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Old 01-23-2015, 09:53 PM
 
Location: Vermont
1 posts, read 1,099 times
Reputation: 10

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Hello! After several years of hmmm'ing and haw'ing, and scrimping and saving, my daughter and I are set to relocate; we plan to head West this summer! I lived north of Seattle (Woodinville) for about a year while in my early 20's, and thought we should move to WA. But my daughter has two aunts & cousins (on my ex's side) in Portland, so OR has to be in the realm of possibilities.

My daughter is 15, very intelligent, bright, quirky kid, incredibly well behaved (Ya, I know I'm the luckiest mom in the world ), and has been home schooled for the last year. I am college-educated, progressive, a writer & advocate for kids everywhere (former therapeutic foster parent), and believe that if I want a healthy community, I need to participate in it. I also now have a consortium of disabling conditions that landed me in the "well below the poverty line" in the last few years.

My daughter wants to try attending a public school again, preferably one with a little more diversity, much less racism, and some other kind of unique factors (focus on Green economy, strong arts dept, better outcomes leading to higher education?--or cuter boys, she says ).

I want to delve deeper into writing, while also finding some kind of practical part time employment, preferably that pays more than minimum wage and that won't trigger certain physical problems (currently obtaining CDL so that, at the very least, I can drive a dang school bus, town bus or delivery truck ).

I enjoy being near a culturally vibrant community, or liberal-arts college town but with as much privacy as possible, and preferably with a small patch of dirt for growing my own organic veggies.

Larger cities are too suffocating, but strip-mall suburbs are the worst soul suckers in my book. Economically impoverished small towns with huge Walmarts are OUT.

But yes, I do need a town that has the lowest possible rents. While I've managed to avoid having to live in low-income housing complexes, I'd be willing to do so for a year. The few landlords I've had since I let go of my house (divorce) 15 yrs ago, were willing to accept my voucher simply because I am a responsible tenant who can fix my own damn leaky faucet or running toilet, and repair a wall with holes punched in it (remember, I said I was a therapeutic foster parent? - I took in the teens with more severe psych challenges). Basically, I'm not a slouch just sucking off a welfare system, nor is my daughter, but for the time being my financial situation seems to say otherwise. While this is reality for a while longer, I don't want to be defined--or trapped--by it. We don't need much, but what we do need is a place where hope is still alive. (forgive me if this seems offensive to anyone; where we live the low-income housing projects are over-run with drugs, violence, screaming parents, and largely segregated--white vs black. I think such complexes need to be more racially diverse, and allow for a greater mix of income levels as well).

Being near the forest, hearing owls hoot and seeing lots of stars at night would make me very, very...very...happy. My daughter has dreams of living: A) near possible shark encounters, in support of a future as a Marine Biology photographer, or B) possible Big Foot encounters in support of, well, a Big Foot encounter.

In or near mountains is essential. Being able to smell salt water, or get to it in less than a few hrs? a big bonus! Flat land, however, makes me nervous (it's the threat of Suburbification.... *shudder*)

So? What towns in SW Washington, or NW Oregon will meet our needs? Thanks, in advance, for your responses.
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Old 01-24-2015, 09:37 AM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,655 posts, read 57,744,979 times
Reputation: 46105
Hint: stay in WA and close to a Jr College so your daughter can go to college for free, instead of wasting time in HS chasing loser boys. (or consider HI) Running Start is a program in each state.
Running Start - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


If marine biology and GREEN is important, you may have to seek OR (small town in Newport region) or HI.
Oregon has an income tax (Which isn't terrible if you are poor) As a culture it is much greener than WA, and much more liberal vote & populous. But OR has a much worse economy / state finances / public EDU.

My SIL lives in HI for ZERO housing cost, she has 'house sat' for 35 yrs.

Consider biting the bullet on housing costs (to an extent) while you get your daughter educated.

Get a caretaker job at a wealthy estate on San Juan Island (and work PT at Marine Biology center)

There are some excellent Jr Colleges in WA and OR. But low cost towns are not as close to colleges as they are in VT.
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Old 01-24-2015, 12:13 PM
 
Location: Independent Republic of Ballard
8,065 posts, read 8,321,048 times
Reputation: 6223
Quote:
Originally Posted by skymama65 View Post
I also now have a consortium of disabling conditions that landed me in the "well below the poverty line" in the last few years. [...]

