Comment Submitted by North Central Independent Living Services , Inc.

My name, Shyla Patera I am the Policy Coordinator for North Central Independent Living Services , Inc .in Black Eagle, Montana . NCILS is a center for independent living that serves a 17 county area in north central Montana. The mission of a CIL, or Center for Independent Living, is to assist people with disabilities as they navigate services and advocate on behalf of policies that will allow them to stay in the community with or without supports.NCILS wishes to submit comments on FR-6518-P-01 Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Revisions HUD policies are very vital for people with disabilities, especially in rural and frontier America. NCILS submits these comments to HUD in opposition of the repeal or withdrawal of the equal access rule. As a long time housing advocate in the State of Montana, I ,Ms. Patera, also urge HUD not to add any additional barriers to eligibility or maintenance of HUD services, policies, and future opportunities. Many people with disabilities already have barriers such as accessibility, affordability, and other concerns when searching for housing or other service needs people with disabilities and all Americans have the right to identify as LGBTQIA also. By repealing the impact of the equal access rule ,to shelters and other HUD programs, the federal government and states may be weakening community services in regard to housing and homeless services. many individuals would rather live in substandard housing ,couch surf ,or live on the street if they have a barrier or identify as a member of a community that is not often understood in the mainstream communities. States and communities must ensure that as many barriers are eliminated to shelter and housing access as possible Many Americans live with co-occurring disabilities and are proud members of other groups that define their lived experience even if one Administration does not agree with certain aspects of identified groups and communities. The mission of HUD is to effectively assist communities in in the advancement of HUD accessible universally designed built infrastructure as well as advancing effective policies to assist Americans that have lived experience and or are currently dealing with the experience with homelessness and homelessness systems. NCILS urges the Trump administration to engage with advocates assisting consumers in the housing and homeless spaces who are interacting with HUD programs to advance accessible affordable, housing, shelters, respite care as well as built housing infrastructure for all in the United States.