RoxanneTrying to fix your homeless situation can be tricky, especially if you were just evicted and you can’t rely on friends and family for temporary housing. And if you’ve never been homeless before, fixing your situation can be even more challenging as you ponder what it’s like to live in a shelter.
Many would like to avoid homeless shelters at all costs due to sanitary and safety concerns. This makes homeless hotel/motel vouchers a popular alternative, even though they’re hard to find and only offer a few nights of housing. Still, getting a few nights to stay in a hotel or motel may be all you need to clear your head and think of ways to find employment and a place of your own. To help you achieve that goal, here are some tips for finding that ever-elusive hotel voucher.
Where to Search For Your Hotel Voucher First
If you haven’t contacted the following homeless resources, do so as soon as possible. They are common sources of hotel/motel vouchers for the homeless, and are an excellent place to begin your search:
- 211 – Just dial 211 on your phone and speak to the operator
- Catholic Charities
- Salvation Army
- Your local homeless shelter – Even if you don’t want to stay there, ask one of the workers if they know where to find hotel vouchers.
- Homeless assistance programs in your city, county, or state – You can find these by searching online or visiting this link.
Go down that list and contact each of those resources. If that doesn’t yield any luck, move on to the following options.
Other Possible Contacts for Homeless Hotel Vouchers
While these resources may not specialize in motel or hotel vouchers for the homeless, they probably know of places that can help you find what you’re looking for. And when contacting them, you can also ask about other homeless services, such as food assistance, healthcare, and more.
- Continuum of Care (CoC)
- National Healthcare for the Homeless Council
- National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
- National Coalition for the Homeless
You can also try to contact a HUD housing counselor to find a hotel/motel voucher. The Just Shelter website may be of help too. Lastly, this site from the HUD can connect you with homeless resources in your state.
Whenever you speak to someone about a hotel voucher, be sure to let them know your entire situation. Depending on your circumstances, you could get priority for a homeless motel voucher since they are so limited. In some locations, these circumstances can land you priority status for a hotel voucher:
- Domestic violence victim
- Victim of a disaster, such as a flood, fire, or hurricane.
- Senior
- Disabled
- Single parent
- Single male
How to Maintain Your Homeless Hotel Voucher
Even though a voucher may only give you three nights in a hotel or motel, you don’t want to lose it. Keeping this in mind, be sure to follow the voucher agency’s rules, so you do not lose that privilege. Here are some standard hotel voucher rules that homeless recipients must follow:
- Check-in with the agency.
- Show proof of employment or that you are looking for a job.
- Meet with a counselor to create a plan to escape homelessness.
