Low Income Housing Information
Importance of Renter's Insurance
Options For Finding Low Income Housing in NM
Like many western states, New Mexico has seen a population boom in recent years and as a consequence has experienced a shortage of low income housing. Although the state has developed its own strategy for dealing with this issue, for the most part virtually all low income housing in New Mexico is project-based Section 8 housing subsidized by the federal government. New Mexico's state-based programs are primarily designed for home owners and property developers with a fixed number of new units being specifically designated as low income housing, again through the Section 8 program.
The federal Section 8 program is a means based rental subsidy program administrated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In a largely rural state like New Mexico, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program (which provides affordable housing in rural areas) also plays a major role, though this program is also directly administrated by HUD at the federal level. The HUD website - www.hud.gov - provides a comprehensive list of the local public housing agencies (PHAs) who administrate the program at the local level. It is important to keep in mind that that the Section 8 means test is based on the local median income as determined by HUD. This means that just because someone qualified for Section 8 housing in one jurisdiction, they may not in another. Therefore, if the new resident to New Mexico knows where they intend to settle, they should contact the local PHA first to ensure that they qualify there.
The Section 8 program generally works between HUD and the local PHA, but most states also have a state-level intermediary. In New Mexico, the state-level organization is Housing New Mexico (HNM, www.housingnm.org). HNM provides a comprehensive online directory of Section 8 housing available in the state. This provides an excellent option for new residents that are willing to shop around for the best location as opposed to those already set on a certain locality. While the median income is determined by metropolitan area and/or county, this option will allow people to find alternatives in the surrounding areas and PHA districts. This can offer a great alternative as some Section 8 waiting lists may be considerably shorter in the surrounding areas as opposed to right in the urban centers.
Finally, if the new resident already knows exactly where they are going, they may be able to find some non-profit or non-governmental organization (NGO) assistance in the locality in question. Most of the major urban centers have such organizations that can help new applicants looking for Section 8 housing or other affordable housing ideas in the area. Sometime these organizations know of private initiatives which may offer an excellent alternative to Section 8 housing in the area. Further, most of these services specialize in helping people with limited English and non-citizens. For the record, Section 8 housing is available to non-citizen permanent residents but they are required to get special permission from the immigration authorities in order to satisfy the requirements made by HUD on the program.
Although low income housing is limited in New Mexico, it is fairly easy to find what is available and at least apply for it. However, the limited units mean that the waiting lists can be rather lengthy, so it may take some time to get into a unit despite qualifying.
You Can Also Start Browsing By Popular Cities:
