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.
I wish all of the Sec 8 recipients in my neighborhood had a job, cared about their kids and were going to school to better their situation. No hate here. Wish I could make a suggestion too, but I wouldn't recommend the Sec 8 apartments in Shaw to someone with kids. Some new smaller developments have come online, but those affordable units are getting gobbled up immediately.
Do you think Arlington might be more feasible? It seems as though housing in DC is so, so expensive. The reason why I've stayed in Dumfries is because you can get a relatively large living area (4 BR 3.5 BA) for about $1600, a safe place to live and good schools. I would be willing to sacrifice on space and move into something smaller, but not at the expense of the kiddos.
Arlington (esp desirable parts) is almost as bad as DC. Alexandria is the first place where semi-afforable housing can be found with enough space for your family. Or Silver Spring if you are interested in Maryland at all.
Spencgr,
I'm sorry you're upset but I did not post this thread in order for you, or anyone else for that matter, to rail against Section 8. If you want to find fault with Section 8, then I suggest you look to the people who are rampantly abusing it, and go do that in your very own thread. The people who will be on it for a lifetime (and I'm not talking about the elderly, or the disabled; I'm talking about able-bodied working individuals who stay on Section 8 just because) are the ones you should be mad about, and believe me there are more of them than there are of me. And since I don't believe you even read the post in its entirety I will remind you that I DO work. I'm an MBA student, and my classes are indeed in the evening. And how dare you refer to my attitude as 'entitlement', I don't believe I'm entitled to anything, I merely expressed surprise at the rental market here. The $2300 figure is based solely on the area, it is not that much in other places (hence why I stated that in Upstate NY, it's about $500). Oh, and for your information, usually Section 8 DOES require that children share rooms. The only reason mine doesn't is because my son has a medical disability.
I take it you have nothing of real value to contribute to this conversation, so I'm redirecting my attention to those with something relevant to say. Thanks for your opinion
I wish all of the Sec 8 recipients in my neighborhood had a job, cared about their kids and were going to school to better their situation. No hate here. Wish I could make a suggestion too, but I wouldn't recommend the Sec 8 apartments in Shaw to someone with kids. Some new smaller developments have come online, but those affordable units are getting gobbled up immediately.
Thanks K Street. It's difficult sometimes, but I'm sure no more than anybody else who's struggling. I had no idea the DC market was so tight, but in retrospect the minute I saw their approved rental rates it should have set off a red flag. The problem with Sec 8 is that no matter what the rent is approved at, it will always be difficult to find a place. I'm not complaining because it beats the alternative, but I should have realized that the rent would be through the roof.
Arlington (esp desirable parts) is almost as bad as DC. Alexandria is the first place where semi-afforable housing can be found with enough space for your family. Or Silver Spring if you are interested in Maryland at all.
I've heard Silver Spring isn't a bad area at all, but we're a bit tied to this area. My son is special needs and his psychiatrist is here, as well as several other specialists he's seen for the last few years. Also, their dad's and my family both live in this area, and they help me out a great deal. Alexandria, or possibly Springfield wouldn't be bad. I know that Fairfax county (for Springfield) has some of the best schools in the country, so that's definitely a plus. Vouchers are worth a couple hundred less in VA (DC does their rates by neighborhood, NoVa has one standard price, which actually makes things easier in my opinion), but with some due diligence I would think it'd be fine
I recently moved from Woodbridge to DC myself (in May), though I'm just 1 person. One thing that would be very hard is finding a 3 bedroom apartment in DC, there's just not many in general - let alone ones in the Section 8 range. Even finding a one-bedroom at all, especially in a good neighborhood or close to public transportation is hard on section 8. I had to settle on a studio as there was no open one-bedrooms. A lot of the apartment buildings that have recently opened or opening soon are focused on studio - 2 bedrooms and start at $1500-1700 for 400 sq ft studios.
I had to spend 5 weeks sleeping at a friend's apartment from the time I left my apartment in Woodbridge until I could move to my new apartment in DC because of the porting process. So, if you move to another county be prepared for paperwork to take it's sweet time. I submitted my paperwork (as per the rules) two months before I had to vacate my old apartment, but they couldn't send the paperwork until a month before. Then it took a while for DC to get it and process it, then give me a voucher to present to landlords.
The process was very stressful in itself, complicated by my father getting sick and dying/best friend having heart attack (he survived)/no longer speaking to my mother (long story). So, be prepared for the unexpected (good or bad). Most of the time, I was running on pure "got to get stuff done" mode.
