Subsidized Apartments

Government subsidized apartments are apartments where HUD, Housing and Urban Development, helps renters pay a portion of the rent. In this way, the renters can pay less than market rent. These types of apartments are not for everyone though. Generally, you'd have to be making a low income which is at the poverty level or below. You can check the HUD website or give them a call and find out firsthand whether you qualify for these apartments.

One of my friends is a single mother working a minimum wage job. The money she makes is barely enough to cover the cost of living. Recently, her hours at work were cut back due to the lack of customers in the store. Since her work hours were cut back, she was not making as much money as before. This was a big problem for her because she could not afford to pay all the expenses like rent and bills. I suggest to her that she apply for subsidized apartments. All she would have to do is to go to the HUD website and look for these apartments. She can then go directly to the apartments and apply for an apartment. The apartment management would have to check her income level first. I would imagine that she would be able to qualify since she does not make much money. In fact, I would say she was living in poverty levels.

She was able to find an apartment and apply for it but they told her that she would have to wait 6 months before there was an opening. I told her not to worry and to keep checking back with the staff often to see if she might have moved up the waiting list. In the meantime, I suggested her to find a place with roommates. It would be a hassle to live with roommates but she would safe some money that way. It would only be a temporary arrangement until she was able to move to the subsidized apartments.