Filling the Gap: Leviticus Fund’s Path to Affordable Housing Finance

For over four decades, Leviticus Fund has been a steadfast force in affordable housing finance, partnering with nonprofits to develop homes, purpose-built shelters, and space for vital community services. Under the leadership of Executive Director Greg Maher, the New York-based CDFI has broadened its vision to ensure that the communities it supports are not just affordable, but inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to people with disabilities.

“We’ve always been committed to affordability,” Greg says, “but the question we’re asking now is, ‘affordable for whom?’”

As a member of the National Disability Finance Coalition (NDFC), the Leviticus Fund is embracing disability-inclusive lending as a natural extension of its mission, a shift that offers lessons for CDFIs across the country.

Recognizing the Gap in Accessible Housing

Demand for affordable housing is acute in the region Leviticus Fund serves, which includes New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. But as Greg points out, affordability alone doesn’t guarantee accessibility.

“There’s a lack of focus in our industry around the housing needs of people with disabilities,” he notes. “And yet, when you look at the data, this is one of the fastest-growing demographics with some of the most acute housing needs.”

People with disabilities are twice as likely to live in poverty. The majority of them who are eligible for housing assistance—a staggering 84%—don’t receive it [Source: Urban Institute]. What’s more, the housing they can access often sacrifices accessibility for affordability or vice versa. That intersection is where Leviticus is now placing increased focus.

The Fund’s underwriting increasingly looks at the needs of the communities served as well, finding its largest growth sector to be in supportive housing projects through a broader lens of equity, design, and long-term livability. “I think we’ve realized that universal design and accessibility can’t be an afterthought. It should be considered as part of project design from day one.”

Aligning Mission with Market Need

This isn’t just a moral imperative, it’s a market opportunity.

“Our borrowers are nonprofit developers that want to do more around accessibility. But they often need partners who understand how to structure the financing, especially in the early development stages, and can structure that financing in a way that works for them,” says Greg.

By “getting to know” their borrowers’ needs and offering innovative products such as a 30-year fully amortizing loan and technical assistance, Leviticus Fund is supporting developers who might not qualify for financing through traditional means. Another focus area for the Fund has been offering support to projects in the early stages of development, when the need is most acute. “We often provide loans to early-stage development of projects such as site assessments or land acquisition, to give a project the chance it needs to succeed. These can often be more risky loans since the project may ultimately not reach construction closing, but we take that risk because we believe in our borrowers, their missions, and in the ultimate goals of the projects.”

Leveraging State and Local Programs to Advance Accessibility

Greg is quick to point out that funding of the projects Leviticus finances would not be possible without the public support offered by states that recognize the need, such as New York. He cited the state’s capital, operating, and services loan and grant programs that provide funding for supportive housing projects and group homes built to serve the diverse needs of people with disabilities.

These programs, Maher noted, show how well-placed advocacy work by developers, CDFIs, self-advocates, parents, and other partners can work hand in hand with other capital sources to get projects up and running. He encourages other CDFIs to consider how similar state-level programs—or advocacy for them—could open new doors for lending and partnership. “These are replicable efforts,” he points out, citing examples in other states like Michigan and California, “but it can take a lot of legwork as well as knowledge of the landscape and partnering with organizations already working in the disability space.”

Advice to Fellow CDFIs

When asked what he would say to peer CDFIs considering this work, Greg is clear: start with what you know.

“Think about the lending you already know how to do and consider how you can extend that for a focus on people with disabilities. If you are a credit union or bank with consumer products, consider loans for assistive technology. If you are a small business lender, consider how you might attract entrepreneurs with disabilities. And for a housing lender like Leviticus Fund, it was looking at what our nonprofit borrower partners were already doing and learning more by focusing on a first project.

“Our first affordable housing project was for supportive housing for unhoused people with persistent mental illness. We did a pre-construction loan so our nonprofit borrower could acquire a building in the Bronx. As the project advanced we learned more about the deep need for more new, permanent housing for this population. After that, we started educating ourselves and finding funding partners that offered guidance along the way.”

He also urges CDFIs not to be intimidated by perceived complexity.

“We don’t have to be experts on disability policy to finance accessible housing. But we do have to be intentional, and willing to learn.”

Building a More Inclusive Future

As Leviticus Fund continues to evolve its approach, its experience offers a model for others in the field. “For us, this is a natural extension of our mission,” Greg says. “Affordable housing is only meaningful if the people who need it most can actually use it.”

