Urgent housing help needed for disabled family. (Annapolis, Cumberland: section 8, rental market)

[Bailie]

There's a quiet, nice, reliable family near me whose new landlord fell afoul of zoning laws, leaving them nowhere to go. Now they're suddenly needing to look for a new home, hopefully long-term, anything within an hour or two of Annapolis in any direction, 3-ish bedrooms.

Social services/housing authority isn't able to help - waiting lists are years long or closed. Most low-income housing is the same, or won't allow their assistance dog (which isn't any of the typically banned breeds). Maximum affordable rent $800 or not much beyond, due to small but very reliable pensions/disability income. The adults are able to offer some work or skills as well, on top of rent, in case any organizations or churches could help - college-educated with years of work experience, but without employment now due to disability.

Anyone have any ideas? Know of any homes available? If you know anyone who has a place to rent and wants a dependable, undemanding, very grateful tenant family for the long term, it could be a match made in heaven.

Many thanks for any leads or suggestions!

[AeroGuyDC]

Within an hour or two of Annapolis? That's virtually 3/4 of the State of MD. If they are that flexible, then they should by all means find something outside of the insanely expensive rental market surrounding DC. $800/month won't get them very far around here.

[Bailie]

Thanks! I thought the same, but in reality $800 seems to be only good for one-bedrooms or dilapidation - nothing for a family who needs at least minimal accessibility. I've found quite a few organizations and programs available to help, but the waiting lists on all are long. What are people to do meanwhile, I wonder?

[Flamingo13]

Sad to say but I can't see that they can't find anything w/i that range in that area other than Section 8 if they qualify. Any reason they need to stay in such an expensive area?

[dkf747]

I'm a person with disabilities. We make it here only because my wife works. Section 8 may be your only hope, but as you mentioned, the wait for that is measured in years.

[westsideboy]

That rental budget would work in Cumberland, $800 is enough to rent a 2-3 bedroom house...but disabled access could be an issue.

We are about 2.5 hours away from Annapolis, and a whole 'nother world when compared to that area, so that should be considered as well.

[Bailie]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

Sad to say but I can't see that they can't find anything w/i that range in that area other than Section 8 if they qualify. Any reason they need to stay in such an expensive area?

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, as that's a valid question! Mostly it had to do with keeping what little family support they had, plus keeping disability services and doctor relationships already established, and if you've ever been on social services and moved, you know how hard it is to get through the 'gap' between losing one set of services and waiting through the long process of gaining them somewhere else.

All's settled now, but it really was a wake-up call for me, as to how vulnerable most of us would be if hit with disability or chronic illness. Minimum-wage workers especially have no safety nets after all.