Income Based Apartments

A friend of mine had lost his job about two years ago and although he has found work, it certainly does not pay as much as his previous job did. In fact, he now joins the rank of Americans living in poverty. Because of this he has had to downgrade his life. He could not afford to eat out every night, and take expensive vacations. He even had to downgrade his expensive downtown apartment.

I told him that he could move to income based apartments which would really be beneficial for him. He had no idea what apartments based on income were all about. I told him that I knew some families that got help from the government and the government would help pay part of the rent on these apartments. The only requirement is that the person has to be within the income limits set by the government which happens to be 135% of the poverty level. So my friend went down to the HUD housing agency to apply.

He was given a voucher by the housing agency which he could use anywhere that landlords would accept it. We started looking for apartments that would be most suitable for him. Although he had a voucher from HUD he still needed to find a place that was within his ability to pay the rent. We looked for apartments that were close to his work. By finding a place close to work, he would not have to drive far thus saving money on gas. Another plus would be if the apartment was close to grocery shopping areas. Of course, sometimes the apartment location would not be able to satisfy all your wants and needs. You would have to pick the characteristics that you want the most and go with those while sacrificing the others. We were finally able to find a place that my friend liked. Plus the apartments did not look too old. People living there seemed friendly and the staff were nice. Most importantly though, they accepted the voucher.

HUD Homes for Rent

Many families would like to rent a home, but the cost of renting homes is typically higher than renting an apartment. If a family is unable to afford a rental home due to their income, then they might be able to get HUD rental assistance. HUD gives section 8 vouchers to low income families which they can use to get HUD homes for rent. The voucher will help pay for part or all of the rent for a home. However, if it only pays part of the rent, the renter is responsible for paying the rest of it.

For a low income family to apply for a voucher to live in HUD homes for rent, they must meet the income limits. This is based on the median income of the area which you are renting. You can find the income limits on HUD’s website for your specific area. You have to prove your eligibility by showing HUD documents such as your pay stub or W2s. Take these documents down to the housing office when you go fill out an application for a voucher.

When you get the voucher, you can use it at any home that allows section 8. There are many places you can search to find HUD homes for rent. First, ask HUD for a list of homes that are available. Other places to look are home rental websites or even Craigslist. Just search for keywords like HUD or section 8.

If you have found a home which is not on HUD’s approved list, then HUD will need to check the home first. There are strict guidelines in place for owners to rent out their home in the HUD homes program. The home must meet quality standards such as having 3 electrical outlets in each room. After the home is inspected and passes the standards, then you may move into the HUD home.

Fixed Income Housing

My dad has been looking for fixed income housing because he wants to find a cheaper place to stay. Since he has retired for several years, his only income is social security. As you know, social security barely pays any money and it is not enough to pay for rent and other living costs. Fixed income housing would be good for him because part of the rent is subsidized by the government.

I helped him to look for some homes by going online. We were able to find a couple of places that seemed like a good fit for him. Mainly, I wanted to find a place where it would be convenient for him to go shopping for food and getting access to transportation. Also, it would be good if he lived near me so that I can take care of him. So we took a trip to each of these houses to have a look. Eventually we decided on one of them because it had all the things we were looking for. Now my dad will have some extra money left at the end of the month when he gets his payment since most of it won't be going towards rent.

Low Rent Housing

As the unemployment rises and people’s work hours are cut back, people have cut back on their expenses and are budgeting more and more. Gone are the days of easy credit and reckless spending. For many, one of the most obvious ways to cut cost is to move into low rent housing. These types of housing can come in two forms. The first is the ones in which you’d have to apply through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in order to live in these types of housing. The other type of low cost housing you don’t need to apply through HUD. Their rent is just lower than the average market rent.

In the first case, if you wanted to get low rent housing through HUD, you’d have to go down to their office and get an application. Not everyone qualifies though. Your income must be below a certain amount which HUD dictates. If you are approved, HUD will give you a voucher which you can use at participating housing complexes. Most housing found through HUD are pretty decent because they have to meet guidelines in order for HUD to accept them.

Otherwise, if you do not qualify, then you can still look for cheap housing. Use websites such as craigslist to help you. Look for housing in the area which has the lowest rent. One thing you should be forewarned though is that low rent housing might not be in the best of neighborhoods. So before you make any decisions, you should go look at the neighborhood the housing is in. You can even check the crime statistics of the area too.

