Shelter

Shelter is very essential, but if you don’t have the right resources, then shelter can be unattainable or the very least – very expensive. First, if you have no place to live now, find a homeless shelter. At the very least, they will provide you with a single size bed to sleep on, and maybe a shower. You will have to go to bed at a certain time, and likely have to wake up early in the morning. If you are in this position, you should callĀ 211 and get a listing on subsidized housing options. You will have to get this information off of the internet, or have it mailed to you. With you being homeless, a PO Box is your friend. It will be hard to get one, but once you can – you will be able to get mail sent to you. I would not recommend a sleeping room or SRO that is more than 30% of your income. Even then, this should be a temporary solution until you can get into subsidized housing. This will be your final goal.

What I Do

I was fortunate to have HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section-8) most of my adult life, but there were a time when I was young that I was homeless, and had to rely on shelters. Once I was able to get on the Housing Choice Voucher Program, I was able to find a place that was affordable, and met most of my needs. Today, I no longer have Housing Choice, but I am in another HUD Subsidized program that works just as well. With my rent being 30% of my income, I am paying $270 for rent. While high, it is reasonable enough to live with, and I am able to make other things possible.