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Apartment buildings tend to have more issues... did you consider single family or 2 family homes?
The Section 8 that I have today is single family homes and duplexes... and no problems.
Most all of my Section 8 tenants pay in cash or postal money order... some pay less than $40 and these are always cash with a receipt...
I have never met a retired Registered Nurse with Housing... in CA, RN's make very good money... I had an 80 year old LVN that was still working 2 afternoons on weekends at a retirement home... and she was older than many of the residents...
How did you decide to rent at your present location?
Was only asking for questions. Yes, RNs do make good money. But why am I not allowed to resign or retire? Ever heard of difficult divorces, life experiences? I am not a crook because I receive section 8, nor some of the other people I have met. There are many criminals though, that live in the section 8 network.
I am not dissing landlords, section 8 works both ways. I remember dumbly approaching rental agencies who told me, yes, we take section 8. You chose an apartment or house in a "desirable area" from a photo on the internet and when you go to view the property, you are quickly steered to a area known for its poverty and crime.
I picked a very nice apartment that also blends into a very affluent area. I have come to be informed that I live in a "high crime" area. When I called my insurance company to change my address, I was informed I would be charged an extra $6.00 a month because I live in a "high crime area."
When I handed over my $800 cash plus rent money, I was never offered a receipt. My fault because I didn't ask for one. I finally asked for a receipt which was stuck in my door with the date of the delivery, not the date I paid the rent.
Yes, RNs do make good money but there were a lot of times I was a stay-at-home mom. The reason I mentioned I was a nurse, at least you generally are not a criminal. Every way you turn, you get a background check. I don't feel that I have to justify why I retired. Haven't you also never had life experiences? Haven't you ever worked at anything else, like the u.s. government with a top secret clearance?
Yes, I very definitely would like to have like a single family dwelling. You are lucky to find such a thing in this city, especially if you are single.
Section 8 works both ways.
Besides I think I should have a say if I don't want to work until I am 80.
I agree, you shouldn't have to work till you are 80... I think my 80 year old Nurse gets as much satisfaction from working as she does from getting paid...
I've helped a number of Elderly get assistance through Section 8... most had no idea the program even existed and it is a true blessing... Living on $600 to $800 monthly social security and paying rent in the SF Bay Area left them with nothing... as in no heat in the winter.
Steering is illegal as far as I know...
As for cash... could be they are only reporting the amount paid the the Housing Authority and pocketing the cash... although not as likely with a property management company involved.
A new place does take some getting used to... have you had a chance to meet any of your neighbors casually?
Knowing you have dignity even if you are a voucher holder
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner
I agree, you shouldn't have to work till you are 80... I think my 80 year old Nurse gets as much satisfaction from working as she does from getting paid...
I've helped a number of Elderly get assistance through Section 8... most had no idea the program even existed and it is a true blessing... Living on $600 to $800 monthly social security and paying rent in the SF Bay Area left them with nothing... as in no heat in the winter.
Steering is illegal as far as I know...
As for cash... could be they are only reporting the amount paid the the Housing Authority and pocketing the cash... although not as likely with a property management company involved.
A new place does take some getting used to... have you had a chance to meet any of your neighbors casually?
I do like my apartment. It sure is a large step up from Senior Apartments.
He asked for the cash but never gave a receipt. It took 2 weeks for me to ask for and got one. I will never do that again. Everyone gives the monthly rent to a resident and the resident gives it to the owner. It had to be kind of ridiculous for me to go to the bank and get the cash.
It's really nice apartment but just found out it was a hi crime area. One day it was like in the movies to see law enforcement with their full range of protective gear in the next building.
My car insurance was raised $600 for moving to a high crime area. I surely don't want to move, especially on another 2nd floor.
So if I can stay safe I'll be happy.
Thanks for your interest. I had been in the other apartment since 2003, a studio. New, new, adventure for me, this section 8.
Yes, I have met the neighbors, very casually. There doesn't' seem to be much interaction among them. I grew up in San Francisco. Makes me nostalgic. (how did I get to SF). Okay, I know now, you helped some seniors to get section 8. Bless your heart.
