Our rent is often the most expensive bill that we have to pay each month. Unfortunately, many people struggle each month to pay their rent. In some cases, life changes like bankruptcy or divorce are the blame. Other times, the economy makes it hard to find good paying jobs. That means that even though you are employed, your income is just not enough.
In either case, section 8 housing offers an excellent resource for attaining affordable housing. Individuals who are approved under the section 8 program are able to gain financial assistance so that the larger portion of their rent is paid through the program and the family only pays a small percentage of their disposable income to contribute towards the rent. There actually a few different benefits of participating in the Section 8 program. These benefits not only make it easier for parents to provide affordable housing for the children, but he gives them choices as to where and how to do that.
Reduced Rent Amount
The most obvious benefit of using section 8 vouchers is the reduction of the amount of rent you pay. First and foremost, the amount of rent that you are responsible for under the program is determined based on your income- not the actual rent for the property. Depending on the size of your family, section 8 will provide guidelines and structure on the size of a house you qualify for. From there, you find houses that accept section 8 vouchers as a form of rent payment. From there, the landlord coordinates with section 8, and in the in, section 8 tells you what percentage of your income will be required.
Secondly, section 8 takes into account your other financial responsibilities in calculating your rent. Instead of calculating your rent based on your net income, your disposable income is calculated to take in account for your utility bills and food needed. So if you earn $2000 per month, but your living expenses calculate up to $500 per month, your disposable income is only $1500. In the case that your rent is calculated as 20% of your disposable income, your rent in this case would be $300 per month- regardless of how much the landlord is charging.
Access To Better And Safer Housing
Some people assume that because they earn a lower income that they must settle for traditional low income housing. These are normally project communities where residents pay very low rent amounts but their living conditions are minimally acceptable. While any place to live is better than having no place to live, these types of housing provide the least amount of space, privacy and safety. Even more, the communities tend to be located in high crime areas, leaving his residence desperate for a way out.
Section 8 housing offers an alternative to the same people. Instead of being forced to live in the most poverty-stricken areas, section 8 provides a voucher that allows families to live in a single-family house- and in the area of their choosing. That is because landlords are able to offer their own properties for rent through the program. By opening up the house and selection to include any property that meets the criteria, section 8 recipients have more options as to where and how they live. So if there is a particular school that you are looking to get your child into, or certain area that you want to live in, your income is no longer a barrier with section 8 housing.
Frequent Inspections Ensures Safe Living
section 8 will not allow landlord to do not maintain their properties to benefit from participating in the program. For that reason, properties are inspected prior to tenants moving in and continuous inspections occur throughout the term of the lease. This is to ensure that the property is maintained in livable condition and poses no safety hazards to the family staying in the property. If a landlord does not address any repairs that are deemed unsafe by section 8, the lease can be terminated and the property cannot be rented again until the repairs are finished. This protects the family so that they do not have to live in a house that is an adequate or potentially dangerous to the safety or health. While this is normally a problem with low income housing, this is not usually a problem with section 8 housing.
All in all, section 8 is beneficial for families because it allows them to have choices that are usually limited by their income. By having access to better neighborhoods, single-family housing, and great neighborhoods where their kids can go to great schools, families do not have to be limited to high crime areas just because their income is low. With section 8 housing, affordable housing is available to those who want it.
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