Buying a house on SSI? How do I do this?

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I'm a 23 year old Male with Autism and other conditions who's on SSI ($500 a month because im living with relatives). I don't have a job and Can Not hold a job at all either.

I live in Florida. But I've been wanting to live on my own. I still want to stay in Florida but I don't want to live near the water and I want to live inland on the Floridian peninsula in a place that's safe from hurricane storm surge.


I've been wanting to buy a house. It DOES NOT need to be a large one either. I basically just wanted a small house that can withstand a category 4 hurricane. I'm going to be the only one living there anyway.


I never bought a house before but from what i know, you don't pay for a house completely upfront, you pay it month by month until it's payed off. But the one thing is the down payment that im worried about.

ive heard that there's programs to help a person on ssi buy a house but im not sure about them.


Does anyone have any advice on how i can do this?
please help!.

I wouldn't have thought any bank would give you a mortgage without your being in full time employment, or having some steady source of income beyond the pittance you're currently on. You may have to wait until you inherit. I'm in the same boat as you here. Even at the best of times, members of our generation struggle to buy their own homes. Heck, it's not uncommon to see professionals still living with their parents nowadays. I'm lucky in that I'm able to rent my own accomodation, but I wouldn't expect anything better than that.

Not sure you can really buy a house on SSI, as far as I know house payments are likely to be more than your SSI income each month. Also the only program I know of that would help someone on SSI get housing,would be more like getting a subsidized apartment somewhere....not a whole house. But even an apartment of your own could be a step up from living with family if you're getting sick of that.

That said if you're interested in the subsidized housing you have to apply for it, but then it can take up to a year before they find something for you. Not sure how the application process would work in florida so you'd have to look into it. Or there are some apartments that offer reduced rent for low income people, but not sure exactly how you find those.

Depending on where you live and the circumstances, you home could also be considered an asset that could potentially cause you to lose your benefits. You could also potentially have a home or assests left for your private use under a trust (where you don't actually own it, but get to live there as long as you want to.)

You might be able to get a home donated, but again I don't know if it would be considered an asset against your current benefits. A lawyer specializing in disability law and special needs trusts would be able to tell you more.

I doubt you would qualify for a traditional mortgage at your income level though.

I work in a gigantic company as a software engineer & I can't afford a house at all.

i didnt really want to do that because i was scared they would move me in with thugs who would rob me or try to steal my stuff

i remember reading somewhere that if you're on ssi you're allowed to own one house

There are a couple of programs in Florida that can help you towards home ownership. I would have to do more research on it because I haven't looked into it for several years. Section 8 housing vouchers are one possibility. After you get a section 8 housing voucher you can use that money toward a mortgage instead of toward rent. The other option is Habitat for Humanity.

In rural north Florida you can still find small houses that are fairly inexpensive, in tiny dying towns.

To your other points though: there is no place inland in Florida in the panhandle that is safe from hurricanes. Even inland in central Florida is not safe from hurricanes.

Hmm, well that's not an invalid concern, but I do suspect you'd be able to check out the place or get more info on it before you'd have to make the decision to live there. Also there is the risk of getting crappy neighbors, that is how my last place was, a bratty teen there even broke a back window on my boyfriends car. Granted houses can also come with crappy neighbors or being robbed though I think crappy neighbors are more common.

But I only ever applied, by the time I heard back me and my boyfriend were living together so I didn't end up needing the subsidized housing so not sure how it works after they find housing openings. It may still be worth applying to at least have that option. Also, I am also not sure how hard it is to move if you end up not liking the place you move into. I mean with normal rent you have to sign a lease that basically says you agree to live there for 6 months-12 months depending...so even if you don't like it you're kinda stuck for the lease unless you're willing to pay a fee to break it. Not sure if its better or worse in subsidized housing.

I wish I had some more positive things to say about it, but there are actually a lot of housing and housing cost problems going on. That said its also hard for people who aren't on disability, a lot of people working full time can only afford a one bedroom apartment and unfortunately that makes it even harder if you are on disability because that is even less income.

My girlfriend has a Section 8 housing voucher & she says there is or at least used to be a program here where they'll help you buy a house but I don't know jank about the program. Cass had to live in subsidized housing for a year before she qualified for the Secion 8 housing voucher which pays most of the rent for our apartment. The waiting list to get in the Section 8 program may vary by location but I'd bet that it's longer than it was when Cass got on it due to Trump taking office & trying to gut all the programs the poor & disabled are forced to rely on.

thank you. and i'll try looking into that.

how do i put my name on the section 8 housing voucher waiting list?

And I actually wanted to live on the Peninsula part of Florida. not the panhandle. And I meant safe from hurricane Storm Surge zones. If the house is built properly with hurricane bolts it can withstand a category 4, which is at most what the hurricane would be by the time it moves far enough inland.

I was thinking Ocala or Clermont honestly.

I'm sorry. I must have misread where you wanted to live. Ocala or Clermont would be far enough inland to protect you from storm surge.

Section 8 housing is run by HUD (Housing and Urban Development). There should be an office in each county I think. You have to go in and fill out an application. Then you most likely will go on a waiting list. In some populous counties even the wait lists are closed at times. Then you have to wait until they open up the wait lists.

But in more rural counties, demand is lower. It may take a long time, but getting started now is better than later.

Where I live (upper Midwest) there is a program designed to help low-income people get into their first house. I can't recall if it is a state, county, or city program. Google your locality and "housing" and skip all the places like "rent.com" that want to rent you unaffordable places. Or you could inquire at your local social services office.

For someone who may have limits on executive function, though, home ownership may not be a great choice. When you have a major repair, you have to have enough money to get it taken care of. Let's say a tree falls on your roof, leaving a gaping hole. Maybe insurance covers it or part of it, maybe not. You have to hire contractors, in either case. You have to select ones that are licensed, local and have a good reputation. And you need enough people skills to see the project through to completion.

Could you do all that?

Bea makes some good points here. Home owners insurance (and flood insurance and hurricane insurance, which are all separate in Florida) are expensive and may not cover all damages. (With hurricane Irma, my homeowners insurance paid about $1500, and damages (to repair and replace) were around $25,000,) Also, none of the programs for people with limited resources provide for the expense of home insurance, maintenance or repairs.