Housing Assistance in Alabama

If you are a single mother on your own, we know how difficult and challenging it can be to provide an affordable and secure housing for your family. Fortunately, there are state housing assistance and programs for you in Alabama. In this article, I will list some useful resources for single mothers in the state of Alabama.

U.S. Department of Housing – Alabama

In the official website for Housing and Urban Development Department of Alabama, you can find statewide housing assistance and programs that suit you best. To help a single mother get started as a homeownership, two items are mentioned; one of which is to find you housing counseling agencies for free and the other one is to prevent you being a victim of unfair financial practices. Housing counseling agencies that are provided on the website are trustable since they are approved by HUD. Here, you can find all the information from their counseling services to the language they speak. However, you might not find a suitable housing for your family on HUD’s website. You can check other agencies as well, however, you should be aware of predatory lending. HUD also provides some resources to help you avoid being a victim. With the given resources, you can fill out a consumer complaint to the Office of the Attorney General or file a complaint against a real estate professional in case of an unfair financial practice. You can find out more at https://apps.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm?&webListAction=search&searchstate=AL

https://www.hud.gov/states/alabama/homeownership/predatorylending

Buying a Home

Throughout the process of buying a home, HUD provides great statewide and regional programs embracing single mothers. If you do want to get assisted on downpayment and 100 percent finance programs, HUD lists you affordable housing programs in the state of Alabama.

• Affordable Housing Programs – https://www.hud.gov/states/alabama/homeownership/affhousingprog
• Habitat for Humanity – Habitat for Humanity is a community committed to help build a safe shelter and to eliminate poverty housing for low-income families and homeless. They use the funds and materials from donations and volunteer work in building livable houses. Low-income families or homeless people can buy a house at no-interest cost. To become a Habitat homeowner, you must be in need for an affordable and safe house. To see if you qualify and meet all the obligations visit https://alabamahabitat.org/
• USDA Rural Development – They have programs both for multi and single families, from which single mothers can benefit too, that reduce the cost of homeownership for low and moderate-income families. You can find more information at https://www.rd.usda.gov/topics/buy-build-or-repair-home

Emergency Housing Assistance

• Alabama Emergency Management Agency – AEMA’s mission is to give support to inhabitants and their communities in order to establish a civilization of preparedness through a thorough Emergency Management (EM) program. They not only provide assistance on housing and other needs but they also train and educate their citizens. With “The Individual and Household Program”, they provide financial aid or direct services to their citizens. Up to $33,000 is available for financial aid. You can find more information at https://ema.alabama.gov/
• Federal Emergency Management Agency – FEMA helps people recovering from a major disaster. The agency provides financial and direct services with “Individuals and Households Program” (IHP) to people who have uninsured or under-insured necessary expenses and serious needs. You can get more information about their IHP Assistance at https://www.fema.gov/assistance/individual/program
• Hardest Hit Alabama – HHA is a foreclosure prevention program. After the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 authorized U.S. Department of Treasury’s “Hardest Hit Fund”, HHA has begun to provide families to help them avoid foreclosure. You can get financial aid up to $30,000 per program. If you are a homeowner, participating solely one component per program, you can get financial aid up to $60,000. There are a few exclusions. If you check these items, you cannot apply for a program;

• • homeowners in an active bankruptcy
  • homeowners convicted for mortgage-related felonies
  • homeowners with rental property
  • seller-financed properties
  • second homes

You can find more information about HHA programs at https://www.hardesthitalabama.com/programs.aspx

Alabama Housing Finance Authority – AHFA’s mission is to provide housing and rental assistance for Alabamians. AHFA dedicated themselves to serve housing for single and multi-families with low and moderate income. They have 3 different programs: homeownership programs, ServiSolutions and rental programs. One of the beneficiaries of AHFA is Latynda Bentley, who is also a single mother with two children. After their house caught on fire, they had nowhere to go. She was lucky to find a new place at Sunrise Village to live with her son and daughter and to call that place home. To hear more about her success story and about AHFA visit https://www.ahfa.com/

