HUD HCV Guidebook § 3.5.1

Both Title II of the ADA and HUD’s Section 504 regulations contain an integration mandate. Under HUD’s
Section 504 regulation, recipients must administer programs and activities receiving Federal financial
assistance in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.113
According to the Department of Justice, an integrated setting is a setting that enables persons with disabilities
to interact with persons without disabilities to the fullest extent possible. Such settings provide persons with
disabilities with opportunities to live, work, and receive services in the greater community, like persons without
disabilities. Integrated settings are located in mainstream society. They offer access to community activities

106 See 28 CFR part 35 for more information.
107 See 24 CFR 8.20, 8.24(a) and 28 CFR 35.150(a).
108 42 U.S.C. 3604(f)(3)(C).
109 See 24 CFR 100.205; 85 Fed. Reg. 78957 (Dec. 8, 2020), Fair Housing Act Design and Construction Requirements; Adoption of

Additional Safe Harbors; and HUD’s Fair Housing Act Design Manual: A Manual to Assist Designers and Builders in Meeting the
Accessibility Requirements of the Fair Housing Act for more information about design and construction requirements under the Fair
Housing Act.
110 24 CFR 8.27.
111 See 24 CFR part 8, subpart C.
112 24 CFR 8.28.
113 24 CFR 8.4(d).

Fair Housing and Nondiscrimination Requirements                                                                         29
US Department of Housing and Urban Development                                                                  April 2025

and opportunities at times, frequencies, and with people of an individual’s choosing. They afford individuals
with disabilities choice in their daily life activities.114

Such settings allow persons with disabilities to live independently with persons without disabilities and without
restrictive rules that limit their activities or impede their ability to interact with persons without disabilities.
HUD’s housing programs, including the HCV program, play a significant role because they may offer
affordable, accessible, and integrated housing opportunities for persons with disabilities.

HUD encourages PHAs to work with state and local governments to provide integrated, affordable and
accessible housing options for persons with disabilities who are transitioning from, or at serious risk of
entering, institutional or other segregated settings. For example, a PHA could offer certain admission
preferences that will enable persons with disabilities to transition from institutional settings more quickly and
enable individuals at serious risk of institutionalization to reside in integrated, affordable housing in the
community. For PHAs administering Mainstream vouchers, Notice PIH 2024-30 describes how PHAs may also
choose to adopt a separate waiting list and/or preferences for Mainstream applicants to help PHAs more
successfully target Mainstream-eligible populations, including persons transitioning from institutions or at
serious risk of institutionalization.