Odd public housing rule that makes 3 people share one bedroom

reply to post by dreamseeker


Wow as I get deeper into this I am finding all sorts of things. My friend is also on the housing voucher list. If she gets a housing voucher she has more options. I spoke with a lady here www.socialserve.com...
and she told me she would take them with a housing voucher. Too bad the housing voucher program takes so long for white people.
The lady sort of hinted that minorities get in faster.
So I think now I see the problem; it is because she is not seen as a minority. Minorities must get first priority? I have nothing against minorities but it should be first come first serve sort of thing.
My friend put herself on the waiting list for a housing voucher 5 years a go and for public housing 7 months a go. She had a job when she first put herself on the list but she only made minuim wage. They said she was a lower priority because she had a job.

Originally posted by Sestias
I have lived in public housing at one point in my life. I was single then and was told that one person cannot have more than one bedroom if social services pays for it. Made perfect sense to me.

I do know other people on Section 8 in my state that have 2 or more bedrooms if they have children. I don't know of anybody who is or has been required to sleep 3 in a bedroom.

Maybe laws differ from state to state. I also suspect a lot depends on your social services worker. If he or she doesn't like you, they can screw you in all kinds of ways.

Section 8 is Federal Housing and the laws are the same in every state... and state caseworkers don't have anything to do with tenant placement in Section 8.

I've seen where 4 kids and two adults get temporarily placed in a two bedroom in section 8... then moved into a three bedroom after one opened up. And depending on the age and sex of the children... that type of scenario could even get you a four bedroom. I wonder if there is any chance of that happening???

[edit on 10/6/2010 by Hedera Helix]

reply to post by Hedera Helix


maybe

Originally posted by dreamseeker
reply to post by Hedera Helix

 

maybe

Maybe what???

Originally posted by dreamseeker
reply to post by Hedera Helix

 

Actually the public housing one has a front room and a kitchen no dining area. It is only around 600 sq feet. That was the one you were looking at I am guessing.

I was looking at the floor plan of the Oak Creek Apartments.

Well, they may have to pay a good bit, right now, for an apartment, but they don't HAVE to get a one bedroom (we are approved for a two bedroom, but we live in a three bedroom). They can get a three bedroom if they want to, they just have to pay the extra rent on it.

But, when her unemployment runs out, they will then reconfigure what they pay, and it will greatly decrease because then they'll only be having her fiance's income to count. That is when Section 8 comes in real handy because they then couldn't begin to afford an apartment of any type for what they'll have to pay for that apartment.

I hope this was understandable and I think you're really nice to be concerned for them. The Housing rules can be confusing, but just keep asking questions until you understand.

reply to post by Hedera Helix


maybe it's just a temproary placement or it could be a mistake only time will tell.

reply to post by FibroKat


That is a good point her unemployment will be running out in a couple months. She said she is going to try to get it extended. THey really should go to the public housing then.

Originally posted by dreamseeker
reply to post by truthseeker1984

 

HUH? WHAT? I am disheartened by this comments. I guess I was too naive to believe in the goodness over arrogance.
I am just shaking my head right now.
It makes me so sad that people say such means things to a member in good standing. I had no reason to make things up.
RIDCULOUS!

From what I recall I didn't say any disparaging remarks against you or your story. I was simply trying to give reasonable advice from my angle. That is what you asked for, and that is what I provided. As I stated previously, this is a very human matter, but they cannot be picky when it comes to housing. The religious thing has nothing to do with the housing situation. It is unfortunate, but they cannot be picky if they are relying on public assistance. The situation sucks, and I feel for them, but in the end, the boyfriend really does need to suck it up and put aside his faith if it means that he and his family will have a roof over their heads.

I was not being arrogant, nor was I saying mean things. And I think others will agree. I might only be a 6 month member, but if you look at my track record of posts, I have always had a level headed response to everything, and I respect everybody, even those that would disrespect me. Sometimes one has to dish out "tough love" in order to hit a point home. I think I did it much more nicely than others on this thread.

Like I said, the situation sucks, but they are going to have to buckle down and deal with the limited public housing situation, even if that means that her Orthodox Jew boyfriend has to deal with having only a one bedroom apartment. They should be thankful that they have the opportunity for even that. There are millions of Americans with several children that are living on the streets because there is no where for them to go. Religious beliefs need to be put aside so that they can provide a roof for not only their heads but their child's head as well.


