Housing & rent

First-Time Home Buyer Programs: Grants vs. Loans You Repay

Most first-time home buyer help is a loan. See which programs are true grants, which second mortgages are forgiven or due at sale, and what you repay.

Section 8 Landlord Wants Extra Rent: Is It Allowed?

No. A Section 8 landlord can collect only your approved share. Keep paying it, refuse the extra in writing, report it to your PHA and get back what you paid.

Section 8 Voucher Terminated or Denied: How to Request a Hearing

Section 8 voucher ending? Request an informal hearing in writing by the deadline on your notice; the PHA must hear you before it stops paying rent.

Child Benefits on a Parent's SSDI: Check and Start the Claim

Check whether your child's SSDI family-benefits claim is on file, review eligibility, and prepare for the application interview and payment decision.

Emergency Housing and Eviction Help: Where to Start

Choose local rent, legal, or shelter help for your housing situation, preserve eviction deadlines, and confirm what happens after an application.

Finding a Subsidized Apartment Without a Section 8 Voucher

Understand property-based rental assistance, locate participating apartments, and ask the questions that separate an affordable listing from an available home.

How to Apply for a Section 8 Waiting List

Find the right housing agency, check whether its voucher waiting list is open, and keep an application active while you look for other rental help.

HUD Housing Counseling: Free Help When Mortgage Payments Slip

Find a HUD-approved housing counselor, prepare for the first conversation, and understand what counseling can and cannot do about a foreclosure deadline.

USDA Direct Home Loans: How to Check Eligibility and Apply

Check the income, rural-property, repayment, and subsidy rules for a USDA direct home loan, and distinguish it from a lender's guaranteed USDA mortgage.

USDA Section 504 Home Repair Loans and Grants: Who Qualifies

USDA Section 504 lends up to $40,000 at 1% for 20 years to fix a rural home you own; owners 62+ can get up to $10,000 in grants. Check if you qualify.

CalWORKs Homeless Assistance 2026: Shelter Pay, Deposits, How to Apply

CalWORKs Homeless Assistance pays $85 to $145 a day for up to 16 shelter days, plus deposits or two months of back rent. Apply at your county with the CW 42.