By recognizing the intersection of disability and affordability, and taking practical steps to meet that need, Leviticus is expanding not just its portfolio, but its impact.

And as Greg reminds us:

“CDFIs stepping into the breach, filling the gaps in the ecosystem: that’s what we’re built for. And it’s why I often say we are a listening organization; we try to really listen and understand where the gaps are. We may not always be able to fill that gap—we may not yet have the expertise or even the capital—but we try.

For more information or to join us in our mission, email us at info@disabilityfinance.org.

NDFC Statement on the Department of Justice’s Memo on Olmstead and Community Living

The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memo on June 19, 2026 reinterpreting decades of precedent toward reducing institutionalization. Despite many federal courts’ understanding of Olmstead v L.C., the DOJ is questioning whether states must serve people with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. A post from the American Association of People with Disabilities further explains the memo and its potential impacts. This shift could have significant implications for the ability of people with disabilities to choose where and how they live.

The National Disability Finance Coalition (NDFC) stands with people with disabilities and their families in their belief that community living is the most effective, ethical, and financially responsible path toward providing services and housing for many people with disabilities. NDFC continues our work to identify, document and expand affordable and accessible housing and service models for people with disabilities that ensures affordable, accessible, inclusive housing for all populations.

The Entrepreneurs We’re Overlooking Are the Opportunity CDFIs Can’t Afford to Miss

For many people with disabilities, entrepreneurship isn’t a side path, it’s the path.

That’s one of the clearest insights from a recent conversation with one of our board members, Aarti Sahgal, Founder and CEO of Synergies Work, a national organization—and emerging CDFI—focused on supporting entrepreneurs with disabilities. What began as a business accelerator has evolved into a full ecosystem with services that include training, peer networks, and the Synergies SEED Fund. The Synergies SEED Fund provides capital to founders who are too often overlooked by traditional systems; to date, it has deployed $115K in loans to eight founders with disabilities.

A Market Hiding in Plain Sight

“People with disabilities are more likely to start businesses,” Sahgal explains. “It’s a natural progression.” That may seem counterintuitive until you consider the realities many people with disabilities face. Limited employment pathways, rigid workplace structures, and inconsistent access to accommodations push many toward self-employment—not as a preference, but as a necessity.

And necessity breeds innovation.

“When you are disabled, you quickly learn that this world is not built for you,” Sahgal says. “You’re constantly improvising. You have resilience. You are a natural entrepreneur.”

From assistive technologies to mainstream innovations like voice-to-text, many of the tools we rely on today originated in the disability community. Entrepreneurs with disabilities aren’t just participating in the economy—they are shaping it.

Yet they remain largely invisible in the systems designed to support small business growth.

The Real Barrier Isn’t Risk—It’s Perception

CDFIs are built to serve overlooked markets. So why has disability remained on the margins? According to Sahgal, the answer isn’t complexity. It’s bias.

“Disability is seen as less than,” she says. “Not just another facet of being human.”

That perception shows up on both sides of the capital equation. Entrepreneurs may hesitate to seek financing, assuming they won’t qualify. Lenders, in turn, may rely on traditional metrics that don’t reflect the full picture of a borrower’s potential.
But the data—and the lived experience—tell a different story.

Sahgal points to entrepreneurs building stable, growing businesses, often with strong cash discipline and long-term sustainability. One founder she works with has built a business with 18 months of cash reserves, a benchmark many businesses struggle to reach regardless of size.

“Lending to this population is a no-brainer,” she says. “I don’t see a reason why CDFIs would hesitate.”

What Needs to Change

If risk isn’t the issue, then what is the problem? Infrastructure.

Entrepreneurs with disabilities often face structural barriers that traditional lending models don’t account for: income tied to benefits systems, limited credit histories, or the need for flexible timelines due to health fluctuations. These are not signs of weak borrowers; they are signals that the system needs to adapt.

At Synergies Work, that adaptation takes a holistic form. “We have to look at the founder as a whole,” Sahgal explains, “not just credit scores or rigid underwriting criteria.”

That means looking beyond traditional underwriting metrics to evaluate cash flow, business viability, and long-term sustainability. It means pairing capital with coaching and technical assistance, creating multiple touchpoints throughout the borrower journey, and recognizing that responsible lending also includes understanding when a borrower is and isn’t ready for financing.

