Cheap Housing

As a single parent, it can be difficult trying to keep up with the many expenses that parenthood has to offer without another steady stream of income flowing in from someone other than yourself.  As such, it may be sensible to consider finding cheaper housing alternatives than simply owning a home.  The savings from doing such a thing can be significant and will help to offset costs of raising a child or children on your own.  With that said, what are some cheap housing alternatives to consider?  What follows are two options that are not only inexpensive, but worthy of consideration as well.

First and foremost, consider renting a smaller home or apartment as opposed to owning a home. Sure, interest rates on mortgages are at their all-time low right now, but you must consider the debt load that you will be carrying with that mortgage.  Instead of dealing with that hassle, you could rent anything from a smaller sized home to an efficient apartment, depending on how comfortable you are when it comes to finances. 

The next option to consider may not be possible for every single parent, but for those that can they should definitely contemplate it, and that is living with your parents.  There is a supposed social stigma in the United States today when it comes to adults living at home with their parents, but one must realize that it is perfectly fine to do so.  If you find yourself short on finances, living with parents can provide two distinct benefits.  First of all, rent will be free (or a lot smaller than renting home or apartment), allowing you to spend money on other necessities.  Second, your parents could look after the child or children while you are away, which provides an added sense of security, especially if you have children that are young.

For more information on Cheap Housing, visit www.SPAOA.org

Steps to Apply for Low income Housing

For those on low income, trying to find low income housing can be a difficult and confusing process, but it really doesn’t have to be.  What is great is that the government has a specific department devoted to those seeking low income housing, titled the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  This department offers not only public housing, but programs that can assist those on low income as well.  What follows is a simple, step by step process to apply for either one.

The first step to perform is to go to a local public housing agency, where they can help to see whether or not eligibility can be met for housing.  The best way to find a local public housing agency is to go online to find a list of agencies that are nearby.  It is better to get this step done sooner rather than later, as there may be many people trying to gain eligibility for housing.  

Once a local agency has been located and eligibility is determined, the next important step is to figure our yearly income if it has not been figured out already.  This should be done as soon as possible along with finding a local agency, because the program that the government offers in regards to housing depends on how much money one earns.  For instance, one program may stipulate that one needs to earn less than half of the median yearly income for the particular city that one lives in.  If he or she is at or above that certain threshold they may not be able to apply for low income housing.

After doing this and figuring out whether or not one meets all of the requirements, they must then request to be on the waiting list that most agencies have for those in need of housing.  The waiting list could be anywhere from a few days to a few years depending on where one lives, but generally speaking, the bigger the city one lives in the longer the waiting list there will be.  That is why it is important to explore all avenues before applying for housing, as it may take a long time to get accepted even if one does qualify. 

One should look out for both the Section 8 program along with the department’s own public housing program, as they can both help one to find the housing they need when on a low income. For more information on help for low income families and how to apply for low income housing, visit www.SPAOA.org today! We're here to help.