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If your home has a low income, there are resources available to help you meet your basic needs, including housing. Many counties and major cities have a Housing Authority office that helps families and people in need to get in touch with available apartment units, public housing or subsidized housing. Low-income apartments can provide a safe place to live, help reduce the number of homeless families and serve as a gateway to economic independence. While signing for low-income apartments is a simple process, the waiting time to be accepted in a housing program can belong.
- Contact the housing authority office in your area and/or the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the United States (see Resources). Sometimes these offices are the same. You can find their contact information in the phone book. The areas with the available service can call 2-1-1, an information line, to get contact information for free. These offices can give you the papers you need to sign to access the low-income apartments.
- Write in the application your full name, the full name of those in your charge and the full name of any other adult in the home. You will also need to list personal information of everyone in your home, such as the date of birth, place of birth and Social Security number.
- List the sources of income and the amount that each adult earns at home. It includes all income earned from full-time and part-time employment, as well as any secondary work, such as babysitting. Include proof of income in the application if requested.
- List your assets. This includes the amount of money that you and other adults in the home have in savings or investment accounts and the value of your real estate.
- Indicate the type of assistance you prefer. For example, you can enrol in Section 8, housing or public housing election vouchers.
- Enter in the application the name of the apartment complexes in which you want to live and their addresses.
- Submit your request.
Tips
Proof of income includes check stubs, copies of checks received records of personal accounting records and bank statements. Some areas will want you to fill out a pre-request so you can join a waiting list. Once you’re at the top of the list, then submit a complete application. In some areas, you can submit an application online. A Section 8 voucher can help you pay all or part of your rental costs.
Warnings
Some of the low-income apartments are nice and well maintained, while others are one step away from being considered a slum. Before listing in your request the names of the apartments that have the cheapest rent, make sure you see the places in person to make sure the apartments meet your requirements.