Meeting Affordable Housing Requirements

What should I know before I rent a home?

Go to the California Bar Association website for information on your rights as a renter, what kind of rental agreement you should have, who should make repairs to your home and other rental questions.

Qualifying for Affordable Housing

Apply to as many organizations that provide affordable housing as you can. Get a list of nonprofit housing providers in San Jose. You’ll also want to make sure you meet the requirements for the type of housing you’re asking about.

• Find out if your income makes you eligible for the housing you’re looking at.
• To apply for senior housing you have to meet income guidelines and you or your spouse must be at least 62 years old, depending on the project.
• To apply for studio apartments (one open room) you must be a person living alone, or a two-person household (not necessarily married) that meet the income guidelines.
• To apply for family housing you may be a single-parent family with children or a two-person household with or without children who meet income guidelines.
• To apply for special needs housing you must meet the income guidelines and also qualify as having a special need such as a developmental, physical, or mental disability.

Get a list of nonprofit organizations that rent affordable housing in San Jose (you can contact them to find out if they have any units open).

Get a list of shelters in San Jose.