But yes, I do need a town that has the lowest possible rents. While I've managed to avoid having to live in low-income housing complexes, I'd be willing to do so for a year. The few landlords I've had since I let go of my house (divorce) 15 yrs ago, were willing to accept my voucher simply because I am a responsible tenant [...]
If you currently have a Section 8 voucher, do check with your social worker to find about transferring your voucher. Don't wait, get the paperwork started now - there are long waiting lists here to get a voucher. With a voucher, you can choose to live where you want to live, first, close to community colleges with programs that your daughter and you might want to avail yourselves of, and then look for suitable housing in that area.

Don't fall for the "lift yourself by your bootstraps" guilt-trip, if you don't have any bootstraps. Do the right thing for your daughter - moving to a depressed meth-ridden (and depressing rain-soaked) town without jobs or opportunity, just for the cheap rent, isn't doing her any favors.

To research community college offerings in the state of Washington, see:

Washington State Community and Technical College Search - State Overview

To find housing anywhere in the state that takes Section-8 vouchers, see:

Apartments for Rent - Nationwide Apartment Finder | Apartments.com

You can also filter Craigslist for housing that accepts Section-8 vouchers:

seattle apts/housing for rent ""section 8"" - craigslist
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Old 01-24-2015, 01:50 PM
 
5,151 posts, read 4,503,399 times
Reputation: 8346
Wow, if I were you, I would think long & hard about uprooting a 15 y.o. You mentioned living in Woodinville, that area is expensive now, & the little logging, fishing & mill towns that seem so idyllic are very cliqueish & not welcoming , especially public schools, where the "locals" have known each other since birth & don't like newbies. Rural western Washington is a very closed culture. Yes, the nature aspect is wonderful, but you have to come out of the woods sometimes, & hopefully find people that want to talk to you. I don't know about Eastern Washington. Maybe wait until she has graduated & is a little mature & able to handle shunning. Or, if you are close to you relatives in Oregon & they are a support system, go there.
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Old 01-24-2015, 02:18 PM
 
Location: Alamogordo, NM
7,940 posts, read 9,449,445 times
Reputation: 5695
I was just thinking that that is one reason why it's nice to have a solid church to be involved in...it gives you immediate and true friends wherever you move. That is so important to have.
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Old 01-24-2015, 03:20 PM
 
Location: Independent Republic of Ballard
8,065 posts, read 8,321,048 times
Reputation: 6223
Somehow, I got the wrong link previously. It should have been:

To find housing anywhere in the state that takes Section-8 vouchers, see:

aptfinder | Low Income Housing at AptFinder.org
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Old 01-24-2015, 09:48 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,655 posts, read 57,744,979 times
Reputation: 46105
Where is the best SW Washington, or NW Oregon town, w lowest possible rent?

FREE is pretty low rent. Look around.

As mentioned... being a groundskeeper at a wealthy estate is not too bad of a life. I lived in the Gulf Islands of BC and we had a lot of friends who were doing this (yes... even as families). My hiring boss first worked on a Colorado Guest Ranch as caretaker, then when he 'retired' he (and wife) got a gig on a private WA Island that lasted over 20 yrs. He saw the owners about 1 week every other year. He got paid ~$2000/ month and had free home + boat provided. Plenty of hunting and fishing, and he kept a huge garden on the property.

Many options at your fingertips.
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Old 01-24-2015, 11:17 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,655 posts, read 57,744,979 times
Reputation: 46105
Quote:
Originally Posted by thisplacesucks View Post
...you may want to provide her with some of your contacts that have hooked you up with these opportunities, ...
SURE,,, ez...(without mentioning any 'xxurch- affiliates...of which there are plenty beyond these...(Even in <5% xxurched PNW)

here are ~8 million opportunities I have used for 25+ yrs. (7,729,734 listed here alone, and doesn't include any of my favorites)

Hospitality exchange - Wikitravel

works for me and millions of others
I'm sure YMMV (A LOT!)

BTW: sent a Single mom and 2 teenage daughters on a RT-USA trip using a couple of my directories. They were well cared for and SAFE and had a blast, never threatened, scared, or questioned of their 'faith'.


Has happened this way for the AGES! I am so grateful to have been open enough in my relationships to have enjoyed it and shared it with others worldwide!

I trust the OP is able to open up to such opportunities! Makes Life SO enjoyable and engaging. and no need for negative expression about your place in life! All of life has +/-, so enjoy!

Last edited by StealthRabbit; 01-24-2015 at 11:31 PM..
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Old 01-25-2015, 07:31 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,118 posts, read 107,323,492 times
Reputation: 115941
If you want schools with a special environmental focus, don't rule out private schools. Some give full scholarships.
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