Housing assistance for disabled

[Brian Ellis]

Good afternoon everyone Can any one shed some light on housing assistance for the disabled? Has it worked out well for you? Any input is appreciated Thanks B

[Marcia Maynard]

There are many housing assistance programs available for people who qualify. 

We work with Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and it's worked out very well for us. That's because our local Vancouver Housing Authority administers the program here and does a great job. Not all locations have good program administrators, so that's something to check out. We receive rent payments from the VHA (on behalf of the tenant) as a direct deposit into our bank account, in advance of when it's due. Sweet!  The VHA also sends an inspector every two years to check up on the condition of the unit to make sure it still meets their housing standards, which it always does since we take care of our properties and so do our tenants.

We also work with the Veteran's Administration program, who has their housing support paid through the Vancouver Housing Authority too. As with Section 8, the tenant doesn't touch the money. Instead it's paid directly to the housing provider (landlord). These programs may pay all or a portion of the tenant's rent, based on their financial situation. Some programs also assist with payment of utilities.

Some tenants receive monetary assistance from the Social Security Administration because of their disability. There are two key programs SSDI (supplemental security disability insurance) and SSI (supplemental security income). Both SSDI and SSI are administered by the Social Security Administration and only individuals who have a disability and meet medical criteria may qualify for benefits under either program. This income is received by the tenant as a direct deposit into their account. You receive rent payments from the tenant, not from either of these programs.

We consider rent subsidies, whether paid directly to us or to the tenant, as "income" during our tenant screening process when person applies to rent from us. We also count "income equivalents" such as food stamps and utility subsidies during the qualification process.   We don't discriminate on source of income.