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If you or someone you care about is having difficulty affording "decent, safe, and sanitary housing", navigating the (overburdened) housing assistance programs can be overwhelming. I've put together a little guide that I hope helps even just a little.

Proceed To Your Local Library

If you do not have computer/internet access, there's a very good chance your public library does. You will probably need to have a valid library card to use a computer, but even if you don't have one/aren't eligible for one, your local library may still be able help. I work at a small town library and help people with this sort of thing all the time. If your local library is too busy for someone to give you a significant amount of one-on-one time, there might be other ways they can help. I am always, always happy to help patrons in any way possible!

Getting Started

First, proceed to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Rental Assistance and/or Home Buying page. This will direct you to the various types of HUD rental assistance and home buying programs, as well as guides to your rights as responsibilities.

From there, please proceed to your state's website for a wide variety of assistance.For example, the Illinois site covers the following topics:

Avoiding Foreclosure, Buying a Home, Economic Development, Energy, Environment, Fair Lending, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Grants, Home Improvements, Homelessness, Homes for Sale, Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8), Housing Discrimination, Housing Research and Data Sets, HUD Homes, Information for Disabled Persons, Information for Senior Citizens, Limited Denials of Participation, Rental Assistance, Veteran Information, Volunteering, Working with HUD, Local tenants rights, laws and protections, Help with your utility bills, Find rural units for rent, Independent living centers

Subsidized Housing

From your state's page, you can explore housing options in your desired area. A quick search for subsidized 1-bedroom apartments in Chicago yielded 265 results. though the majority are restricted to Disabled/Family/Elderly tenants. Each property listed includes a phone number and maybe an email address.