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It's the same with 55+ or 62+ tax-credit housing, which we explored in depth in another thread (I don't remember the name). The companies who built the housing complexes receive a certain tax break when they don't charge an arm and a leg for the rent. Almost all seniors with restricted income pay the same rent, except seniors who are Section 8 recipients. The rent for these seniors is 30% of their income for the same units as others who pay higher rent.
I am under the impression that Section 8 is a specific program and not necessarily the same as qualifying for income-based senior housing. And in Section 8 you are not restricted to housing complexes, you can live where you want as long as the landlord is in the program. LiveContent would probably know.
I am under the impression that Section 8 is a specific program and not necessarily the same as qualifying for income-based senior housing. And in Section 8 you are not restricted to housing complexes, you can live where you want as long as the landlord is in the program. LiveContent would probably know.
Absolutely true, although there are some housing designed specifically for Section 8, but they are usually not in great locations. We checked out the places on that list on Google Earth and they all pass our criteria (we looked at the condition of the cars parked on the property and along the street curbside, the cleanliness of the sidewalk, the look of the neighbourhood, the types of shops within two block radius of the complex, the walking distance to downtown, etc.)
There are great income-based senior housing all over CA, so I'm hoping these income-based family housing would be of the same caliber.
I may have mentioned this before, but another town that fits the description but is NOT in tornado alley would be Los Alamos, NM. Los Alamos was a one-industry town. The nuclear lab let go of a huge number of employees, and there was nobody to sell their homes to. The people who are still there are well-educated, interesting people who engage in a fair amount of cultural activity for a town that size. There's a lot of parkland right there, and good skiing.
If you can get a section 8 voucher, I think you can go anywhere in the USA. You apply at a housing authority and just wait. It takes years. If you are low enough income and have time to wait, you may as well go ahead and get on a list because you can find a small apartment anywhere or even a very small house.
There is also low income senior housing that also charges 1/3 of your income for rent, just as section 8 does. But the low income housing, at least in my state, isn't very livable--less than 400 square ft and no washer or dryer, no storage, lots of rules and regulations and no place to sit outside or to garden. Kind of depressing too, all dependent upon government funding so lots of these places are falling apart.
Then there are the apartment complexes that have a deal with the city or town and you just have to find out about them and apply. Those seem to be a better deal than the regular senior housing because they are ordinary apartments, not tiny cracker box places.
From there, in my state, it goes right up to the senior complexes that cost around $800,000. That's out of the question for most people. The main problem seems to be that there isn't very much in between the very low income (horrible) senior housing and these unaffordable over the top senior housing places. I kind of like the idea of renting when you are older but the rents around here are $2000 and up so that's a stretch for most people. This is Massachusetts and it's wonderful but expensive.
I may have mentioned this before, but another town that fits the description but is NOT in tornado alley would be Los Alamos, NM. Los Alamos was a one-industry town. The nuclear lab let go of a huge number of employees, and there was nobody to sell their homes to. The people who are still there are well-educated, interesting people who engage in a fair amount of cultural activity for a town that size. There's a lot of parkland right there, and good skiing.
But the low income housing, at least in my state, isn't very livable--less than 400 square ft and no washer or dryer, no storage, lots of rules and regulations and no place to sit outside or to garden.
I remember you mentioned that.
In WA, they all have W&D on each floor plus hookup inside the unit. They all have courtyard, rooftop terrace, P-patch gardens on the ground or on the roof.
In CA, a great majority is not in buildings as in WA, just regular apartments, and most have balcony/porch.
In both states, the living space is small, with ~550 - 600 sq ft for one-bedroom unit.
For some reason, family housing offers much larger space. One bedroom starts from 650 sq ft, two bedroom is usually 800 sq ft, with a few go up to 1000+ sq ft. That's one of the reasons we think we might like family complexes better.
75% of those complexes are in very good locations, within walking distance of markets, parks, shopping centers, malls, etc. About 10% are in very close proximity of downtown (one or two miles). The other 15% are in more removed areas. Granted, we know CA very well, so we only look at complexes that are located in the cities we approved, thus the first elimination was done with just the zip code alone.
None of those I mentioned are actually Section 8 housing. Some are partnered with their state, some are privately owned, some are church owned (all denominations and atheists are welcome.) They are tax-credit housing, not directly subsidized by the government. They all must have a small percentage of units reserved for Section 8 as part of the program, however.
Last edited by Ol' Wanderer; 12-08-2011 at 04:22 PM..
In WA, they all have W&D on each floor plus hookup inside the unit. They all have courtyard, rooftop terrace, P-patch gardens on the ground or on the roof.
In CA, a great majority is not in buildings as in WA, just regular apartments, and most have balcony/porch.
In both states, the living space is small, with ~550 - 600 sq ft for one-bedroom unit.
For some reason, family housing offers much larger space. One bedroom starts from 650 sq ft, two bedroom is usually 800 sq ft, with a few go up to 1000+ sq ft. That's one of the reasons we think we might like family complexes better.
Is this subsidized senior housing? If so, it bears little resemblance to what is available in MA. Ours is mostly federal and it's bad. We have others that are state funded and I think some are private but get state funding but none are very good. All are really teeny too. I've never seen any that have much closet space or any storage space and certainly not a washing machine allowed.Our family housing is run by the same housing authorities that run the senior housing projects and they tend to be nicer--they have yards, picnic tables, garden space, washers and dryers, larger rooms, nice kitchens. But a senior isn't allowed to live there. Only people under a certain age and usually with kids.
Is this subsidized senior housing? If so, it bears little resemblance to what is available in MA. Our family housing is run by the same housing authorities that run the senior housing projects and they tend to be nicer--they have yards, picnic tables, garden space, washers and dryers, larger rooms, nice kitchens. But a senior isn't allowed to live there. Only people under a certain age and usually with kids.
There are many non profit organizations (some local, some state-wide, some region-wide) that built housing for family and senior. I think they are subsidized, but I cannot say for certain.
There are also have tax-credit organizations that received tax break for doing the same thing, but they are not non-profit, they just make less profits in exchange for a reduce in tax. The family complexes here must take everyone at all ages, not just family with children, but the senior complexes are allowed to take seniors only.
[i]Ours is mostly federal and it's bad. We have others that are state funded and I think some are private but get state funding but none are very good.
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