Housing Grants for Women

Grants are readily available to assist women in things such as home down payments, home mortgage payments and home purchase. You can find financial help for women if you research the areas of grants and subsidies. Monies will help in buying property or pay for household costs such as rent and renovations.

Financial help in the form of grants for women are more plentiful now than at any other time. Women as a group, have many more opportunities to receive grants from the government, more so than any other socioeconomic group today. Only a small percentage (15 percent) of women experience the benefits of housing grants, because, overall, women do not apply for this form of financial aid. They assume they will be rejected or not qualify for assistance. Also, the low percentage of women applicants is due to not knowing the process of receiving a grant for housing. Financial aid in the billions is awaiting women who are interested in new housing opportunities, according to Donna Sundblad of lovetoknow.com.

A housing grant can help if you are not approved for a housing mortgage due to bad credit. Applying for one type of grant does not preclude you from simultaneously applying for other grants. Research the kinds of grants that best suit you. The Office on Violence Against Women, under the U.S. Department of Justice, offers housing grants to women who are domestic violence victims. Grants issued may be used to pay for home relocation or to pay for costs in their current housing situation.

Women who have disabilities may be eligible for housing grants from the federal government. Disabled women may not be able to purchase a home traditionally, as disabilities may prevent the person from having a full-time income, thus barring them from loans for homes because they have no proof of steady income. Housing grants can be used instead of loans for the outright purchase of a home or renovation of an existing home.

HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) gives out Section 8 grants to women who meet eligibility. This grant is a direct payment from the housing authority to the landlord of the home. Section 8 grants cover all or most of the cost of rent. You must apply at the housing authority in your vicinity. For a woman to qualify for Section 8, her income cannot be more than 50 percent of the average income of her immediate area. The final determination of costs is made by HUD.

Foundationcenter.org provides access to information for different grants, and charges a small fee for its services. Plus, the center provides online workshops regarding grant writing. The Foundation Center is an excellent resource for new grant seekers, such as women seeking housing grants, who need help in the areas of grant searching, writing and the application process; it also gives access to sample grant applications for practice.