If you are one of the many people who used to own a home but no longer have it because of your financial situation, don’t despair. You are just one of the millions of Americans dealing with the prospect of finding a new place to live for yourself and maybe your family. Fortunately there are individuals and organizations that are there to help you.
If you are looking for a place to rent and you have limited funds you might want to try a place that has rent assistance or is designated as low-income housing.
Finding Affordable Housing
If you’re not sure where to start you might try Public Housing.com. On their website is a location tool to find apartments and rentals designated as affordable housing. There are over 24,000 places available on the website and entering in your zip code in the search box on the home page will give you a list of places, each with a phone number, email address, website, map, and a link to the description of the home.
Help with the Rent - Section 8
If funds are low and you need a little boost there is a program administered by Housing and Urban Development called "Section 8". Section 8, or the Housing Choice Voucher Program, is a Federal housing program that provides housing assistance to low-income renters in the form of rental subsidies. Section 8 will pay anything above 30% of your adjusted monthly income up to a limit (usually based on the fair market value of the rent in your area).
To qualify for Section 8 your income must be less than 50% of the median income in your area. To apply for it, you can go to the nearest Housing Authority in your area. To find a Housing Authority, click here.
Oher Rental Assistance Programs
There are many agencies out there that have rental assitance programs designed to help you. A great place to start is the Rental Assistance Program. This website contains a nationwide directory of government and non-profit agencies to assist individuals and families with paying the rent. They have over 1,000 programs listed on their website and all you need to do is enter you zipcode in the search box on the home page to find a listing of agencies near you.
Anyone with other suggestions about finding affordable housing, leave a comment below or email us. If you want to list yourself as a resource contact us here.
Affordable housing or rent-assisted housing does not mean you have to live in a a tall apartment building (the "projects"), or some other high-density housing. Many rent-assisted housing units are small complexes with a few units or even single-family places.
Only 1 in 4 people who are eligible for housing assistance receive some sort of subsidy (Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard 2007)
Housing is considered "affordable" when rent and utility costs are no more than 30% of a household's income. A family of four with two parents earning minimum wage can only afford $700 in rent and utilities.
Section 8 has a long waiting list, so if you need the money right away for a new place don't wait for Section 8. Try some of the other programs under the Rental Assistance Program.
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