No matter which way you go, as long as you can afford the rent, that is the most important thing to consider.

Privacy Policy

This website/blog uses third-party advertising companies to serve ads when visiting this site. These third parties may collect and use information (but not your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.

If you wish to opt out of Advertising companies tracking and tailoring advertisements to your surfing patterns you may do so at Network Advertising Initiative.


Privacy

I respect your privacy and I am committed to safeguarding your privacy while online at this site. The following discloses how I gather and disseminate information for this Blog.

RSS Feeds and Email Updates

If a user wishes to subscribe to my RSS Feeds or Email Updates (powered by Feedburner), I ask for contact information such as name and email address. Users may opt-out of these communications at any time. Your personal information will never be sold or given to a third party. (You will never be spammed by me - ever)

Log Files and Stats

Like most blogging platforms I use log files, in this case Statcounter. This stores information such as internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring, exit and visited pages, platform used, date/time stamp, track user’s movement in the whole, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses etc. are not linked to personally identifiable information.

Cookies

A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user’s computer tied to information about the user. This blog doesn't use cookies. However, some of my business partners use cookies on this site (for example - advertisers). I can't access or control these cookies once the advertisers have set them.

Links

This Blog contains links to other sites. Please be aware that I am not responsible for the privacy practices of these other sites. I suggest my users to be aware of this when they leave this blog and to read the privacy statements of each and every site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Blog.

Advertisers

I use outside ad companies to display ads on this blog. These ads may contain cookies and are collected by the advertising companies and I do not have access to this information. I work with the following advertising companies: Infolinks. Please check the advertisers websites for respective privacy policies.

Section 8 Housing for Rent

Lately, the economy has taken a downturn and this has caused many people to lose their jobs or else have had their salary cut. People can't afford the luxury they used to and this includes their current living arrangement. To help people out of this dire situation, HUD created section 8 housing for rent in which HUD subsidizes the rent.

I have plenty of friends that have applied to this program. It seems like most of them did not want to apply for the program but they have no choice. They were laid off from their jobs and just don't make the same amount of money that they used to. Because of this, they could only afford a place that was subsidized by the government. Even then, it is still pretty hard to get by. Since they used to live pretty well off, they thought that government housing was not very good. I told them that this was not the case. Most of the time, the homes are in good shape. The reason that landlords accept section 8 tenants is that they get guaranteed payment from the government.

After I explained to my friends about the program, they seemed less hesitant about it. Besides, it would only be a temporary situation until they got back on their feet again.

Income Based Housing

Income based housing is housing that HUD has subsidized for the benefit of low income people. Some people classified as low income are low income families, students, seniors and just about anyone that is living in poverty. These people usually cannot afford a good place to live on their current income. This was the case of my parents. My dad was laid off from his job and my mom made little money from her part time job. It got so bad that we could not even afford the rent of our home any longer. We had to move out and we stayed at a friend's place for awhile. During our time there, we started applying for income based housing through HUD.

If you visit HUDs website, you can find out exactly what you need to qualify for housing based on income. HUD determines whether or not you can live in income based homes by checking your wage or salary. If you qualify, then HUD will help pay a portion of your rent directly to the landlord, but you will still be responsible for any remaining rent that is not covered by HUD. We were able to get accepted into the program and we considered ourselves very lucky.

We talked to a friend who happened to have a friend who was renting a house to people in the section 8 program. He gave us a really good deal on the home after we told him our story. The house happened to be in a nice neighborhood too. When you are looking for housing, location is very important. You want to find a nice place to live where there is little crime. Also, it would be nice if shopping was close by so that you don't have to spend all your time driving to and from civilization.

When you've finally made a decision on the home you want to move into, you should do a thorough walk through of the home and note the things that need fixing and cleaning. You want everything to be working when you first move in, otherwise it will be a hassle later on when you want to use something but it's not working.

One last point you should consider is to buy renter's insurance when you move into the income based housing. These insurance can come in handy if someone ever steals or destroys your property. Renter's insurance cost around $100 to $200 per year so it would be well worth it if you own laptops, Ipods, or other expensive accessories.