Peace be with you.

-truthseeker

reply to post by dreamseeker

Dreamseeker:
I had a friend in MD with a similar problem. The solution is simple - have your friend report the agency to OSHA. They are breaking the law and by law, they can not. Also tell them a forced audit request can be made with their overseers like Dept of Public Debt. Also have them call the agency's fraud, waste and abuse to find which rules they are violating.
Hope it helps!

Originally posted by dreamseeker
reply to post by JoeSignal

 

I ask for no judgements from the begginning. I expected more from this site but I was terribly terribly wrong. Too bad that so many judgemental people are on ATS this will drive me away.

You asked for peoples opinions , you got them, whats the problem...?
aren't both of them claiming benefits and the man sharing there , isnt that against the law?maybe thats why cant be reported?

[edit on 10-6-2010 by gambon]

reply to post by dreamseeker


So housing voucher is for assisting people in securing a house or is it some form of social aid? Why would she have put herself on this program 5 years ago if she had a good paying job up until a few months ago. Besides the declining depression didn't start till 2 years ago. So I'm sorry if i sound rude but I'm a little confused. So she had a great job that would have caused her any problems with finding a 3 bedroom house before she was laid off.

During this time she applied for this social housing stuff 4 years before she was let go due to the financial problems. Now she is in need of this but its the fault of the minorities cause they get it first? Maybe they get it first cause they need it more then your friend does. Maybe the minorities have been living in a 1 bedroom for the last 4 years and now a 2 bedroom has come up, so the whole family of 5 gets to move in to the new 2 bedroom. Sadly your friend who has been laid off for 6 months gets to have the minorities old house cause its the only one available.

Think for yourself before you listen to others begrudge a minority family. You choose not to listen to others judge you, yet you just believed some stranger's advice about the minorities. Do you know some of the families that moved into some of these places? Do you know if they have 5 kids or are maybe making even less then your friend? Maybe they don't even have legs to stand on or hands to type with and need to have the assistance more then your friend and her soon to have surgery fiancee.

Perhaps he needs surgery, perhaps she can move to a different state to get a job. Perhaps he can work from home? telemarketing or tech support. if she doesn't want to leave him on his own then maybe they should both work from home. 2 telemarketing salaries should be more then enough to help support themselves or at least give them ample money to afford to rent the 3 room house they want. Heck phone sex lines cost a few bucks to setup and then she is all set. maybe even he could be all set too if he wants to go down that road too. I don't mean that in a bad way, but when your broke sometimes doing the bottom end jobs helps get you out of problems faster. Also at $0.99 a minute that could lead to a few dollars per call. Especially if you have the disclaimer of minimum 5 minutes per call.

reply to post by anubis9311

Heck phone sex lines cost a few bucks to setup and then she is all set. maybe even he could be all set too if he wants to go down that road too. I don't mean that in a bad way, but when your broke sometimes doing the bottom end jobs helps get you out of problems faster. Also at $0.99 a minute that could lead to a few dollars per call. Especially if you have the disclaimer of minimum 5 minutes per call.

OMG I don't believe you even said that. While you're at it... why not start a meth lab... and a prostitution ring??? Oh wait!!! I've got a good one... a suicide bomber!!!

Sheesh. Get outta town, willya??? Running a business (no matter how legit) in public housing is forbidden. Unless someone has proof that this rule has changed in recent years.

[edit on 10/6/2010 by Hedera Helix]

reply to post by Hedera Helix


I'm pretty sure Anubis was being sarcastic. The fact that these people have made it so difficult for themselves, makes no sense to me. The way I see it, and the way dreamseeker should be able to see it, they should just marry right away. As soon as they are married, they will require one less bedroom, because of the man's religious beliefs. Furthermore, they can now legally live together in public housing provided by government. I don't know the waiting periods where they come from, but here there is a maximum wait of 4 weeks to get married, and the costs are like 100$.

dreamseeker, please advise your friends to get married, wouldn't that solve the issue at hand?

If they choose not to get married because it has to be a jewish wedding, it is their choice, and I will have no more left to say.


Joe

if your economy is bad , get a better job or ask for a raise

if your "partners" economy is bad HE should do something about it

if your "partner" is willing to risk the safety and health of a child because of religious belief , switch/dump partner and focus on child

if your rent is to high, move


repeat steps until "better life" , if possible do all 4 at the same time.

