Services

Movin' Out, Inc. is a housing organization providing information and assistance, housing counseling, and gap financing for purchase and rehabilitation to Wisconsin households with a member who has a permanent disability.

Housing Counseling

Movin’ Out, Inc. partners with people seeking to improve their housing situation. Movin’ Out, Inc. housing counselors help people with disabilities and their families craft an individualized housing plan. For almost a thousand households this has meant either purchasing housing or coordinating necessary modifications to owner-occupied housing.

The scope of housing counseling could include any or all of the following:

• Exploring whether to own or rent
• Prioritizing location preferences and needs
• Looking at affordability and calculating budgets to account for expenses such as property taxes, insurance and home maintenance
• Evaluating eligibility for down payment assistance programs and rehab funding options
• Considering the impacts of housing resources and choices on public benefits, SSI, SSDI, Medicaid and Medicaid waiver programs
• Helping home buyers complete applications for home ownership financing
• Consulting with attorneys, lenders and realtors chosen by the applicant
• Negotiating with developers, landlords and contractors regarding special adaptations for health or physical accessibility needs
• Helping home buyers and their families to direct family resources or open trusts to offset housing costs
• Exploring alternatives to ownership such as use of a charitable, tax-exempt housing trust
• Evaluating impacts on taxes, estates and wills, and working with families who want their home deeded to their family member with a disability (This would involve outside professionals as Movin’ Out does not give legal or tax advice.)
• Linking with support service providers to coordinate housing and support needs.

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Who is eligible?

Income status

Movin’ Out, Inc. provides training, information and referral, and housing counseling regardless of income, as its resources allow. Movin’ Out, Inc. provides housing subsidies and loans only to individuals and families with low income, as defined in HUD regulations.

Disability Status

Movin’ Out, Inc. provides services to people who have developmental, physical or mental disabilities or a combination of physical and mental impairments that have these characteristics:

1. Severe in degree

2. Permanent in duration

3. Substantially impairs ability to live independently as demonstrated by substantial functional limitations in one or more of the following areas of major life activity:

• Self-care
• Receptive and expressive language
• Learning
• Mobility
• Self-direction
• Capacity for independent living
• Economic self-sufficiency

The disability is not a result of the process of aging or the infirmities of aging AND are of such a nature that functional limitations could be reduced or eliminated by more suitable housing conditions.

More suitable housing conditions may or may not include potential of home ownership.

During the loan application and underwriting process, Movin’ Out, Inc. gives priority for financial assistance to persons with disabilities that result in substantial functional limitations in three or more areas of major life activity, and that are characterized by the lifelong or extended need for individually planned and coordinated care, treatment or other services. Priority for services may be given to other individuals based on individual circumstances.

Other eligibility factors

Movin' Out down payment assistance programs target first-time home-buyers.

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Programs

Movin’ Out provides information, assistance and referral on a statewide basis to people with disabilities, their families, and others assisting them in securing safe and affordable housing. Movin' Out works collaboratively with many local and statewide housing organizations.

Movin’ Out AHP down payment assistance can be used to purchase homes anywhere in Wisconsin.
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Movin' Out AHP Purchase and Rehab program can be used to purchase and rehab homes anywhere in Wisconsin.
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Movin’ Out AHP Rehab program is offered in 18 counties in south central Wisconsin.
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Movin' Out down payment assistance from Dane County CDBG and HOME programs can be used to purchase homes in 52 Dane County towns, villages, and cities. Projects in the city of Madison are not eligible for Dane County funding.

Movin' Out down payment assistance from the City of Madison can be used to purchase homes within Madison’s city limits.