HUD Housing

With the jobless rate rising due to the lackluster economy, more people are finding themselves having to cut back on expenses including their rent. Thankfully there are social programs sponsored by HUD which it's mission is to help those unfortunate people find and live in HUD housing. My friend was an unfortunate victim of the financial collapse. He was forced to work low paying jobs for many months. He tried to find the high paying job he used to have but no one was hiring. He had to give us his extravagant lifestyle and he really buckled down in his spending. I told him that he could save even more money by moving to HUD housing. Although he was reluctant to do that, he finally caved in. He didn't have any money left to pay the rent at his current place so he has no other choice. He was able to find a decent place to live after awhile so I am glad that the HUD program worked for him.

Subsidized Housing

The government subsidized housing program has greatly helped many families over the years. It is especially helpful during times of economic recession when many people are jobless or working much lower paying jobs than before. The the housing program is run by HUD. HUD subsidizes housing so people that otherwise can not afford housing have a chance to live in a decent house.

Before you go out looking for housing, you should be aware that HUD does not just let anyone move into subsidized housing. In order to qualify, your income must be within their limits. You can find out this information by going to HUDs website. After you get this information, go to the housing agency and apply. HUD will ask for your income information for proof so you'll need to bring along supporting documents.

Once the approval process is done, you can start looking for subsidized government housing. You may want to talk to a realtor who also manages properties. They may have lots of properties or know properties where you would be a good fit. Just tell them your situation and they should be able to help you.

Another way to look for housing is through word of mouth. Ask some of your friends who've lived in subsidized housing for a place that they can recommend. If they've lived in these homes then they can tell you from their experience with certain landlords. It is very important that you get a good landlord. You want someone that will come immediately when you have some home problems that need to be fixed.

Finally, you can search for housing online. Some websites like craigslist are very helpful for finding housing. It is free for you to use and many people use that site. All you need to do is search for housing in an area you'd like to live in. You can also include other criteria like number of bedrooms and bathrooms etc. When you are looking for housing online, you have to be careful about scams. Some unscrupulous people will list homes that they do not even own and ask you to wire a deposit to them. Once they get the money, they'll disappear. Be sure you go look at the subsidized housing and check up the property records before you fork over any money.

Low Income Homes for Rent

My sister never went to college and has been working at a local store ever since she graduated from high school. Her pay has not gone up much over the years. It has basically been at the same minimum wage level. When it was just herself, she could get by with her minimal income. But eventually she had a kid and her income could not support the both of them. She needed to get government help. I told her to apply for low income homes for rent. These types of homes are for people that are living at or below poverty and need rent assistance from the government. If accepted to the program, my sister would only have to pay part of the rent.

To determine whether or not she was eligible to get accepted for homes for low income families, she had to go to HUD's website and check their requirements. Alternatively, you can contact HUD and ask them directly, which would be faster and you can get direct answers. Once she determined her eligibility, she took a trip to the housing agency and filled out the application to get a voucher. After a few weeks she was approved and she started looking for rental houses. With the voucher, you can use it for homes, townhouses, condos, or just about any other type of rental unit where the landlord accepts the voucher.

There are many ways you can search for housing. First, start your search for homes online. That way you can don't have to drive all over the place and waste your time and money. Narrow your search first and then drive to see the homes you have interest in. Go to HUD's website and search for homes for rent. They should list several in the city that you are searching.

Another place to search online for houses for rent is Craigslist. This is a very useful search site since many people post their homes for rent there. All you need to do is put in the search for low income houses for rent, the area you want to live in, and the amount of rent you wish to pay. Craigslist will give you results based on your criteria.

You can also find homes for rent by asking around your fellow coworkers or friends. Some companies have a bulletin board where people post their homes for rent, so you can approach the homeowners and ask if they will accept you. Let the homeowner understand the benefits of allowing section 8 people to live there.

Finally, you can find homes in the free rental magazine that some supermarkets usually carry. You should be able to find these magazines right outside the entrance. These magazines are good in that they list a variety of homes for rent in a city including pictures. Contact the owners and find out if they willing to take section 8.

My sister was finally able to find a nice house that she really liked. The landlord was nice and the neighborhood was very good. Her kid is lucky to be able to grow up there.