HELP! Need Creative Advice...

**Holding Pattern** · 11-23-2009, 08:49 PM

MIL is in deep...she'd been out of work for a year (I'm having a hard time not adding editorial comments) and living in a 2br area friends were renting out, plus storage, electric, water, and internet. She just got a temp job, car co. let her "skip" 2 months pymt, so things were looking up a little...
Her rent is going up to $500...partly to cover expenses of heating a basement/utilities partly because she is a nagging (stop...now.) demanding sort of person who likes to share her problems with whoever will listen and who gets very angry about her circumstance very easily.
All that aside...here is the problem. She has a goodly amount of CC debt, a car pymt, and whatever else is out there...(wish I knew more)

Any ideas on where (tried Craigslist) to look for inexpensive places? We're 2,000 miles away so that's no good. Other family knows not to take her in (long story I'll leave out) so they're all burnt. Still, it is in my nature to help where needed and solve problems. We simply cannot help financially so we're looking for creative ideas.

She's already on food stamps (or was)
If she misses pymts on CC's, it will be worse on credit if a landlor does a check.
Can't get rid of car b/c it would not sell for anything near what she owes.

Fun, eh?

what's your best & most creative advice?

**kita** · 11-23-2009, 09:13 PM

How old is she? If she is 50/55 she might look at some communities which are age restricted. They are often cheaper than regular apartments.
Can she get housing assistance? If she is on food stamps she might qualify..

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 11-23-2009, 10:56 PM

See if she can get into low-income housing.

I had a friend who lived in the low-income apartments (they were nice, too) and only paid $75 a month and that included water, sewer and electric! Granted, it was in Michigan.

**Palooka** · 11-23-2009, 11:13 PM

I was thinking low income housing as well.

They will base the cost of rent on her income but not debt.

**Luckybustert** · 11-23-2009, 11:26 PM

Many years ago my grandmother moved into one of the age-restricted communities an earlier poster mentioned and it was a godsend for her. First, the place was very nice, clean, in a safe location, and was inexpensive. Next, everyone was her age so she had a lot in common with her neighbors and was able to make friends easily and that helped to keep her happy and energized...things to look forward to. You didn't mention how old your MIL is, but I got the impression she may be an older woman and this might be a good place to start. Good luck!

**frugalfranny** · 11-24-2009, 02:09 AM

YEOW!!! Maybe a prayer???

Be sure to put your own ad on CL that she is looking...think it is housing wanted.

**Holding Pattern** · 11-25-2009, 08:22 PM

The housing assistance is something we had not thought of... many thanks!

**LuvMyHubby** · 11-26-2009, 10:15 AM

Call or go online and find your state Housing Authority, most of them will have a list that you can utilize for housing by area or county that you/she can make calls on and inquire as to application process, subsidy etc.

If she is 55 or over there are many properties that offer rent and sometimes utilities included for under the market rate in an area and there are also properties that are Elderly, Handicap, disabled (elderly usually defined as 62 and over) which are subsidized by 30% of a persons adjusted gross income.

Good Luck with this.

**mombottoo** · 11-27-2009, 10:22 PM

Depending on her age she might be able to find an apartment in a complex where rent is based on income. My dad lived in one of those type of apartments for a while and his rent was dirt cheap!