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Topic
Down payment help, free counseling, rent vouchers and who to turn to. Also who offers free housing counseling and legal help, and help paying for power and gas.
Stage 1 of 6
Finding a place, signing with confidence and knowing what a landlord can and cannot ask you.
3 guides in this stage
Featured guide 12 minute read
How USDA farm labor housing (Sections 514 and 516) and mutual self-help housing (Section 523), where families build their homes together, work.
The most important thing
Section 514 and 516 housing is for households with an active, retired or disabled farm laborer who earns a substantial part of their income from farm work.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Section 202: HUD housing for older adults 62 and up How HUD's Section 202 housing for low-income older adults works: the age and income rules, the rent, how to apply and what to expect on the waiting list. 9 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
Public charge and housing: what the rules say Public charge: which housing help DHS may consider, who is exempt, how HUD prorates assistance for mixed-status families and where to get free advice. 14 min read Verified on October 29, 2026 The data behind these guides
The guides on Help and programs cite these figures. They update when their sources publish new ones; what you see here is current.
See all the dataSources: U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024) · HUD (2026 data)
Stage 2 of 6
How much you need, where it can come from and how to document it so a lender accepts it.
1 guide in this stage
Featured guide 10 minute read
How community land trusts, Habitat for Humanity and price-restricted homes work: who qualifies, what you gain and which limits you accept.
The most important thing
With a land trust you buy the house and lease the land long term; in exchange, the resale price is capped.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Stage 3 of 6
From the first paper to the day you get the keys: who is involved, what you sign and what each step costs.
5 guides in this stage
Featured guide 11 minute read
How to use your Section 8 voucher to buy a home: who qualifies, the required counseling, the inspections, what the housing authority pays and for how long.
The most important thing
Your housing authority decides whether it offers the homeownership option; ask whether it does.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Essential guide HUD housing counselors: what they do and what they cost What a HUD-approved housing counselor does, what they help with (buying, renting, missed payments, credit), what they may charge and how to find one. 11 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Essential guide Down payment assistance: how it works What down payment assistance is, the types that exist (grant, forgivable or deferred second loan, tax credit), who qualifies and where to find it. 12 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Mortgage Credit Certificates (MCC): how they work What an MCC is, how much it can cut your federal tax, who issues it, how to claim it on Form 8396 and when you might repay part of it if you sell. 11 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Homebuyer education courses: when you need one What a homebuyer education course is, when Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and assistance programs require one, and where to take it for free or in Spanish. 10 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 Stage 4 of 6
The payments, taxes, insurance and decisions that come after you buy.
1 guide in this stage
Featured guide 10 minute read
How DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) works: who qualifies, what gets fixed in your home, how to apply and what protects renters.
The most important thing
WAP fixes your home so it uses less energy: it seals air leaks, adds insulation and repairs heating.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Tools
The calculators these guides use. Each one leaves you with a result you can use today.
Assistance programs that might fit you.
What you get → possible programs
The price your income can carry.
What you get → maximum price
The rent that fits your budget.
What you get → rent that fits
Your monthly payment with taxes and insurance.
What you get → monthly payment
Stage 5 of 6
The most common scams, the laws that protect you and who to turn to when something is off.
1 guide in this stage
Featured guide 11 minute read
What free legal aid is, who qualifies, which rules apply if you are not a citizen, and where to get help with immigration and tax problems.
The most important thing
LSC funds nonprofit organizations that provide free civil legal aid to low-income people; you can find them by address on its website.
Verified on October 17, 2026
Stage 6 of 6
What to do first if you cannot pay, if you face eviction or if a disaster damaged your home.
2 guides in this stage
Featured guide 10 minute read
How HUD-VASH works for homeless veterans: a HUD housing voucher with VA case management, who refers you, the income rules and how to get started today.
The most important thing
HUD-VASH combines a HUD housing voucher with VA case management for homeless veterans.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Short answers taken from the guides on this topic; each one links the guide that explains it with its sources.
No. The counselor does not sell you a home or a loan: they give independent, HUD-certified advice so that you decide. The regulation bars them from having an interest in you as a lender, broker or landlord, and from taking a fee for sending you to a lender or agent. If a lender pays the agency for the counseling, the agency has to tell you.
Read the full guideIt depends on the type. A grant is not repaid. A forgivable second loan is forgiven over time if you meet the program's conditions, such as living in the home for a set time. A deferred one has no monthly payments but is repaid when it comes due, or earlier if you sell the home or pay off the loan. A repayable one has monthly payments. Each program publishes its conditions, and our records quote its text.
Read the full guideWAP is paid for with federal and state funds that go to local agencies. In Oregon, for example, the state agency says it provides services at no cost to eligible households. Ask your local provider whether you will be asked to pay anything.
Read the full guideA household that includes a domestic farm laborer who is working now, a retired one or a disabled one, and that is income eligible. The tenant must earn a substantial part of their income from farm work, for example at least 65% of the region's income limit, or have worked at least 110 whole days in farm work in the past year.
Read the full guideThe full path with its steps in order, the calculators these guides use, and the agencies their rules come from.
The full path
This topic is part of a path with steps in order, so you know what to do first. Programs, counselors and free legal help. 8 steps in order.
See the pathEvery rule, number and date in these guides comes from what these agencies publish. Each guide links the exact page.
and 20 more official sources
How we make the guidesSwitch topics without leaving the library.
