Austin’s Disability Commission to Pursue Replacement of Group Home Regulations Removed from Code

New rules could affect the living conditions of older adults and people with disabilities

In a recent move towards policy revision, advocates for persons with disabilities are set to approach the city of Austin to address recent building code changes aiming to promote density. These changes could potentially facilitate the setup of unregulated group homes city-wide.

Anticipated Request for Code Enforcement

The Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities held a meeting last Friday during which Zoning and Platting Commissioner Betsy Greenberg discussed the changes that occurred alongside the passage of the HOME initiative in December. The initiative’s primary focus was to foster denser living environments. One radical change involved lifting limitations on the number of unrelated individuals who can live in a single-family zone. Greenberg asserted that this particular amendment was probably designed to streamline the establishment of co-ops and other densely populated housing in regions close to the University of Texas campus.

The amendments also abolished the zoning classes governing group homes for residences with 15 or fewer adults. This means that the inspection and other regulatory requirements for group homes that cater to older adults or people with disabilities have been removed. These new regulations could potentially hinder their independent living capacity.

Future Inspection Needs and Policy Adjustments

Prior to the changes, group residential undertakings, often operated as profit-making businesses, were only permissible in multi-family zoned areas. They required regular yearly inspections by the Austin Fire Department and the Code Department to ensure the structural safety of the buildings and to prevent cases of overcrowding and neglect.

“With the new group residential definitions, only homes with 16 or more adults and food provided by a third party – only the ones that qualify as meeting the group residential definition – will have fire and life safety inspections, which I think is a danger” Greenberg said.

Greenberg has since communicated with City Council members about the possible inadvertent deregulation of group homes arising from the HOME initiative, with the anticipation of amendments being introduced to rectify the issue. The expected amendments, however, did not materialize, prompting Greenberg to urge the disability commission to propose code enforcement and request the Fire Department to inspect all properties with seven or more residents, irrespective of zoning classification, in one of its upcoming meetings. Discarding the third-party food preparation prerequisite for classifying a property as a group home is another proposed change.

Extension of Regulations and Commission Support

The amendments proposed by Commissioner Greenberg would extend the regulations for inspections to include all foster homes, senior congregated living facilities, or group homes accommodating individuals living with disabilities.

All commission members displayed substantial support for Greenberg’s suggested changes and requested her assistance in crafting a recommendation that would be considered at a forthcoming meeting.

“Doing away with these kinds of inspections for populations that are disabled or populations like the juvenile delinquents, for instance, or any population that can’t speak for themselves, really makes me uncomfortable,” Commission member Jennifer Powell asserted.

Activists and advocates now await the city’s response to these proposed changes, hoping that they’ll prevent unwanted conditions in group homes and guarantee security and quality of life for the individuals that rely on them.