Sometimes a wait list opens for just one or two days. If you hear that a waiting list opens up, don’t delay. I learned that sometimes even getting on the waiting list is hard. I learned that if you’re willing to move, you can go to where a wait list is open to get a voucher, and once you’ve had one for a period of time, you can actually move with the voucher and it moves with you. What is Section 8? What Are Housing Choice Vouchers? This site is very informative. The last time the New Jersey’s state rental assistance program waiting list was open…was for just 5 days in 2017.More information on Section 8 eligibility. So anyone could apply…I am sure there were far more than 5,000 people in need and these were given out by lottery. Information on Independent Living Centers About Independent LivingTo illustrate the difficulty of obtaining a rent subsidy…Several years ago the state of New Jersey had 5,000 subsidies available for persons with disabilities. They are often knowledgeable about opportunities opening up. These are federally funded centers that help individuals with disabilities achieve independent living. You may want to contact your local independent Living Center for information relevant to your area. Not all of them are necessarily bad placees to live, and for someone trying to live on a small disability check, getting into one of these apartment surely helps.Individual states may have their own program, and sometimes so do non-profit charitable organizations. Another program includes housing projects consisting of rent subsidized apartments available for the elderly or disabled on low incomes…getting into one of these is subject to availability. The government calls this an “Oversubscribed program” -I’m serious, and changing it is definitely not on the government’s to-do list. Being disabled will help you qualify, but that’s a small comfort when you realize that in most parts of the country, the wait lists for this program are very long. The programs most people turn to on the Federal Level is section 8, rent subsidy. Qualifying is one thing, getting it is another thing altogether.