Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Anyone here on disability? How do they afford housing, specifically living close to medical resources? I'm struggling right now with that myself. Most of the housing is for senior citizens, not younger disabled people, never mind the fact that I'm not 'mobility impaired'. Some of the senior housing places take younger applicants but only those 'requiring a barrier-free lifestyle'.
If you're not mobility impaired - and you are obviously not intellectually impaired (you write well), why not just look for a shared space in an apartment or multi-family house somewhere? I was a border in a lovely old colonial house once. It had 5 bedrooms, a kitchen, living room with fireplace, den, three bathrooms, basement with washer/dryer. The mom lived there 6 months out of the year and would sleep on the couch if "her" room was rented. The daughter and son both lived there, and they took borders for the 3 vacant bedrooms. One of the other borders was on SSDI; he had suffered brain damage as a result of heroin addiction (he was successfully on a methadone program but the damage had already been done). Other than smoking like a stuffed chimney, and very rare, occasional sporadic verbal outbursts, he was pretty easy to get along with. His SSDI check covered his rent, his share of the food, his smokes, and a weekly stipend which was alotted to him by his social worker (who was employed by the state and therefore didn't take any money from the house-mate).
It worked out pretty well. Maybe that's something you can look into.
There are apartments for people who are low-income, often requiring a rental that is a percentage of their adjusted income. I have a friend now, who has not yet been designated as disabled by social security, but because she can't work, she qualified for an apartment for only $25 a month.
Often, these properties have regular market-rate tenants, but the owners designate a certain number of apartments for low-income, and the rent is subsidized by government programs. There is probably a non-governmental organization in your area that specializes in helping seniors and disabled work their way through these kinds of issues, since the government is sure as hell not in the business of helping anyone struggle through their own red tape.
In some parts of the country, assisted rental have waiting lists that are decades long, but in other places, there are vacancies standing waiting, so inquire around the general area and see what you can find. If you don't need to work, find yourself a nice small town in the country to live in. You might even find one on a beach.
Check the HUD site for rental assistance. You might make the income qualifications, but there may be a waitlist in your area.
This is not the same thing as section 8 housing. With rental assistance, you can choose the apartment, and you get vouchers towards the rent. It's not government housing.
Anyone here on disability? How do they afford housing, specifically living close to medical resources? I'm struggling right now with that myself. Most of the housing is for senior citizens, not younger disabled people, never mind the fact that I'm not 'mobility impaired'. Some of the senior housing places take younger applicants but only those 'requiring a barrier-free lifestyle'.
It depends entirely on where you live. I've been on SSDI for about 9 years, and my husband was on SSI for about 5 or 6. I was in WA then, and after my husband died, I lost all supplemental benefits he'd gotten, because my SSDI was about 20.00 over their guidelines. Then the cost of living there was set to go up radically and I left. If I'd stayed, I wouldn't have had anything left over for groceries.
The main problem is transportation, if you don't drive. Then you either need public transportation, or someone around you can call on for help. Where I live now is a smallish mobile home I bought from a small park, a fixer upper. The electricitiy/water/sewer/trash pick up is all included in the space rent and runs about 400.00/month. Medical facilities are a whole different can of worms - Medicare is paying less and less, and the docs/clinics are charging more and more. I can't drive, so most of my shopping I can do walking to a place nearby, and a couple times a month I get a ride to a larger store. It all works out.
Anyone here on disability? How do they afford housing, specifically living close to medical resources? I'm struggling right now with that myself. Most of the housing is for senior citizens, not younger disabled people, never mind the fact that I'm not 'mobility impaired'. Some of the senior housing places take younger applicants but only those 'requiring a barrier-free lifestyle'.
You can do what Neanderthal and Homo Erectus and Homo Habilis did, and what all animals are smart enough to do: Move.
You live where you can afford to live, not where you want to live. Medical services are a dime a dozen, so unless you have an extremely rare condition like my sister (there's less than a dozen doctors in the US who know anything about it), you're free to move just about anywhere you want.
I'm confused about the SSDI/SSI thing. SSI is Security Supplemental Income. It is a federal government program that has absolutely no relationship to Social Security whatsoever. SSI money comes from the General Fund, not SSA or the SSA Trust Fund.
The reason I mention that is because if you are on SSI, you cannot be out of the US for more than 30 days, but if you live on SSDI, you can move to and live in another country.
