need a fresh start, suggestions appreciated (Temecula: 2014, rent, safe area)

[NextStepinNewLife]

Originally Posted by Bonez765

to be honest, I don't recommend moving here to the Bay Area, or any part of Coastal California. the Cost of Living here is also pretty high like Hawaii (a bit less but almost the same) and teachers don't get paid well here nor are there many teaching jobs available at the moment due to the State making huge budget cuts during the worst of the current economic depression (yes, it is a depression people).

I would recommend that you fix your situation first in Hawaii before moving to California. it's too expensive out here and jobs aren't plentiful. however, if you are really that into moving to California, I recommend checking out Sacramento. not as expensive like the Bay Area.

I was actually considering the Sacramento area, are there any areas I should be more wary of?
Plus I may be getting a small settlement that I plan to start a small business with since I presumed teaching might not be an option.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by otterprods

My suggestion is to NOT look for your fresh start int he most expensive metro in the USA… unless of course you already have a suitably paying job already lined up.

In any case, 'move to CA on section 8 assistance' because it 'seems nice' (or ???) ≠ good idea.

This is what I'm thinking. The bar to get off that Section 8 and be self sufficient is quite high for just about everyone who lives here. That's doubly true for a single parent.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Bonez765

I would recommend that you fix your situation first in Hawaii before moving to California. it's too expensive out here and jobs aren't plentiful. however, if you are really that into moving to California, I recommend checking out Sacramento. not as expensive like the Bay Area.

I concur with the advice to try Sacramento if California is an absolute must. The pay vs. cost of living ratio is more sane there, and you get many of the benefits of living in Coastal California at a lower price...liberal (but not as far left as the Bay Area, which is either a pro or con depending on your perspective), good (but not great) weather, urban amenities, etc. Not near the water, but not super far away, either. It's probably the nicest inland metro area in California, which is to say, not super nice, but decent.

[Bonez765]

Originally Posted by NextStepinNewLife

I was actually considering the Sacramento area, are there any areas I should be more wary of?
Plus I may be getting a small settlement that I plan to start a small business with since I presumed teaching might not be an option.

Check the Roseville area. It's one of the best cities in the Sac metro area with the price you pay to live there. I have found some apartments there for under 1k a month; non-existent in the Bay Area.
Plus, people in Sac aren't as extremist liberals like in the Bay Area.

[Bonez765]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I concur with the advice to try Sacramento if California is an absolute must. The pay vs. cost of living ratio is more sane there, and you get many of the benefits of living in Coastal California at a lower price...liberal (but not as far left as the Bay Area, which is either a pro or con depending on your perspective), good (but not great) weather, urban amenities, etc. Not near the water, but not super far away, either. It's probably the nicest inland metro area in California, which is to say, not super nice, but decent.

I would say that if Sac had a better job environment, it would easily be one of the best metro areas in California. Reasons are:

-The Bay Area is getting too crowded and too insanely expensive.
-The Bay Area is becoming like LA with the traffic and general attitude of the people
-LA is insane expensive but the salaries aren't great at all and the job environment sucks big time (this has been the case for years as my father lived in LA in the late 1970s and 1980s and left because the job situation and quality of life was better for him here in the Bay Area).
-Liberal mentality is getting people in the Bay to get more and more closed off. The second a person finds out I have very conservative views, they turn on their fight mode. In Sacramento, I haven't had this happen to me.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by NextStepinNewLife

For anyone unfamiliar, I have a section 8 voucher which means any landlord willing to rent to me with it will get a portion of the rent paid from the government and the rest from me. HUD will inspect the unit first to ensure basic safety issues are not a problem but other wise until I get on my feet they will assist me with payments.

I know the program because my family used to own homes we rented to section 8 tenants, crazy how things work out.

I know the stigma attached to section 8 but unfortunately being left by my husband, left me and my child in need of the rental assistance. So I truly appreciate section 8 and all the input you all are giving me.

Honestly, the section 8 voucher isn't all that helpful. Many many lndlords do not take section 8. The nice section 8 places have really long waiting lists. And the places that are available are generally in areas you do not want to raise your family.

Bay Area landlords are finding ways to charge over $2500 for unrenovated 1970s era 2 bedroom apartments to people with $100k+ incomes. Why bother with section 8 when you have your pick of well paid professionals? They can increase rents 15% year over year with no issues.

If you don't have solid financial resources, the Bay Area will not be pleasant for you and your family. You might want to consider Sacramento instead.

[otterprods]

Originally Posted by NextStepinNewLife

I know the stigma attached to section 8 but unfortunately being left by my husband, left me and my child in need of the rental assistance. So I truly appreciate section 8 and all the input you all are giving me.

It's not about stigma. Most reasonable people appreciate the need for something like sec. 8 when there's truly a need. That's what they're there for and any of us could someday find ourselves in such need.

