannot pay for modification to a unit where a voucher household lives.