For CDFIs, this approach may feel familiar. It means evaluating the strength of the business—not just the borrower’s credit profile, while pairing capital with technical assistance, relationship-building, and thoughtful timing around when financing will truly support long-term success.

“Giving a loan is the easy part,” she notes. “The harder part is making sure you’re not setting someone up to fail.”

A Call to Action

The opportunity in disability finance isn’t theoretical. It’s already happening—just not at scale.

What’s missing, says Sahgal, is intentionality.

“If you’re not intentional about who walks through your doors,” Sahgal says, “you won’t reach the right people.”

For CDFIs, the path is straightforward. It starts with building authentic relationships within the disability community, partnering with trusted disability-serving organizations, highlighting successful entrepreneurs with disabilities, and creating loan products and processes that reflect the realities of how people live and work.

Most importantly, it requires a shift in mindset.

Disability is not a niche market. It is a significant—and growing—segment of the small business ecosystem. And the innovations that emerge from this community don’t just benefit individuals—they often scale to benefit everyone.

“If we support what’s happening on the sidelines,” Sahgal says, “everybody will benefit.”

The Bottom Line

CDFIs have always been at their best when they see opportunity where others see risk. Entrepreneurs with disabilities are already building businesses, creating jobs, and driving innovation.

The question isn’t whether they’re out there. It’s when the field will be ready to meet them.

For more information or to join us in our mission, email us at info@disabilityfinance.org.

A Disabled Veteran Entrepreneur’s Journey to Business Ownership

When Izzy Abbas started his business, he didn’t think organizations like CDFIs were meant for someone like him.

Like many entrepreneurs—especially veterans and people with disabilities—he assumed he would have to piece things together on his own. That meant self-financing, relying on family support, and navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship without the benefit of coaching, technical assistance, or flexible capital.

“I thought my business was too small for a big bank,” Abbas says. “I really had no idea how to go about getting an SBA loan or anything like that.”

Today, Abbas is the founder of 11 Bravo Telecom, a telecommunications consulting company that helps expand broadband access in rural communities across the the United States. A Desert Storm veteran living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), he now also serves as an advisor and former board member to Colorado Enterprise Fund, helping support the organization’s veteran-focused VALOR Loan Program.

But his path to business ownership was far from straightforward.

Entrepreneurship as a Pathway to Independence

Abbas spent decades building a successful career in telecommunications after returning from Desert Storm. Over time, however, health challenges associated with MS made traditional work environments increasingly difficult.

“I’ve got a gas tank that’s only so big,” he explains. “If I have to drive somewhere, get into an office, and navigate all of that before I even start working, I’m already exhausted.”

Like many entrepreneurs with disabilities, self-employment became more than a career move—it became a practical strategy for maintaining flexibility, autonomy, and economic participation.

Yet despite his extensive professional experience, Abbas found the transition to small business ownership overwhelming.

“I was responsible for managing multimillion-dollar contracts,” he says with a laugh. “But suddenly I had to figure out day-to-day business operations, registration fees, accounting, office equipment—all of it.”

Without clear pathways into lending or technical assistance programs, he turned to family members for startup capital.

“That creates a different kind of stress,” Abbas says. “You don’t want to disappoint your family.”

The Missing Link: Awareness and Outreach

Only later, through his connection to Colorado Enterprise Fund, did Abbas fully understand what CDFIs could offer entrepreneurs like him.

Business coaching. Flexible lending. Technical assistance. Trusted guidance.

“Had I known about some of the tools they had available, it would have been a huge step,” he says.

That experience has shaped how he now thinks about disability finance—and where CDFIs have an opportunity to grow.

“The biggest thing,” Abbas says, “is communicating that these resources exist and that you’re there to help.”

For many disabled entrepreneurs and veterans, the challenge is not only access to capital—it’s access to information, relationships, and trusted entry points.

That’s why Abbas believes partnerships are essential.

Veteran-serving organizations (VSOs), disability-serving organizations (DSOs), Centers for Independent Living, and other community groups already have deep relationships with the people CDFIs are trying to reach. Rather than expecting borrowers to find lenders on their own, Abbas sees an opportunity for CDFIs to meet communities where they already are.

“There are roughly 15,000 American Legion, VFW, DAV, and AMVETS posts around the country,” he notes. “Those organizations would be happy to host workshops, connect people, and help spread the word.”

The same principle applies across the broader disability community.

Marching Orders for CDFIs

Abbas believes many disabled entrepreneurs share the same hesitation he once did: assuming they need to figure everything out alone.