But intentionally moving into one of the most expensive regions of the country and planning to rely on section 8 to make up the difference just seems irresponsible. But I could be wrong because I don't know all the facts.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Bonez765

I would say that if Sac had a better job environment, it would easily be one of the best metro areas in California. Reasons are:

-The Bay Area is getting too crowded and too insanely expensive.
-The Bay Area is becoming like LA with the traffic and general attitude of the people
-LA is insane expensive but the salaries aren't great at all and the job environment sucks big time (this has been the case for years as my father lived in LA in the late 1970s and 1980s and left because the job situation and quality of life was better for him here in the Bay Area).
-Liberal mentality is getting people in the Bay to get more and more closed off. The second a person finds out I have very conservative views, they turn on their fight mode. In Sacramento, I haven't had this happen to me.

Yes, I agree nearly 100% with all of this.

My only quibble would be the overcrowding thing. Americans don't know what crowding really is. And much of the crowding and traffic we do have is the result of an expectation of 1 car per adult person able to drive 10, 20, 30 miles one way to work. We haven't built the mass transit infrastructure to get people out of their cars and in places with decent mass transit, like SF, it is poorly managed.

[bobby_guz_man]

Originally Posted by Bonez765

I would say that if Sac had a better job environment, it would easily be one of the best metro areas in California. Reasons are:

-The Bay Area is getting too crowded and too insanely expensive.
-The Bay Area is becoming like LA with the traffic and general attitude of the people
-LA is insane expensive but the salaries aren't great at all and the job environment sucks big time (this has been the case for years as my father lived in LA in the late 1970s and 1980s and left because the job situation and quality of life was better for him here in the Bay Area).
-Liberal mentality is getting people in the Bay to get more and more closed off. The second a person finds out I have very conservative views, they turn on their fight mode. In Sacramento, I haven't had this happen to me.

I agree with this. But then, if Sac had a better job environment, it will be just as damn near expensive and damn near crowded as the Bay Area.

So...be careful what you wish for...

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Ah, OP, I'm your gal with regards to what you want to do. I used to be a property manager in Santa Clara, and I'm currently in affordable housing in Redding (retired last November), and am on several Section 8 waiting lists.

It's not impossible to find Section 8 housing in the Bay Area, but what you'll have to focus on is public housing. Private landlords are few in the Bay Area who accept Section 8 because the demand for housing has skyrocketed since the economy rebounded. If they don't HAVE to accept Section 8 to keep their places rented, they won't, as it's less hassle. Any private landlord that does accept Section 8, you should be wary of. They are usually the slum lords in bad neighborhoods nowadays.

You need to get on the waiting lists now for the public housing places you would be okay with moving into, even though you aren't here yet.

Also, you'll have to look for open waiting lists for non-seniors. I'm assuming you're not yet 55.

You will also need to show some form of income. There is often a minimum income requirement, as well as a maximum.

First, are you open to living in other areas of CA? Because if you are, you can find available Section 8 housing right away in other towns. For instance, Red Bluff's Craigslist ads regularly include housing that accepts Section 8 including by private landlords. It's a pretty nice town, IMO. Summers are brutal, though. Same weather as Redding. Redding will have some public housing, but not many Section 8 private landlords, in my experience.

Another town with cool weather with lots of public housing is Crescent City. It's kind of in the boonies, in a way, though still has decent shopping and resources. I'm on a waiting list to move there, as it will be cooler and their section 8 wait list is open, and they have quite a few Section 8 based housing opportunities for me there. It's right on the coast, which I think would be nice. For me, anyway.

I would NOT look into public housing in the Sacramento area. I used to live there, and you probably won't like the neighbors you would have.

There is nice public housing in Santa Clara County, though. But, you may have a long wait on their lists.

First, here are the resources for Santa Clara County:

This is a really nice new place in Santa Clara. They accept Section 8 and their waiting list is open. I have a friend on the list, and she is not 55, and it doesn't say it's for seniors, so this may work for you. Their biggest apartment is a 1 bedroom, but occupancy standard-wise, you would qualify even though it's you and your daughter:

STUDIOS AND ONE BEDROOMS - Presidio El Camino - Santa Clara - CA

When she got on the waiting list, it was 6 months to 1 year wait.

The other ones on the top of my head are for seniors, because that is what I was looking for. But, this is a pretty good website:

http://www.socialserve.com/tenant/CA...egion_id=32090


Here's the county website:

Our agency assists about 17,000 households through the federal rental housing assistance (Housing Choice Voucher, also known as Section 8) program. | Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara

What you'll have to do is just make a ton of phone calls. Get a notebook and keep track. They'll mail you applications, and you mail them back. Then they'll mail you a letter saying if they put you on their waiting list. I also put all their phone numbers into my phone, so if/when they call me, I'll know who they are and not sound like a dolt lol!

What you may have to do is move into a town like Red Bluff or Crescent City, and continue to wait on the wait lists for Santa Clara or other towns you'd really rather live in. Then move again when you get to the top of the list. At least that way you could get here and into affordable housing sooner.

DM me if I can be of further assistance. Good luck to you.

EDIT: If your situation involved domestic violence, I believe that gives you a high priority, meaning you would get into places quickly, regardless of how long their waiting list is.