Housing in the Big Apple and Elsewhere

Right now, I'm trying to leave town:  I have a to-do list as long as my arm; no money to speak of; no job, per se; and a history of insanity in my family that seems to be running true to form.   ;-D

So, the first thing I have to do is pay my rent. I'm lucky. I live in the most glamorous of Section 8 housing projects, and this is no exaggeration. Because I live in NYC, as an actor-playwright I spent 8 years on a waiting list to get into a fabulous building in midtown Manhattan called Manhattan Plaza. But there are other bargains in housing available to NY residents (not just to entertainment professionals), and probably to residents of other cities and states, as well.

In New York, I highly recommend going to your favorite search engine (I'm a real google.com fanatic, but you may prefer others) and entering:  80/20 housing NYC (for bargains in other cities, type in: low-cost housing "your city name," hey ya never know).  You will find links to most of the soon-to-be-open apartment buildings (most will be brand new) that charge folks with big bucks the regular rent and folks with not so much a bit less.

Yes, there will be waiting lists, some longer than others. And there will be hoops to leap through with forms to fill out and legal papers to file. To qualify for these apartments, you must truly be making less than those in high-paying jobs and be able to prove it. Each building has different requirements, but the difficulty can be worth it in the end. I have friends, some with more than 2 kids, living in great, sizeable apartments in wonderful parts of town for affordable rents.

Try it. It could change your life.