“Veterans have a hard time asking for help,” he says. “But it’s okay to ask for help. The resources are there.”

CDFIs are uniquely positioned to become part of that support system, not only by providing capital, but by building intentional partnerships, creating visible pathways into entrepreneurship programs, and recognizing the resilience and innovation already present within the disability community.

For Abbas, disability entrepreneurship is not about limitation, it’s about adaptation, problem-solving, and persistence. And if CDFIs are willing to show up intentionally, the opportunity is significant.

“The resources are there,” Abbas says. “People just need to know where to find them.”

Rural Disability Finance: A Design Opportunity for CDFIs

Article Title: Rural Disability Finance: A Design Opportunity for CDFIs

In many rural communities, people experience disability at disproportionately higher rates—and earlier in life—than their urban counterparts.

Yet both rural places and disabled people are frequently framed in terms of what they lack (e.g.fewer jobs, fewer services, fewer resources) rather than in terms of resilience, community assets, and opportunity.

Geography Shapes Access

In rural areas, long distances, limited transportation, scarce employers, and uneven broadband can make traditional employment difficult or unrealistic. For many disabled workers, self-employment or home-based businesses are not lifestyle choices—they are access strategies. Demand for assistive technology, accessible and affordable housing finance, and small business capital far outpaces current CDFI engagement in this space.

For CDFIs, this isn’t a niche market. It’s a missed opportunity.

CDFIs already solve complex problems every day. Disability-inclusive lending is not about creating entirely new programs. It’s about intentional design.

Assistive technology and home modifications should be treated as core business infrastructure, not ancillary needs. Loan materials and underwriting processes can move beyond minimum accessibility standards toward inclusive design thinking. Products can be co-designed with borrowers to reflect how rural disabled entrepreneurs actually live and work.

Partnering Locally is Key

Rural lenders do not need to find borrowers alone. State Offices of Vocational Rehabilitation, Centers for Independent Living, disability-serving organizations (DSOs), and family advocacy groups are trusted connectors in their communities. Marketing through these networks makes identifying and supporting borrowers far easier. A simple introductory meeting—sharing your CDFI’s mission, focus areas, lending products, and asking how you can better serve disabled entrepreneurs—can open doors to new relationships and pipelines.

Small shifts in design, partnership, and perspective can unlock meaningful participation in rural economies. Rural disability finance is not complicated—but it does require listening, outreach, and a willingness to design with, not for, borrowers. [Find more tips in our article: 7 Practical Ways CDFIs Can Design Lending with People with Disabilities in Mind.]

The question isn’t whether rural disabled entrepreneurs are out there. It’s whether lenders are intentionally designing with them in mind.

For more information or to join us in our mission, email us at info@disabilityfinance.org.

7 Practical Ways CDFIs Can Design Lending with People with Disabilities in Mind

Article Title: 7 Practical Ways CDFIs Can Design Lending with People with Disabilities in Mind

While writing our rural DF blog article, we realized that the tips we developed to help CDFIs expand their capacity to lend to PWD are valuable regardless of geography. Expanding access to borrowers with disabilities doesn’t require a new department or a new product line, it requires inclusive design, partnership, and outreach.

Below are seven practical ways any CDFI can begin.

1. You Don’t Need to Start from Scratch — Build Referral Partnerships

You don’t need to “find” disabled borrowers. They are already connected to trusted networks. Start with:

  • You don’t need to “find” disabled borrowers. They are already connected to trusted networks. Start with:
  • State Offices of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
  • Centers for Independent Living (CILs)
  • Developmental Disability Councils
  • Local disability-serving organizations (DSOs)
  • Family advocacy groups

Ask them: “What barriers are your clients facing? How can we design something that works better?”

These organizations can become referral partners and trusted validators.

2. Treat Assistive Technology as Business Infrastructure

For disabled entrepreneurs, assistive technology (AT) isn’t an add-on, it’s operational capacity.

Screen readers, adaptive tools, modified vehicles, home-based workspace adjustments, or specialized software may be what allows a borrower to generate revenue.

Consider this:

  • Bundling AT into small business loans
  • Offering flexible use-of-funds policies
  • Recognizing AT as income-generating equipment.

3. Review Your Application and Marketing Materials for Accessibility

Simple changes can remove major barriers:

  • Ensure PDFs are screen reader-compatible
  • Offer plain-language summaries
  • Provide alternative submission options (phone, virtual, in-person)
  • Allow support persons in underwriting conversations

Accessibility improvements benefit all borrowers—not just disabled ones.