The Alabama Section 8 Housing – This section 8 housing program also known as Housing Choice Voucher. The program provides financial assistance in the form of vouchers both for families and single adults. Through a voucher program, you can pay a mortgage or rent. The funds are given by HUD and federal government grants. To be qualified, the income of the family should be less than 30% of the median income of that are. However, this should be kept in mind that the assistance for housing is quite high and funding is limited. To apply for section 8 in Alabama, visit https://www.needhelppayingbills.com/html/section_8_housing_alabama.html

State-Sponsored Housing – As similar to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s housing program, this program is run by individual states in order to provide housing assistance for single mothers and their children. Through state-sponsored housing, single mothers and their children are able to find a secure and affordable housing. To find more information, visit https://www.hud.gov/states/alabama

Alabama Department of Human Resources

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) – This program provides cash assistance, job trainings and employment services for families with kids and children who are also caring for family member in their home. There are some qualifications for the Family Assistance (FA) program such as;
  • “The child must live in the house of a parent or other close relatives”
  • “The child must live in Alabama”
  • “The child cannot be receiving foster care from the Department of Human Resources” (https://dhr.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/DHR-FAD-595-1.pdf)

To find more information about grants and services to families in need, visit https://dhr.alabama.gov/family-assistance/

World Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) – YWCA’s mission is to uphold peace, freedom justice, eliminate racism and empower woman all around the world. The mission was originally inspired by Christianity but they are open to people of all religions, faiths and also to nonbelievers. They work hard to create and provide a more caring community. The three fundamental areas they focus on are: social justice programs, child development programs for children of working low-income families and homeless, domestic violence services, and affordable housing.

• Permanent Housing for Single Women with Children

This housing has 14 furnished, two-bedroom apartment in downtown Birmingham. Apartments are equipped with a fridge, microwave, stove, private bathroom with a toilet and a sink, and a shower. To meet the criteria for this housing, you must be a single female/mother older than 19 years old and must not have a male child older than 12 years old.

To apply for the permanent housing, email housing@ywcabham.org

• Transitional Housing for Single Women with Children

This housing type is partly furnished, two-bedroom apartment in Downtown Birmingham. Apartments are equipped with a fridge, microwave, stove, private bathroom with a toilet and a sink, and a shower. To meet the criteria for this housing, you should be currently homeless due to dating violence, domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault, must be a single female/mother older than 19 years old and must not have a male child older than 12 years old.

To apply for the transitional housing, email housing@ywcabham.org

To find more information about YWCA and their benefits, visit https://www.ywcabham.org/

Nutrition Assistance Programs in Alabama

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Alabama – SNAP can be considered as the biggest program in the domestic hunger safety net in the States. They provide families, including single mothers, food benefits, education on proper nutrition and food preparation, and also access to a healthy eating lifestyle. To be qualified for this program, you have to be a resident of Alabama and meet one of the requirements below;
  • “You have a current bank balance (savings and checking combined) under $2,001, or
  • You have a current bank balance (savings and checking combined) under $3,001 who share their household with one of the following;
    • a person or persons age 60 and over or
    • a person with a disability (a child, your spouse, a parent, or yourself).” (https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1578)

To apply online for the program, visit https://www.myalabama.gov/

• Alabama Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) – WIC serves nutrition education, supplemental foods, and medical/health care referral for women. To be eligible for this program, you must be a resident of Alabama, pregnant or breastfeeding or postpartum or have a child at the age of 5 or younger. To apply for WIC, contact the nearest WIC agency, which you can find here https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/about/health-departments.html

The Alabama Medicaid Agency (AMA) – AMA can be considered as the biggest program giving health-related services to the poorest people in Alabama. This program covers people who are children, disabled, nursing home residents, 65 years of age or older, and pregnant. To apply to this program, you have to be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Alabama, legal alien and in need of health care assistance. You can learn more information about Alabama Medicaid at https://medicaid.alabama.gov/

To benefit from this program, visit https://medicaid.alabama.gov/CONTENT/3.0_Apply/