Info on Rent Assistance
Filed Under (Websites) by 
Elizabeth on 19-06-2008
Tagged Under : rent assistance, website reviews
Do you need help paying your rent? Right now, you are so not alone in that. The price of gas is driving up the price of groceries and other goods and services, everything is getting more expensive, but paychecks aren’t rising as well for most people. If you are really in a bind, you can get rent assistance and there are several options to consider:
* Housing Choice Voucher Program ( Section 8 ) – find your own place and use the voucher to pay for all or part of the rent. To apply, contact a public housing agency.
* Privately owned subsidized housing - HUD, for example, helps apartment owners offer reduced rents to low-income tenants. You can apply for this type of assistance directly with the rental offices.
* Public Housing - affordable apartments for low-income families, the elderly and persons with disabilities. To apply, contact a public housing agency.
RentAssistance.us is a very basic, easy to use website that shows you what programs are available in your State to look for help paying rent. I searched in Michigan and found two in the Metro Detroit area and two in the Upper Peninsula. The site is free to search which gets you the address and phone number of each agency. If you want to get agency email addresses and web addresses, you register for the site, which is also free. Please take advantage of this free site if you or someone you know needs help with rent assistance.
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Thanks for the info. With the economy in such troubled times, with the mortgage problems, high gas prices, high food prices etc etc., I’m sure many will need help this summer.
very informative post, but for a Sec. 8 voucher, usually the wait time is a couple YEARS and you have to be living in the town during that time. Once you get your voucher, however, you can move anyplace you’d like. Been there, done that but thankfully am a homeowner now. Check out your local state housing agency, in Maine it is http://www.mainehousing.org also social service agencies in your area have a listing to different programs out there. Here in ME, the Dept. of Human Services did use to provide rental assistance (help with deposits) but I am not sure if they phased that out or not. Also, if there are children in the home, they can provide a one time payment of up to $150.00 1x yrly to help with a utility disconnect for example. Again, this is in MAINE…not sure about other states. But don’t forget fuel assistance! You can even be renting with heat included and get a check directly to you, or be subsidized and paying for your own heat, and get some type of assistance as well. If you are subsidized, but your heat is included, you would need to contact the administering agency to see if you qualify in your state. This is what I do for work, fuel assistance, so don’t forget about that potential benefit as well! With this economy, every little bit helps!
ok, not sure what happened to my post, but wanted to mention fuel assistance as well, even if you rent an apt. with heat included and pay full rent (not subs.) you can get the benefit pd. directly to you, or if subs. but you have to pay for your own heat, you can get a benefit as well. If subsidized and heat is included, you will need to contact the administering agency in your area to see if you qualify. Please note, Sec. 8 vouchers can usually take a couple years to qualify for, as you are placed on a wait list-been there, done that. Contact your local housing agency, here in Maine it is http://www.mainehousing.org or Dept. of Human Services, they should have some good resources.
It’s great that so many programs like this exist, and I hope people don’t feel ashamed to take advantage of them. I was raised in an upper-middle-class family where we always had what we needed, but after I left home I found myself poor and insurance-less. It was hard to make the mental leap from “rich” to “poor,” but I took advantage of some government assistance to get health care and I’m really glad I did. This is a great resource for people who have trouble finding a place to live.