I want to know if these areas remain desirable for investment if they are safe, and if they offer strong prospects for future appreciation.

I'm not saying to be there friend, just be an advocate to having a nice comfortable and safe place to live.  

how would you go about doing your strategy as a beginner to be safe?

You are a teacher from California looking to invest in states that have a high demand for section 8 housing and asked some suggestions for good states to invest.I am a retired teacher myself and all of my tenants are section 8.I personally love section 8 tenants and proving safe and affordable housing for them.I am in Michigan.

But the question is whether one can actually achieve the proforma cash flow on older properties with a less economically stable tenant base.Based on your picture, you appears fairly young.My advice is buy properties in quality locations think long term 10 to 15 years - slowly and safely build your portfolio - equity and cash flow will increase over time and in 10 to 15 years you may become financially free.People talk cash flow is king but one can NOT generate financial freedom cash flow with $250,000 or $500,000 invested (equity).Even at a 10% cash on cash return, one needs $1.2M invested to generate $120K a year $10K a month.You want property to be self supporting so it needs to cash flow but once that is reached the focus in my opinion should equity growth which increases net worth.

Sleek, stainless-steel appliances and durable, easy-to-maintain materials like quartz or granite are always safe bets.

@Justin Brin Rental Guardian is another one.. very similar to Safely

For example, if you plan to buy a home with a mortgage but you fail to make financing one of the conditions of the sale--and you aren't approved for the mortgage--you can lose your deposit on the home and could even be sued by the seller for failing to fulfill your end of the contract.An experienced real estate agent deals with the same contracts and conditions on a regular basis, and is familiar with which conditions should be used, when they can safely be removed and how to use the contract to protect you, whether you're buying or selling your home.4.

Besides REI's question why they must report personal info to a crime-fighting agency when we contribute to the community with safe and affordable housing. 

So we bought in a safe neighborhood, know our neighbors well, and have the basics when it comes to home security.