A New Home Means More Independence

Joseph joined the Housing Access Program in March 2021. At the time, he was living with his parents and his 6-year-old son and receiving support from our Community Living team. Joseph wanted to gain some independence and have his own place where he and his son could live.

The Housing Access Program helped Joseph apply for waitlists for affordable properties near his full-time job at a lumber company, where he is employed as a dock worker. Due to his job’s rural location, his limited budget, and the desire to keep his son at the same elementary school, the waitlists Joseph got on had an average wait time of two to four years.

In June 2023, we helped Joseph apply to the Home Forward lottery for a Housing Choice Voucher. A few months later he found out he was selected in the lottery to be on the waitlist for a voucher!

With a voucher, Joseph would be able to afford a two-bedroom home and only pay thirty percent of his income to rent. This meant he would not longer be limited to just the few affordable housing properties he was on waitlists for. As a result, Joseph put his housing search on hold until he received the voucher, so that he would only have to move once.

While waiting for the voucher, the Community Living team continued to work with Joseph. He wanted to be prepared to live independently. The team helped him think through the logistics of how he would get to work and take his son to school each day without the help of his parents and their transportation.

Finally, in June 2025, Joseph received his Housing Choice Voucher! The Housing Access Program helped him search for housing close to his son’s school and within the price restrictions of the voucher. Ultimately, he was accepted to a two-bedroom townhouse that he moved into in late August 2025.

Congratulations to Joseph for accomplishing his goal to live on his own!