There is a special section to find a program in your area. You can also check out this weatherization assistance program, which provides funding to local agencies to help low-income earners save. Consult this Environmental Protection Agency resource for low- or no-cost tips on how to save energy around the house.It may be possible for someone to do an energy audit, essentially a walk-through of your home with the auditor pointing out specific ways you can lower costs. They make it possible to keep the heat or air conditioning turned down or off at specific times of day. Programmable thermostats aren't expensive, and they pay for themselves very quickly.If you own a home, but are having trouble keeping up with repairs, there are programs that may help you get a low-or no-cost loan or grant.The landlord has to agree to participate in the program, and, again, the waiting list of needy families can be very long. Housing Choice Vouchers, available from local public housing agencies, allow recipients to pay reduced rent on a house or apartment of their choice, as long as it meets certain safety standards. Use this search tool on the HUD website to look for low-rent apartments in your area. Look at this Department of Housing and Urban Development page to read more about homeownership through public housing.īut let's say you're just looking for an apartment. So if this is your Plan A, be sure to have a Plan B, too.įor families interested in home ownership, it's worth noting that PHA's (public housing authorities) can sell homes to qualifying families. Bear in mind that subsidized housing waiting lists can be very long (even years long). ![]() The Department of Housing and Urban Development has an interactive map which you can use to select your state and receive contact information for your local housing authority. Low-income families may be eligible for public housing. ![]() It's important to look into your state's standards for each program. For example, in some states, a household at 1.5 times the FPL would qualify for reduced-price school lunches, but not SNAP (food stamp) benefits. Knowing where you stand can reveal which benefits are available and unavailable to you. If your household is less than four times the poverty level, you may be eligible for some type of government assistance. Hispanic and African-American households have median incomes significantly lower than non-Hispanic white and Asian households. A study in 2015 revealed that households headed by racial minorities were nearly twice as likely to be low-income or poor as non-minority households. There are significant racial disparities within the low income earner population. For a five-person household, the FPL is $30,170 and the cut-off for low income is $60,340. That means that a single person making less than $25,000 a year would be considered low income. For a single person household, the 2019 FPL was $12,490 a year. The federal government has its own definitions of "low income." The definitions matter, because agencies use them to determine which households qualify for tax breaks and other government benefits.īy government standards, "low-income" earners are men and women whose household income is less than double the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). In North Dakota, that sort of salary could put a family into a large house with a yard. In San Francisco, for example, a person needs to make $61 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment in 2019, according to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. For updated information about COVID-19, please visit the Government of Canada website and the Quebec Government website.Each of us might have a different idea of what constitutes "low-income." Where you live matters, too. ![]() ![]() If you have any questions regarding a service or business’s operations please contact them directly. Note: Due to COVID-19, some of the services and/or businesses included in the Cheap Sheet may be affected. Having trouble living within your budget? Hoping to keep your debt load as low as possible?Ĭheck out our Cheap Sheet- a list of Montreal and McGill resources for lean and mean budgets - compiled by our Financial Aid Counsellors and your fellow students.
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