| section 8 and subsidized housing available, government housing
Low Income Housing What is low income housing? In general, low income housing programs provide homes, apartments or shelters designed especially for families with low incomes who cannot afford decent housing nation wide. How do I find low income housing? The basic steps to get low income housing are: Decide what housing subsidy program to apply for; Apply for low income housing; Wait until your application is processed and your name comes up on the waiting list; Move in. The Section 8 and Subsidized Housing Online Packet will help you figure out which of the many different housing programs you should apply for and help you to apply. There are three major types of low income housing: subsidized rental homes or apartments; special programs to help lower income families buy a home; programs and services to provide shelter or housing for people who are homeless. Low income housing has usually received some form of government or private charitable funding to make the housing cost less than housing in the private market. Generally, there are two ways that housing can be subsidized — client- based subsidy and project-based subsidy. A client-based subsidy program provides a subsidy directly to the family, usually in the form of either a rent voucher, a low-interest mortgage loan or downpayment assistance. A family receiving a client based housing subsidy can choose their housing in the private housing market and use their subsidy to help pay the rent or the mortgage for the home they choose. A project-based subsidy provides grants or low-interest loans to the developers of low income homes and apartments so they can rent or sell their homes or apartments at a lower cost to low income families. There are more than 50 different types of low income housing programs So finding the program that works best for your family can be very difficult. Keep in mind that there are far more qualified applicants than there is low income housing. The Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) LIHEAP is a federally funded and locally administered program that was established by Congress in 1981 to assist low income households, particularly those with the lowest incomes that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy, in meeting their immediate home energy needs. LIHEAP is housed in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS). What is the purpose of the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program? The intent of low income housing was to combat the energy crisis of the late 1970s to provide help to low income households with a minimum of government bureaucracy and a maximum of involvement by civic institutions. It expanded upon a national program first created by Congress in 1977. Who does the Low Income Housing Emergency Assistance Program help? For more than 25 years, LIHEAP has helped at-risk seniors, people with disabilities, and low income families meet their heating and cooling needs. LIHEAP served more than 4.6 million U.S. households during FY 2002. Two-thirds of the families receiving LIHEAP assistance have incomes of less than $8,000 a year. Structure Federal dollars are allocated by HSS to the states as block grants and are disbursed under programs designed by the individual states. Funds are distributed by a formula, which is weighted towards relative cold-weather conditions and households living in poverty. The Basic Energy Assistance and Crisis Assistance components, which provide funds to assist with heating and cooling costs, make up the core of the program. In addition, up to 15 percent of a state's funds can be spent on weatherization programs. And the Emergency Contingency Fund allows the President to release additional funds to supplement a given year's allocation in the event of severe weather. To apply for these programs and many others, and to retrieve additional information, order the Section 8 and Subsidized Housing Online Packet
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