If you are classified as totally permanently disabled, then your SSDI will never be reviewed, so you don't have to worry about that (ie you don't have to return to the US -- although you can have your SSDI review in the country you live in -- depends on why you're disabled -- you would just go to the nearest US Mission).
Where ever there are medical centers, there are usually universities, which means there are students, which means there's plenty of housing space to share. You can go on CraigsList and find apartments/houses to share, and that will reduce your monthly expenses and put more money in your pocket.
You can also move out to the country where apartments and mobile homes typically rent for $150-$300/month.
You either don't have a social worker, or your social worker is dumber than a box of rocks. SSDI will pay for your transportation, but you need to get hooked up for that (actually it is Medicare that pays the transportation and you cannot be on SSDI and not have Medicare). They will either give you a voucher, or you pay in advance and then get reimbursed (usually same day).
If you're not mobility impaired - and you are obviously not intellectually impaired (you write well), why not just look for a shared space in an apartment or multi-family house somewhere? I was a border in a lovely old colonial house once. It had 5 bedrooms, a kitchen, living room with fireplace, den, three bathrooms, basement with washer/dryer. The mom lived there 6 months out of the year and would sleep on the couch if "her" room was rented. The daughter and son both lived there, and they took borders for the 3 vacant bedrooms. One of the other borders was on SSDI; he had suffered brain damage as a result of heroin addiction (he was successfully on a methadone program but the damage had already been done). Other than smoking like a stuffed chimney, and very rare, occasional sporadic verbal outbursts, he was pretty easy to get along with. His SSDI check covered his rent, his share of the food, his smokes, and a weekly stipend which was alotted to him by his social worker (who was employed by the state and therefore didn't take any money from the house-mate).
It worked out pretty well. Maybe that's something you can look into.
People on SSDI/SSI tend to share housing together because that's the only housing they can afford and/or get accepted into.
I've looked at quite a few low-rent rooms for rent over many years and it's common to find several people living in a house with most or all of them on SSDI/SSI. And a lot of them smoke like a stuffed chimney and/or drink like a fish. (at least the ones on SSDI, it's very hard to afford anything beyond rent and food on SSI)
There are apartments for people who are low-income, often requiring a rental that is a percentage of their adjusted income. I have a friend now, who has not yet been designated as disabled by social security, but because she can't work, she qualified for an apartment for only $25 a month.
Often, these properties have regular market-rate tenants, but the owners designate a certain number of apartments for low-income, and the rent is subsidized by government programs. There is probably a non-governmental organization in your area that specializes in helping seniors and disabled work their way through these kinds of issues, since the government is sure as hell not in the business of helping anyone struggle through their own red tape.
In some parts of the country, assisted rental have waiting lists that are decades long, but in other places, there are vacancies standing waiting, so inquire around the general area and see what you can find. If you don't need to work, find yourself a nice small town in the country to live in. You might even find one on a beach.
This sounds like Low Income Housing Tax Credit housing. Developers get big tax credits for signing a contract to provide a certain number of low-rent units for a certain number of years to eligible applicants. After the contract expires the developer has the option of renewing it or converting the low-rent units to market-rate housing. Developers also have the option of getting out of the contract by paying back a pro-rated portion of the tax credits received.
Where I live, these properties have waiting lists a mile long.
People on SSDI/SSI tend to share housing together because that's the only housing they can afford and/or get accepted into.
I've looked at quite a few low-rent rooms for rent over many years and it's common to find several people living in a house with most or all of them on SSDI/SSI. And a lot of them smoke like a stuffed chimney and/or drink like a fish. (at least the ones on SSDI, it's very hard to afford anything beyond rent and food on SSI)
Err, no. This was a private home that took boarders, as I said. A single-family home, with the family still living in it. Since the mother lived in another country half the year, and was divorced, and it was a huge house with more bedrooms than they had family living there, they rented the extra bedrooms. I wasn't on SSDI, or SSI, or any kind of public assistance, because I was gainfully employed and in perfectly good physical and mental health. There was the guy on SSDI, who had one room, and another boarder who was working full time and saving up, just like I was. Neither the son nor the daughter of the homeowner were on assistance, and both of them were full-time employed adults.
Though many of us came and went over the years, that one guy was the only one on government assistance.
So your response to my post, really doesn't have anything to do with my post. The situation I described (and recommended) doesn't have anything to do with any kind of common theme with people on SSDI sharing a space with other people on SSDI.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
