I went to the housing authority and they do credit checks.........is Sec. 8 the same thing?

Question

My ex and I just split up...I have 2 small kids (ages 1 and 3) and no job currently. I have been staying with a friend but can not do so much longer. I have been to apply for assistance and pretty much the only thing I can get without a waiting list is food stamps. I told housing authority I have no where to go and they had me fill out an application but they do credit checks. i have a repo and student loans on my credit so I will be denied. Is section 8 the same thing and how can they deny you based on your credit if they are supposed to help you find a place? I am looking for a job but it seems the only thing I qualify for are jobs making 6 or 7 bucks and hour (I worked 2 min. wage jobs while I was with my ex but had to quit both of them to move and they wouldn't transfer me). I have 3 years of college but do not have the time or money to go back at this point and there are no decent jobs here with out a degree. The day care waiting list is at least a year long and with two kids in daycare that itself is 1000 bucks a month which is more than what I would be making. I have been advised to NOT go to a shelter because they would take my kids away. I am getting a couple hundred dollars in child support but that is no where near the amount I need for child care to be able to work to be able to afford an apartment or house not to mention the bad credit. But what is the difference in housing authority and sec. 8? There are waiting lists for both right now as far as I know but I'm just confused...I thought there were programs out there for single moms to help find them a place to live based on income and would still give you a place to stay even if you do have bad credit.

Answer 1

If you are not working why is it that you don't have time to go back to school? And since you are on food stamps you should be eligible for programs to help you pay for the rest of your schooling (check with your school's financial aid department). Sometimes we make excuses because we are afraid to succeed. They won't take your kids away for going to a shelter. Some people will say this because they had it happen to them but what they didn't tell you is that they weren't taking good care of the kids and/or were abusing them.  We know that people should get 2nd chances but sometimes you have to prove that you deserve a chance. So suck it up go get a part time, low paying job and go back to school.

In my quest to work from home and stay home with my kids I have written several articles that may help your situation. My articles are listed below.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2193091_work-hom...

http://www.ehow.com/how_2299042_more-mon...

While you are waiting to make money from these sources please read some articles I wrote to help you with the high cost of gas and food.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2261173_save-mon...

http://www.ehow.com/how_2289456_save-mon...

Answer 2

Section 8 is a program managed by the Housing Auth.

Section 8 will only deny you if evictions or felonies show up on your credit report.

However, it is a LOW INCOME program.   You have to be working.   The fact that you do not work will get you denied from that.   It is not for people with no income.  

The shelter is the program that is set up for you.  They will not be taking your kids.  They have programs to help you find work and watch your kids while you do it.   They however will not let you turn down work as you have because you think it is beneth you.

After you go through their program you go ahead of the line for section 8 (often has a waiting list of 2-5 years) and will be provided child care while you work.

Answer 3

Sec 8 housing vouchers are not credit based, but income and needs based.  HOWEVER, landlords for such properties WILL do credit checks, so possession of a Sec 8 voucher guarantees you nothing.  If you do not have acceptable credit, expect to be denied by most landlords, even if Sec 8 pays a portion of your rents (which is what it does pay)

Most areas have lengthy waiting lists for Sec 8 assistance, since the funds are not unlimited.  You can only apply for a voucher, wait to be accepted, and then look for a rental in which the landlords are fairly easy on credit scores.

Contrary to what most in your situation expect and believe, there are no guarantees that you will receive government benefits to provide housing.  You are advised to find a paying job, and, with luck, inexpensive child care at a private provider.  You will have to contribute to this situation by proving that you are working and bringing in whatever income you can.

Answer 4

Section 8 doesn't actually find you a place, they merely help you pay rent on a list of qualified places. There could indeed be a long (or even no) waiting list, depending how many landlords wish to jump through the significant hoops Section 8 requires.

Section 8 gets a bad rap in that, though the landlord is allowed to fully screen and vet every tenant for criminal/credit history and can hold the tenants accountable to a normal set of reasonable house rules, many do not.

In theory, a Section 8 tenant should be indistinguishable from a "normal" tenant, as the only difference should be how the rent is paid. The screening/application process should be thorough and tenants should be "managed" as any other.

In practice, in many cities, landlords buy low-quality buildings, do the minimum to qualify and don't really care what the tenants do as long as the cashflow continues. Either that or they are so afraid of EEO charges that they rent to the first warm body that walks through the door, no matter what their gut feelings.

So, in other words, once you are qualified it is up to you to find the best possible place that will take you.