I am a single mother with a section 8 voucher. I understand the landlords fear of getting screwed financially. And I have some section 8 neighbors who make me sick. But I have faced so much discrimination trying to find a decent place to live. I can only find apartments with slum landlords and bad neighborhoods. My poor son, the things that he has had to see growing up. His school regularly sends me notices about all the sex offenders in the neighborhood. Why should my child be punished because his mother isn't wealthy? I hate section 8...yes it makes my rent affordable but it is like a self-imposed prison. It is committing me to a life of destitution. And all that comes with that. No one wants to be dependent on government handouts. It is demeaning and degrading. I have two inspections every year...just because I have section 8 does not make me a dirty or bad person. I want to be self-sufficient. But that is not an option in this country for some of us. I was an administrative secretary and was priced out of my home town. And have been bouncing around from one slum to another for the past 15 years. If I could work two jobs to be free of this, I would. But I have NOONE to watch my son. So I would work two jobs and sacrifice my son's well being. Have him come home to an empty house? Is that what you want for your society. The most vulnerable citizens...single moms and fatherless children. My son's father is dead. I really wish some of you would open your eyes and your minds. Do you understand that the cost of living has increased and wages have been frozen for decades. That is the real problem. Not all of us were born with a silver spoon. If some of you want to enlighten yourselves...I would really recommend reading the book "Nickeled and Dimed: On Not Getting By In America".
P.S. Some of the biggest corporations in America are being subsidized by the tax payer...so you can put them on your list of welfare recipients riding on the backs of tax payers.
I hate section 8...yes it makes my rent affordable but it is like a self-imposed prison. It is committing me to a life of destitution. And all that comes with that. No one wants to be dependent on government handouts. It is demeaning and degrading. I have two inspections every year...just because I have section 8 does not make me a dirty or bad person. I want to be self-sufficient. But that is not an option in this country for some of us.
You have a defeatist mentality, and until you overcome that you will never get out of the hole you're in. So you have a kid, big deal. Lots of us raised kids alone. I had two, the first one I had as a teenager, and I raised them alone. I lived on less than $500/mo for a very long time. When you've got two kids in diapers, that's not much, even in the mid-80s when I did it.
Your section 8 isn't keeping you in a "self-imposed prison", YOU ARE. That section 8 is something I would have loved to have when my kids were small. Not to have to pay rent (or almost none)? My god, what a blessing that would have been!
You just need to figure out how to get things done. You can't afford a babysitter, so what? Find a second part-time job that you can take your son with you, like delivering papers or doing courier work. Find something online to work from home -- you say you're an experienced administrative secretary, start taking on some records, billing, or medical transcription work at home. Write term papers for college students. If you're good at a subject, start a tutoring service. If you have an art or craft that you like to do, start making things to sell online at Etsy.com. If you're good at finding things in thrift and secondhand stores, start selling things on Ebay. Can you play a musical instrument -- start offering music lessons. Trade child care with another single mother so that you can both have a part time job. Start an after-school childcare service in your home.
There's endless things you can do, as long as you're not sitting there feeling sorry for yourself that you're getting a free handout. If a stupid teenager like me with no education and two kids could get out of the hole I was in, you can do it much more easily. By the time my kids were in kindergarten, I had a career and a job and was buying my first house, so there's no reason you can't get off section 8 if you actually want to.
I appreciate the sentiment. And good for you for getting yourself out of your situation. Is it really worth it to gain status in a society that cares nothing about you? And to have your kids needs go unmet? Maybe to you it was worth it. But what causes a defeatist attitude? Once again people blame the person for being lazy, inadequate, not trying hard enough. Instead of looking at a system that defeats people over and over again. A system that lacks integrity and lacks family/work balance. A system where 1% of the population has more wealth than 95% of us. A system that thinks it's okay to have homeless people (women & kids) living under a bridge in tents. A system that sends poor boys off to fight a rich man's war. Where the middle class resent and fight the lower class instead of realizing we are all getting screwed by the elite of this country. And everyone is so busy drinking the koolaid. But I see that you can't see or hear me like the rest of them. And my rent is not "free" ...it is %30 percent of my income. But don't worry because the government is currently putting a plan into action to kill off the poor. So you can have your tax dollars back soon honey. Study eugenics, if you want to learn the truth. Peace.
