Accessible housing

Today I'm very lucky to have received a shelter plus care voucher from the Housing Authority. Most people wait for many years to get this sort of help. There's so much need, and very few resources. Shelter plus care is different than Section 8. It is a form of assistance that includes housing case management. Nonetheless, my rent will be based on my income, which will prevent me from becoming homeless. I cannot begin to even imagine what being disabled and homeless would be like. Since my disability benefits are very close to running out, my income will be dropping by 60%. If I wasn't receiving this assistance I would need to be able to support myself on $300 a month. That would have to cover my utilities, food, clothing, medical supplies, entertainment, and any other expense I might have. Obviously this would make for a very bleak future. Now I have a little bit of time so I can get back to work. Once I'm back to work. I won't need this assistance and I will happily return it so it can be used for another person in my situation. The next big hurdle I will face is finding someone who will rent to me on this program. The rental market is so competitive now that people don't have to accept renters who are on assistance. Still, I'm very lucky to be in my situation, and I won't take it for granted for one moment.