Low Income Housing Assistance Programs

The purpose of this housing assistance page is to get you hooked up with low income housing.

In small towns, affordable housing is usually easier to find, but job and job training opportunities may be limited in small towns.

In large cities where jobs and job training opportunities are more plentiful, low income housing is usually found in shady neighborhoods that you won't feel safe living in.

My goal here is to try to point you in the direction of safe, affordable housing in decent neighborhoods where you can feel secure.

While it is true that low income housing is usually associated with run-down buildings and bad neighborhoods, there really is a trend toward newer, nicer, and safer complexes for people to live in.

You will have to put forth an effort to find the diamonds in the rough, but it can be done. The picture below is of a tax credit apartment complex in Atlanta

Here in the U.S., you live in “affordable housing” if you are spending no more than 30% of your income on rent.

Well, if you are making minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour, and you work 40 hours per week, your monthly net income is approximately $1,160.

30% of $1,160 is only $348.000; can you tell me where in this country can you get an apartment, or even a room somewhere, for $348.00? Nowhere, is the answer - it just cannot be done, not even in a bad neighborhood.

The only realistic way for a person with low income to find affordable housing is to either get really lucky, or get hooked up with some form of housing assistance:

1. Public Housing

2. Section 8 - Housing Choice Vouchers

3. Tax Credit Apartments - Income Restricted Communities

Both Public Housing and Section 8/Housing Choice programs are much more well-known than the Affordable Housing Community concept.

All three programs are good, and they will help take the heavy stress of high rent off of your shoulders, but Section 8 is by far the best.

Public Housing is ok in some areas, but Tax Credit Housing Communities are usually newer, nicer, and much easier and quicker to get into.

Click on the links above to find out in-depth info about each program.