4. Revisit Underwriting Assumptions

Some borrowers with disabilities may:

  • Have nontraditional income histories
  • Receive SSDI/SSI alongside earned income
  • Operate part-time or home-based businesses

Train loan officers to understand how public benefits intersect with earned income. Work with benefits planners when necessary. Flexibility here can unlock viable borrowers.

5. Co-design with Borrowers

Before launching a “disability product,” convene 5–8 local disabled entrepreneurs. Ask them:

  • What makes lending intimidating?
  • Where do applications break down?
  • What would make this easier?

Small design tweaks—language, repayment cadence, TA pairing—can have outsized impact.

6. Pair Lending with Technical Assistance

In rural areas especially, self-employment may be an access strategy. Pair loans with:

  • Business coaching
  • Digital literacy support
  • Peer mentoring

7. Market Intentionality

If your marketing doesn’t reflect disabled entrepreneurs, they may assume you’re not for them.

  • Feature disabled borrower stories
  • Use inclusive imagery
  • Share materials through DSOs and family networks
  • Present at disability-focused community events

Outreach through trusted local partners dramatically lowers the barrier to entry.

The Bottom Line

Serving people with disabilities is not a niche strategy—it’s community-centered lending.

The question isn’t whether disabled entrepreneurs exist in your market. They do. The question is whether your lending practices are designed with them in mind.

If you’re interested in starting a conversation about how your CDFI can get involved, email us at info@disabilityfinance.org.

New Report Spotlights the Disability Finance Opportunity for CDFIs

Article title graphic featuring a wheelchair user exiting a modified van parked in a mountain meadow.

The National Disability Finance Coalition (NDFC) has released Opening Financial Doors: Disability Finance in the U.S., a groundbreaking new report that explores how Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) can better serve people with disabilities (PWD)—a growing and deeply underserved population across the United States.

With slightly more than 1 in 4 U.S. adults identifying as disabled, and with poverty and financial exclusion disproportionately affecting this group, the need for targeted financial products has never been more urgent. Yet until now, there has been little research to guide lenders, funders, investors, and advocates in addressing the unique barriers faced by PWD.

Commissioned by NDFC in 2024, the report is the first of its kind to map the disability finance (DF) ecosystem, from unmet borrower needs to the practical steps CDFIs can take to expand access and impact. It draws from a national survey, stakeholder interviews, and data analysis to identify four critical sectors in need of investment: assistive technology, affordable, accessible housing, small business, and community facilities.

Key Findings for CDFIs

  • The need is great: The financial needs of PWD are deeply intersectional and their needs cut across every CDFI type, geography, and financial products and services on offer.
  • Capacity-building is badly needed: Most CDFIs want to engage in disability finance but lack guidance, capital, or partnerships with disability-serving organizations (DSOs) to get started.
  • Demand for Assistive Technology (AT) loans is high: Loans for AT—for everything from hearing aids to home modifications to adapted vehicles—are in demand, but rarely available through traditional lenders.
  • Affordable, accessible housing is low: A persistent shortage of accessible, affordable housing disproportionately affects people with disabilities.
  • PWD are more likely to be self-employed: Entrepreneurs with disabilities are more likely to pursue self-employment than non-disabled people but face heightened barriers to startup capital and technical assistance.

The report doesn’t just spotlight gaps, it offers practical, actionable strategies for CDFIs, funders, DSOs, and policymakers to collaborate in building a more inclusive financial system.

“Disability Finance doesn’t need to remain a niche. The need for it is central to the mission of community-centered lending,” said Emerson Sekins, NDFC’s Board Chair and CEO at Northwest Access Fund. “With the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act being celebrated this summer, now is the time to recognize the systemic barriers to capital access this population faces and the need to design solutions that address them. We hope this report helps CDFIs recognize the opportunity they have to lead in this space.”

Ready to Learn More?

Download the report or visit our membership page to access trainings and connect with peer organizations already leading in this space. Or email us at info@disabilityfinance.org.

Let’s move from possibility to practice. Together, we can open more financial doors.

Assistive Technology Lending: A High-Impact Opportunity for CDFIs

A Black woman stands outside, wearing a pair of smart glasses and carrying a white cane. The article's title is: "Assistive Technology Lending: A High-Impact Opportunity for CDFIs."

