Case Study

María had been living in low-cost housing under Section 8 of the Housing Act for a few years. She had four little kids in a single bedroom with no problem. However, her children started growing up and began to go to school. The small department with only one bathroom became a source of family stress, without mentioning that she depended on a governmental review of her annual income to maintain program eligibility and rent payment.

María had been paying 30 percent of her income in a tiny apartment. Still, she didn’t feel motivated to look for a salary raise or a job change because it would affect her access to the government housing subsidy.

Any potential increase in Maria’s income would keep her out of her “pocket-sized” but safe housing. Moreover, she was unsure if it would be easy to find another landlord in her area who would deal with her Section 8 rent.

Then, María decided to participate in an Affordable Housing Pilot Project by Wings of Love, Inc.

Her experience has been positive because she moved to a more comfortable apartment in a preferred area for her family while maintaining the benefits of Section 8.