Living homeless with your family or even alone, in a big city is unsafe and scary. With low income housing programs sponsored by the HUD, you can afford to own a house.
Shelter is one of the basic needs of human beings. The shade of a roof brings with it feelings of safety, relaxation, and peace of mind. Undoubtedly, home buying tops the list of priorities for the majority of the people. For financially strong families, purchasing one is not a difficult task. But for the low income group, the dream to buy a house often seems to be lost in oblivion. With these programs, it’s possible for them to afford a house. Low income housing programs have been in existence since a long time. Yet, a shortage of affordable homes has been a problem that has the plagued the nation since decades.
Government Assistance
To curb the problem of homelessness in America and to help those who are on the verge of it, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was constituted by the US government. According to the HUD, there are three such programs for families falling under the low income bracket viz.:
- Privately Owned Subsidized Housing
- Public Housing
- Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)
Privately Owned Subsidized Housing
In this scheme, the landlord of a private property agrees with the HUD to provide accommodation to lower income groups, on affordable prices. In return, the HUD offers subsidies from the government that the landlord can use for managing expenditure on rental properties. Due to these subsidies, it’s possible for the landlord to cut down on rental costs. Privately-owned properties are also those that have been constructed by large corporate construction firms.
Public Housing
Apartments on rent are a possibility in today’s era and public housing schemes have increased the hopes of low income families. This program offers assistance to people with disabilities, senior citizens, and to families in the low income bracket. Financial assistance is offered to local housing agencies (HAs) that help such families to manage the rent that is difficult for them to arrange. Based on your annual gross income or if you qualify in the category of a disabled person, you’ll be awarded affordable rent under this program.
Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)
In the housing choice voucher program (section 8), every family is provided with vouchers that can be used to pay the rent. Funded by the federal government, the objective of distributing vouchers is carried out by nearly 24,000 local, state, and regional housing agencies. Once a family gets the voucher, it has 60 days to find a house. The advantage of using the voucher is that the family has to pay only 30% of the total rent. Rest of the cost is managed through the voucher. In this program, the housing agencies look after the house and its safety standards; only then is it declared suitable for living.
For availing the benefits of such programs, one has to contact the HUD office or directly log on to their website and register. By visiting the website, you can also search for the local HUD office address and contact number. There are several counseling facilities provided by the HUD, so ensure that you take the benefit of such facilities. For detailed information about these programs and other laws of the HUD, one must visit their official website to get all the relevant information.
