Employed single mom staying in a homeless shelter need help finding a house to rent (for rent)

[Nikinichole88]

Hello im a single mother of 5 children 2,5,10,12,13
Im employed and full time and have been staying in a homeless shelter in grand rapids mi
My family have been searching for a home to rent but havent any luck ..i have the first months rent and security deposit but my credit isnt great but i do not have any prior evcition i have no problem paying my rent and will do so on time i just cant find any one willing to work with my family ...please if yu know of any landlords let me know im so afraid for the hoildays quickly approaching and my children have to go through all of this worrie and stress

[tuebor]

Are there any other single mothers at the shelter? Maybe you could pool your resources with another single mother who needs a place. If you could team up with another mom who has some sort of income, a landlord might be more willing to rent to you. The rule of thumb is the rent should be no more than 1/3 of your combined income (some landlords require 1/4, especially if your credit score is bad). The hard part is finding someone who does not have serious problems with mental health, drugs, or dangerous men in her life.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Nikinichole88

Hello im a single mother of 5 children 2,5,10,12,13
Im employed and full time and have been staying in a homeless shelter in grand rapids mi
My family have been searching for a home to rent but havent any luck ..i have the first months rent and security deposit but my credit isnt great but i do not have any prior evcition i have no problem paying my rent and will do so on time i just cant find any one willing to work with my family ...please if yu know of any landlords let me know im so afraid for the hoildays quickly approaching and my children have to go through all of this worrie and stress

You might try Well House:

https://www.wellhousegr.org/

[gus2]

https://iccf.org/emergency-housing/

https://www.familypromisegr.org/

[MaryleeII]

Originally Posted by tuebor

Are there any other single mothers at the shelter? Maybe you could pool your resources with another single mother who needs a place. If you could team up with another mom who has some sort of income, a landlord might be more willing to rent to you. The rule of thumb is the rent should be no more than 1/3 of your combined income (some landlords require 1/4, especially if your credit score is bad). The hard part is finding someone who does not have serious problems with mental health, drugs, or dangerous men in her life.

Good idea! Ummm….1/4 is LESS than 1/3


Also, perhaps try Salvation Army, any social services at your present shelter, etc


TRY to apply to rent a home, don't automatically assume the worse. I would look for individual homes for rent, not a corporation or chain. You might find somewhere on Craig's List. Proceed with caution on CL, of course, but you seem like a sharp lady!


Keep looking!

[tuebor]

Originally Posted by MaryleeII

Good idea! Ummm….1/4 is LESS than 1/3

Uh huh. Read it again carefully and think about it.

Maybe this would be clearer: some landlords require prospective tenants to earn at least 3x the rent. Some landlords require them to earn at least 4x the rent. (Mathematically, that's the same as what I said before.)