WOW! With all due respect I don't always agree with Mercury Cougar but your diatribe of a response is so out there and very offensive to me personally.
It would help if you used paragraphs.
That said, I'm hard pressed on where to start. But let's start with, "I just hope your children don't hate you for it. I know too many women who pull themselves up by the "bootstrap" only to neglect their own children. And are so stressed out that they end up taking it out on the kids."
Thereby hangs an assumption that MercuryCougar and others have done such? Or maybe that you've had that experience?
"But what causes a defeatist attitude?" Maybe such as yours who blames the government for your ills?
Why do you expect American taxpayers, via government hand-outs to take care of you ad nausea? You made your choice to have a child. You say the child's father is dead but, if the father was working at the time of his death then you should be receiving Social Security benefits for your son.
There are probably community outreaches in your area who could accommodate your boy and, particularly since you're on Section 8, allow you to both accommodate your son between school hours and segue that in with time for you to work.
If you have any desire whatsoever to be a role model for your boy then now's the time to step up to the plate. Good luck.
I would like to make a suggestion. Try to analyze the comments of Mercury Cougar. I mean really look at the suggestions. Can you do any of those things to earn extra money? Is there anyway to put aside $20 or $30 until you've saved enough to purchase your own home or start a business?
I too have been there. Living off of Section 8....living in the homeless shelter.....living on welfare....working two jobs....selling odds and ends to pay the bills. I know it's not easy and I commend you for wanting to spend time with your child. But there are ways to work around your situation without neglecting your child. Think out the box and you will find a way.
I always thought of my situation as temporary. I always thought of it as a stepping stone. I was blessed to recieve the benefits of the poor. Sure I lived in the worse neighborhoods, but I kept to myselft... went to school... saved...and saved more...and got a good job....then I invested in real estate and other things of value.
No one and nothing can commit you or your child to a life of destitute. Know that this is temporary and that you will be fine. Most important, what ever you do "think positive" and teach your child about the good things in life. Let your child know that he/she does not have to accept life as it is. He or she can change it for the better and so can you.
You have a defeatist mentality, and until you overcome that you will never get out of the hole you're in. So you have a kid, big deal. Lots of us raised kids alone. I had two, the first one I had as a teenager, and I raised them alone. I lived on less than $500/mo for a very long time. When you've got two kids in diapers, that's not much, even in the mid-80s when I did it.
Your section 8 isn't keeping you in a "self-imposed prison", YOU ARE. That section 8 is something I would have loved to have when my kids were small. Not to have to pay rent (or almost none)? My god, what a blessing that would have been!
You just need to figure out how to get things done. You can't afford a babysitter, so what? Find a second part-time job that you can take your son with you, like delivering papers or doing courier work. Find something online to work from home -- you say you're an experienced administrative secretary, start taking on some records, billing, or medical transcription work at home. Write term papers for college students. If you're good at a subject, start a tutoring service. If you have an art or craft that you like to do, start making things to sell online at Etsy.com. If you're good at finding things in thrift and secondhand stores, start selling things on Ebay. Can you play a musical instrument -- start offering music lessons. Trade child care with another single mother so that you can both have a part time job. Start an after-school childcare service in your home.
There's endless things you can do, as long as you're not sitting there feeling sorry for yourself that you're getting a free handout. If a stupid teenager like me with no education and two kids could get out of the hole I was in, you can do it much more easily. By the time my kids were in kindergarten, I had a career and a job and was buying my first house, so there's no reason you can't get off section 8 if you actually want to.
'Tis true. You can change your life. All you need is the will to do so. The rest will come IF you are dedicated.
Vanilla, if you want to know how and where to start, PM me.
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Knowing you have dignity even if you are a voucher holder
If a stupid teenager like me with no education and two kids could get out of the hole I was in, you can do it much more easily. By the time my kids were in kindergarten, I had a career and a job and was buying my first house, so there's no reason you can't get off section 8 if you actually want to.