For CDFIs looking to enter the growing field of Disability Finance (DF), assistive technology (AT) lending offers a compelling place to start, both for its life-changing impact on borrowers and for its relatively low financial risk to lenders.

AT includes a wide range of devices and services—such as hearing aids, wheelchairs, adapted vehicles, home modifications, and AI-powered smart glasses—that help people with disabilities (PWD) live independently, work, and fully participate in their communities. But for many PWD, access to AT remains out of reach. Insurance rarely covers the full cost of equipment, and public benefits often come with narrow eligibility rules and rigid timelines that limit the capacity of PWD to take on debt. That leaves individuals to piece together funding through credit cards, retirement withdrawals, or personal loans—if they can secure them at all.

“This is a market that’s underserved and ready for thoughtful investment,” says Will Hall, CEO of Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF), one of the longest-standing CDFIs focused exclusively on AT lending. “If you’re a CDFI with consumer lending capabilities, this is a smart entry point into Disability Finance.”

A Model That Works

PATF’s success rests on a lending model designed with the realities of disability in mind. The organization offers two main types of loans: no-interest, no-fee direct loans of up to $7,000 for a maximum term of 48 months; and low-interest loans of up to $60,000, underwritten by bank partners and guaranteed by PATF. For the latter, PATF provides an upfront interest rate buy-down, ensuring the borrower pays no more than 3.75% while avoiding additional fees to the borrower.

The structure is designed to keep borrowing simple, affordable, and accessible. But it’s also smart lending. “We do manual underwriting,” says Hall. “Every file is reviewed by a real person who can see the full picture of the borrower. That means we’re able to approve loans that make sense, even if someone’s credit score doesn’t tell the whole story.”

Despite lending to individuals often overlooked by traditional financial institutions, including many on fixed incomes or with non-traditional credit histories, PATF maintains a default rate of just 4%.

The Power of People and Process

For CDFIs interested in replicating this model, Hall’s first piece of advice is to think carefully about staffing. “It may seem counterintuitive to put your most thorough, tenacious team members on your smaller-dollar loans,” he says. “But this is a high-volume program, and the details matter. If you’re not careful, you risk skipping over folks you could’ve helped, or making loans that don’t set people up for success.”

That people-first approach extends to borrower support as well. PATF’s underwriters provide light-touch credit coaching and refer applicants to trusted counseling partners when deeper help is needed. The organization also offers a free financial education curriculum, Cents and Sensibility, tailored for people with disabilities.

If a borrower runs into trouble? “We offer payment holidays, deferments, even emergency rescue payments in some cases,” Hall explains. “We’re not trying to create harm, we’re trying to open doors.”

High Impact, Low Risk

CDFIs are often drawn to lending that can show tangible, community-level results. AT lending delivers that in spades.

“The impact is obvious,” says Hall. “If you’re a CDFI focused on housing, employment, or entrepreneurship—those goals may not be achievable for someone without the right assistive tech. AT is the foundational step.”

Indeed, data from another AT specialist CDFI, Northwest Access Fund’s 2024 Annual Client Survey backs this up: 98% of borrowers said their AT improved their quality of life, 86% said it improved their safety, and 85% said it helped them maintain social connections. These are outcomes that matter, and they’re eminently measurable.

And for lenders? “No single one of these loans is going to break your portfolio,” says Hall. “While you still want to underwrite responsibly, you can afford to be thoughtful and flexible. That’s what makes this such a smart opportunity.”

Getting Started

According to a recent market assessment conducted by National Disability Finance Coalition, there’s strong interest among CDFIs in serving people with disabilities—but limited experience in doing so. AT lending offers a way in.

CDFIs ready to explore the space should consider:

  • Partnering with DSOs and state-run AT programs to enhance outreach and borrower support.
  • Designing flexible underwriting standards that account for SSI/SSDI income and nontraditional credit histories.
  • Investing in staff training on the financial realities of living with a disability, including benefits planning and asset limits.
  • Building relationships with certified benefits counselors to reduce the risk of unintentional harm to public assistance eligibility.

Above all, says Hall, “You have to care. You have to want to get it right. If you bring that mindset, there’s no reason you can’t do this work well.”

Ready to Explore Assistive Technology Lending?

Join a growing network of mission-driven lenders expanding financial access for people with disabilities. Visit our membership page to learn more, access trainings, and connect with peer organizations already leading in this space. Or email us at info@disabilityfinance.org.