If you are living on a very small fixed income, one good option for housing is Permanent Supportive Housing. This is barrier free housing with rents at 1/3 of your income. The best source for this type of housing is your local Housing Authority. In Lane County, Oregon your local housing authority is Homes for Good. Check their website at www.homesforgood.org frequently and watch for announcements that the waitlists for Permanent Supportive Housing units are opening. Once you are on the waitlist it can be a long time before you are actually offered a unit.
If you do not have enough money to afford the average cost of housing in your community, consider applying for an affordable housing unit. These types of units can rent for as little as half of the average rentals in your area. Most affordable housing units are offered by your local housing authority or local non-profit housing agencies. Most of these agencies have long waitlists for units. Getting on the waitlists for this type of housing in advance of when you will need the housing is highly recommended.
Two of the largest agencies offering affordable housing units in Lane County, Oregon are Homes for Good and St. Vincent de Paul. Watch for waitlist openings at www.homesforgood.org and www.svdp.us.
There are many housing options available if you have income that is at least twice the amount of average rental units in your community. For example, if the average 1 bedroom unit in your community rents for $1,000, you would need at least two times that amount, or $2,000, in monthly income.
The easiest way to see what is available in your community is to do an online search on your computer. Try doing a google search for rental agencies in your town. That will give you a list of reputable local rental companies. You can visit their websites to see what is immediately available. You can also get good results by searching for rental units available in your town.
If you do not have a computer, or are not comfortable searching online, ask someone you trust to help you.