Spencgr,
I'm sorry you're upset but I did not post this thread in order for you, or anyone else for that matter, to rail against Section 8. If you want to find fault with Section 8, then I suggest you look to the people who are rampantly abusing it, and go do that in your very own thread. The people who will be on it for a lifetime (and I'm not talking about the elderly, or the disabled; I'm talking about able-bodied working individuals who stay on Section 8 just because) are the ones you should be mad about, and believe me there are more of them than there are of me. And since I don't believe you even read the post in its entirety I will remind you that I DO work. I'm an MBA student, and my classes are indeed in the evening. And how dare you refer to my attitude as 'entitlement', I don't believe I'm entitled to anything, I merely expressed surprise at the rental market here. The $2300 figure is based solely on the area, it is not that much in other places (hence why I stated that in Upstate NY, it's about $500). Oh, and for your information, usually Section 8 DOES require that children share rooms. The only reason mine doesn't is because my son has a medical disability.
I take it you have nothing of real value to contribute to this conversation, so I'm redirecting my attention to those with something relevant to say. Thanks for your opinion
Many people cannot afford to take loans out for graduate school because they are paying so much for their housing. they don't get public assistance.
Many people share a bedroom with a roommate because of the high cost of housing. They don't get public assistance.
While I understand that your son needs his own room, why do you? (this is where the "entitled" comment stemmed from). Many people sleep on the couch to provide rooms for their children because of the high cost of housing. They don't get public assistance.
I understand that many people are cheating the system, and never indicated you were. I am shocked that my money is helping you get your MBA, when I can't afford to do it myself.
Many people cannot afford to take loans out for graduate school because they are paying so much for their housing. they don't get public assistance.
Many people share a bedroom with a roommate because of the high cost of housing. They don't get public assistance.
While I understand that your son needs his own room, why do you? (this is where the "entitled" comment stemmed from). Many people sleep on the couch to provide rooms for their children because of the high cost of housing. They don't get public assistance.
I understand that many people are cheating the system, and never indicated you were. I am shocked that my money is helping you get your MBA, when I can't afford to do it myself.
Actually my parents lived in the livingroom when my brother and I were little, because they could only afford a 2-br in a town with a good school district. They were really happy when we finally were able to move to a 3-br, but I think they were happy w/their decision to make the good school district the priority. You might even be able to put up a divider/temporary wall in the livingroom so that you can have some privacy (of course make sure this doesn't violate any building fire codes or other regulations before proceeding).
DC is unfortunately an expensive place, and even many middle-class people find that they must move farther out than they'd like into the suburbs to be able to support a family in a good school district.
I hate... I mean hate... the abuses of our social safetynet programs. I've got 5 enormous sec. 8 projects within a block and a half of my house, and they are a case study for engineering perpetual crime, multi generational poverty and bilking the system.
But damn, if we don't have these programs in place for someone who is raising two kids (and apparently prioritizing them), working and going to school to try to get to a point that they don't need assistance, then I don't know who we have them for.
Look, I agree that the middle class gets hosed in this whole deal; but I don't see how you fault this girl. I don't sense an attitude of entitlement at all; she simply meets the income criteria to participate in an entitlement program.
Many people cannot afford to take loans out for graduate school because they are paying so much for their housing. they don't get public assistance.
Many people share a bedroom with a roommate because of the high cost of housing. They don't get public assistance.
While I understand that your son needs his own room, why do you? (this is where the "entitled" comment stemmed from). Many people sleep on the couch to provide rooms for their children because of the high cost of housing. They don't get public assistance.
I understand that many people are cheating the system, and never indicated you were. I am shocked that my money is helping you get your MBA, when I can't afford to do it myself.
Spencer I'm going to have to disagree that your money is paying for my MBA. My student loans (ugh) are what is paying for my MBA; please be sure that when I graduate I will be keenly aware of that every month they get their pound of flesh. Section 8's rules have actually been modified to stipulate that parents share rooms with their children. That is a new addition however; when I got my voucher a few years ago it wasn't in place, so she was put in a separate room. It wasn't something I'd ever thought about before, but that doesn't make me 'entitled' in the least. I actually don't care about living in a 2BR; you cannot throw names at people just because. If you had said, "Are you willing to live in a 2BR if it would be more affordable" and I replied "Oh God no I must, MUST have my own bedroom at the expense of the taxpayer", then THAT is indeed an entitlement mentality. In this case, I would run into the same problem. The payment standard for a 2BR is lower (obviously because it's less space), so it would be the same type of issue in terms of rents, neighborhoods etc.
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.
