Most disability friendly state in the New England area? (section 8, rental)

[knotty]

I am currently in Georgia...looking to relocate to the New England area. I like the progressive cultures of the NE. I am tired of having to hide who I am here in Georgia. If people knew I am atheist, "liberal", bi-romantic asexual, feminist....they would burn me at the stake.
Anyway, I also have high functioning autism and have some mobility problems and dont drive so I need access to public transportation and disability friendly public services.
I am also a fiber artist (spinning fleece to art yarns, weaving..etc), so anyplace with a fiber community would be awesome, but not mandatory.
Also cost of living such as housing is important as I am slightly above poverty level in Georgia, but below poverty level in most states. Areas that have finacial assistance for those below the poverty level would really be considered too.
Also pet friendly areas too. I noticed some areas are nearly impossible to get a rental with pets. I have a medium to large sized lab mix and a small pomeranian mix...they are family to me.

anyway, any suggestions?
Also small towns to medium sized cities are prefered. I get wayyy to overstimulated in huge freakin' cities like NY and Boston.

Bonus for communities with an art scene.

Does anyone have any suggestions, I know I listed alot of needs/wants, so dont be shy if you dont have all the answers...every little bit helps piece it together for me

Thanks!

Knotty

[willow wind]

Your post is a total contradiction.

You're below poverty level but you want to move from a low cost of living region to one of the most expensive, highest cost of living regions in the country. Not only is cost of living high but New England has the highest utility costs in the country.

You don't like big cities but you want public transport. It's only in larger cities that you're going to find any sort of extensive public transportation. And that's only going to be bus service. Only Boston has a subway.

You don't drive but you want to be near a fiber community. There are many of those, but the people involved in them tend to be out in the more rural/ very suburban areas.

Housing costs will be higher anywhere in New England than where you are now. You can try for Section 8 housing but the waiting lists are years long and smaller communities don't have much in the way of Section 8 housing. If you're already on Section 8, you might be able to transfer your voucher. Can't help at all with the dogs. That's very much going to depend on the individual landlord. Such landlords are out there.

As far as disability services, you would have to check to see what each state offers, either on a state or town/city level.

I'd suggest you look into the Portland, Maine area. It's not too big, not too small, it does have some bus service. Things are cheaper in Maine than in most of the rest of New England. There are people who work in fiber, it's artsy and has a walkable, very pedestrian friendly center of town. It's a good, decent place to live if you could somehow manage to find affordable housing. Good luck

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by knotty

I am currently in Georgia...looking to relocate to the New England area. I like the progressive cultures of the NE. I am tired of having to hide who I am here in Georgia. If people knew I am atheist, "liberal", bi-romantic asexual, feminist....they would burn me at the stake.
Anyway, I also have high functioning autism and have some mobility problems and dont drive so I need access to public transportation and disability friendly public services.
I am also a fiber artist (spinning fleece to art yarns, weaving..etc), so anyplace with a fiber community would be awesome, but not mandatory.
Also cost of living such as housing is important as I am slightly above poverty level in Georgia, but below poverty level in most states. Areas that have financial assistance for those below the poverty level would really be considered too.
Also pet friendly areas too. I noticed some areas are nearly impossible to get a rental with pets. I have a medium to large sized lab mix and a small pomeranian mix...they are family to me.

anyway, any suggestions?
Also small towns to medium sized cities are preferred. I get wayyy to overstimulated in huge freakin' cities like NY and Boston.

Bonus for communities with an art scene.

Does anyone have any suggestions, I know I listed alot of needs/wants, so dont be shy if you dont have all the answers...every little bit helps piece it together for me

Thanks!

Knotty

Massachusetts has the best social services in the country and would be where I would suggest concentrating your search. In terms of your art roots as well as being bisexual and a feminist the area around Northampton in the western part of the state would seem to be the best bet. Northampton can be rather expensive but you might check out Amherst which is a college town (University of Massachusetts, Hampshire College and Amherst College) which keeps the cost of living lower and offers a lot to do as a result. Also being a college town it has a much more extensive public transit system than a town it's size would ordinarily offer.

Amherst, Massachusetts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://www.pvta.com/media/pdfs/SystemMap.pdf

[knotty]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Massachusetts has the best social services in the country and would be where I would suggest concentrating your search. In terms of your art roots as well as being bisexual and a feminist the area around Northampton in the western part of the state would seem to be the best bet. Northampton can be rather expensive but you might check out Amherst which is a college town (University of Massachusetts, Hampshire College and Amherst College) which keeps the cost of living lower and offers a lot to do as a result. Also being a college town it has a much more extensive public transit system than a town it's size would ordinarily offer.

[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amherst,_Massachusetts"]Amherst, Massachusetts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/URL]
[URL]http://www.pvta.com/media/pdfs/SystemMap.pdf[/URL]

Thanks sooo much, that gives me some great ideas

[edwardsyzzurphands]

Northampton, MA
Amherst, MA
Lowell, MA
Salem, MA
Worcester, MA
Providence, RI
Portland, ME
Burlington, VT

Those cities come to mind first.