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The Secret To Low-Income Housing With No Waiting List

Good Nesting
3 min read

Contrary to popular belief, there is low-income housing out there that can put an affordable roof over your family’s head. The question is, can you find low-income housing with no waiting list? Keep reading to find out.

One of the most popular government assistance programs on the planet is Section 8. More formally referred to as the Housing Choice Voucher program, Section 8 limits you to only spending 30 percent of your income on rent. The government picks up the rest of the tab and sends it directly to your landlord each month. Even better, you can sometimes have utility costs covered too.

What’s the massive problem with Section 8? The demand dramatically outpaces the supply. Depending on your desired location, you could be waiting several years to get your housing voucher so you can move into your affordable apartment, townhome, or single-family home.

This might seem like bad news if you were looking for affordable housing soon to lower your monthly expenses. The good news is there are ways to accelerate the process or possibly get low-income housing with no waiting list. Let’s have a look at them now.

How To Reduce Your Section 8 Wait

Will a Section 8 voucher provide you with low-income housing with no waiting list? That isn’t very likely, since the process is as follows:

  1. You contact your nearest Public Housing Agency (PHA) to apply for a Section 8 voucher. Your Section 8 application gets reviewed to determine your eligibility.
  2. If approved, you get placed on a Section 8 waiting list.
  3. Once your spot on the waiting list arrives, you can use your voucher towards the rent of a place that accepts Section 8 and is approved by the program.

Some Section 8 applicants have reported wait times of 10 years. Most report an average wait of two years. How can you accelerate this process?

  1. Let the housing counselor at your PHA know of any Section 8 preferences that may apply to your situation, such as living in substandard housing, being homeless, being a victim of a disaster or abuse, having extremely low income, etc. The more preferences apply, the bigger jump you can get in the Section 8 line.
  2. Apply to as many waiting lists as possible. Some may be closed due to excess demand, and others may have a shorter wait that could get you a voucher quicker. Since some large cities may have as many as 50 waiting lists, you should have plenty of options.

A Hack To Find Low-Income Housing With No Waiting List

Can you enjoy Section 8 savings on your rent without applying for a Housing Choice Voucher or wait years for it to process? Yes, provided you find affordable housing buildings and contact them.

You can find affordable housing buildings by:

  • Using the HUD Resource Locator.
  • Asking your PHA for a list of affordable housing buildings.
  • Searching Google for “affordable housing” in your area.
  • Searching Google for “low income housing w no waiting list.”

Make a list of buildings to contact, then ask the property manager if they have any units open that charge 30 percent of income. If they do, your search for low-income housing with no waiting list may be over, as that means they can give you Section 8 savings without needing a voucher.

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