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Find Affordable Housing With This Online Tool

Good Nesting
3 min read

Are you tired of overpaying for rent? Would you like to find affordable housing opportunities near you?

Then use this online tool, along with the simple tips in this guide, to cut those rent costs.

One of the best ways to pay less rent is to apply to the Section 8 or Housing Choice Voucher program. Why? Because doing so can give you a housing voucher that ensures you only pay 30 percent of your income towards the rent each month. By locking you into that limit, you won’t have to worry about your rent spiraling out of control. And instead of paying over half of your income to your landlord as many families do, you can start saving.

To qualify for a Section 8 voucher, you’ll have to meet income requirements. In other words, you won’t be able to make more than half the median income for your area to be eligible. You can learn more about Section 8 requirements and apply to this money-saving program by contacting your Public Housing Agency. Now, let’s talk about how to find properties where you can use Section 8 vouchers.

How To Find Affordable Housing With The HUD Resource Locator

The HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) funds the Section 8 program. It created the Resource Locator tool to help applicants find affordable housing where they can use their vouchers. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Open the HUD Resource Locator by going here.
  2. A map will appear with a menu on top of it. You can use that menu to find affordable housing, your nearest HUD office or PHA, homeless resources, elderly and special needs housing, and more.
  3. For the purpose of this guide, click “Find Affordable Housing Opportunities Near Me.”
  4. A local map will appear along with icons representing housing opportunities close to your location.
  5. Click on each icon to find out more about the property, along with the contact info.

How To Use This Contact Info To Get Affordable Housing Quicker

There are multiple ways to get affordable housing with or without a voucher. To get a Section 8 voucher quicker, you can use that map or the link above to contact as many PHAs as possible in your city, county, and state. The purpose of this is to see how they differ, as some will be faster and more willing to help you.

Beyond contacting multiple PHAs, it’s also a good idea to apply to various waitlists once you’re approved for Section 8. Since a waitlist could take years to process, you want to apply to as many as possible until you find one that’s the right fit. With as many as 50 waitlists per large city, you’ll have plenty of options here.

As for getting affordable housing without a voucher, you can do so by contacting buildings directly. For instance, you can use the HUD Resource Locator to find affordable housing in your area and contact the property managers at each. Ask if they have units that charge 30 percent of income, as that could allow you to move in without a voucher while still paying a Section 8 rate. This is possible in some cases since certain buildings have their own funding that lets them support tenants.

Besides using the HUD Resource Locator, you can also find affordable housing contacts by asking your PHA or doing a Google search.

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