,
no need to bang your head against the wall just because its possible.

Originally posted by dreamseeker
reply to post by FibroKat

 

That is a good point her unemployment will be running out in a couple months. She said she is going to try to get it extended. THey really should go to the public housing then.

Wait, what?

This lady can't get a job, her unemployment benefits are going to expire, and she's trying to adopt some kid? Excuse my French, but W.T.F.?

This person needs to give up the kid, drop the loser she's with, get focused, and GET A JOB. The money she makes will allow her to FOCUS her resources on improving her EDUCATION, which creates a positive feedback loop resulting in a BETTER JOB.

She then needs to spend a few years becoming STABLE at her job, find someone who she wants to share the responsibilities of marriage and parenting with, actually get married (not just pretend to) and THEN adopt a kid.

She's doing it all backwards right now. Right now, she's working to get the kid, hoping this loser will actually marry her (yeah, right), and has absolutely no job prospects. That's 100% backwards.

[edit on 11-6-2010 by harrytuttle]

Originally posted by harrytuttle
Wait, what?

This lady can't get a job, her unemployment benefits are going to expire, and she's trying to adopt some kid? Excuse my French, but W.T.F.?

I have to agree with harrytuttle on this. The more I read this thread (I guess its morbid fascination or something) the more disbelief I feel.

First of all OP you are saying people shouldn't judge, yet earlier this page you were judging 'minorities' for getting housing that you think your friend deserves more.

Second of all, why is your friend looking to get her unemployment benefit extended? Shouldn't she be looking for a job? Jeez, I know its not easy right now to find work but really, I can't help feeling that your friend just wants everything handed to her on a plate. She should be doing all she can to get herself OFF unemployment, if she has any dignity.

I know OP that you'll think this is harsh but I'm trying to be polite and offer advice here - just like my previous post which I guess you ignored.

The fact remains that your friend has got her priorities all backwards - and others on here are right when they say that she should not be bringing up a kid in this situation - I don't care how much she loves the kid - no one, whether adopting or having a kid naturally, should be expecting the state to provide for their child.

Choose to think what you will, but I really hope that eventually some of what we're saying will start to sink in. The thing is, most of us are actually trying to help, you just don't see it that way because you're not getting the answer you (or your friend) want.

reply to post by tappy


Something just occurred to me. Here we've got a single disabled guy... a single unemployed woman... a foster child... and a bad economy. I recently learned that Section 8 no longer accepts students... unless they have children. They do accept the disabled... but an unemployed, able-bodied single woman/man without any children usually don't get accepted.

The guy qualifies... but the woman without the child doesn't. Anybody see where I'm going with this??? I agree with everybody who says... they need to get legally married... but only if BOTH are 100% committed to the welfare of the child. And if they BOTH aren't 100% committed to the child and each other... then they should save themselves and the rest of us a major headache and come up with another plan. Don't exploit this child as an anchor to exploit the system.

They can always remarry and have a proper Jewish Ceremony after things pick up... if their hearts are in the right place.



[edit on 11/6/2010 by Hedera Helix]

I totally agree with the last couple of posters, the girl is all backwards in priorities. What really amazes me is how this thread really has offered some good advice and possible solutions, and yet, dreamseeker is not content.

I guess some times you just lose no matter what.
Still, I for one, am impressed with peoples good mood and manners. ATS is still my favourite place on the internet.


Love and Light

I came back to more negativity and false judgements. Funny they have already figured out what they are doing but people still assume on here.
I really was looking for misapplied housing laws or rules or to see if perhaps there was some in built bias in the system.
On unemployment a person MUST look for a job; she applies for jobs ALL THE TIME. She has show me a list of over 100 jobs she has applied for. She always get a form letter or no answer. There are not a lot of jobs out there in her field. She was third key at a retail store which is basically below an assitant manager. She has a degree in human resources/communications. There are not many jobs. If someone could post a link showing all the management/human resource jobs available in Kansas City my friend will apply for those as well.
She takes her life very seriously. She is going to take the one bedroom on a 6 month lease and she contacted the city in regards to her complaints against the housing agency.
She even called free legal aid and they agree she may be a victim of discrimination. After 6 months if she still doesn't qualify for that 2 bedroom than at least she has everything lined up to make sure she gets what she needs.
She never turns down a job offer by the way. Is the recession still going in everyone else's area?