How to ROCK Government Subsidized Housing

BEFORE

AFTER

I'm probably going to get some negative backlash from this post.

I'll start by saying that sometimes we find ourselves in situations we did not select and places we do not plan to stay. I say, bloom, girl.

I was living in a beautiful home we had just built when the divorce bomb pushed me right through the basement. I was devastated to leave my new home, but what I found to be even more shocking was the transition back into renting and later the hard choice to accept government assistance. Again, I am not promoting reliance on government programs. However, I think they have their place, and for newly divorced mamas of young children, particularly those who left their careers to stay home to raise their babies, government programs can be a big 'ole blessing from heaven while they rebuild their shattered lives.

That being said, "government housing" has a stigma for a reason and oftentimes sadly meets a very low and cliche standard. Rather than a "gold" standard, I'll call it a "gray" standard.

Subsidized housing is sometimes downright grungy.

Having previously owned a home, I can pinpoint a few reasons for this and I'll tell you what, I'm not blaming the government, I'm blaming the people who live in and destroy many of these properties. While I recognize that this is blatant generalizing (and I hope you will recognize it as so), here are some of my observations of homeowners versus welfare recipients:

homeowners generally have a long-term vested interest in their property and usually reflect that in how they care for and treat their homes homeowners are typically more financially stable than renters or welfare recipients and therefore, even when they are "house poor," usually have enough resources to cover the basics such as cleaning supplies, minor repairs, and so forth  homeowners naturally take pride in their homes and often go to great lengths to beautify and improve their spaces, often out of respect for and sometimes even competition with their neighbors

welfare recipients are usually in desperate situations and cannot afford much "extra" for anything, let alone any care of a home they will not be living in permanently or ever owning welfare recipients often move a lot, making it unnecessary and cumbersome to try to invest in any temporary housing arrangement  welfare recipients unfortunately often fit a largely predicable and identifiable demographic fraught with tobacco use, drugs and family violence - this I believe is one of the largest contributing factors to the state of most "government housing" and the biggest reason for the stigma (and I think, one of the most preventable but that is for another post)

Now that I've broken down what I view to be some of the main reasons for the mugly state of most government-subsidized housing, I am here to address the excuses and justifications - guess what, there aren't any! There is something EVERYONE can do do shine up their "special" housing, treat it with gratitude and pass it onto the next recipients better than they found it. 

I have this innate desire to conquer every circumstance I find myself in, so while government assistance is not my long-term goal, I want to whip this so I can move onto the next thing knowing yeah, I rocked it.

Here's my no-fail formula to mastering government housing:

STEP ONE: Acceptance
You're here. You're not there. Whatever it is you wanted, whatever it is you're complaining about, let's just cut it and accept that this is where you are. That will go a long way.

STEP TWO: Take Ownership
Okay, I don't mean get greedy and try to homestead your piece from the government, you're gonna give it back, but pretend that you own it. This will help alter your perspective and following that, your attitude, and help you see more value in your space. Own it.

STEP THREE: Find Something, Love It
I'm not asking you to swoon over your apartment, but there's something to love in almost everything and yes, even some good in your space if you look hard enough (hard, but maybe not too close....we'll get to that). Find your favorite feature(s) about your place and really allow yourself to really start to just love it

STEP FOUR: TLC
This is the big one but let's face it, some things need a little extra care. Now that you've found something to love about your house, you're probably aware of lots of things you don't. Rather than ignore them, complain about them, blame them, let's try something new, eliminate them!! Ya, I'm talking about the gunk. The grime. The SMELL!!! These are all things you can handle, and if I could do it, I promise you can. This is where you show your grit. Toughen up sweetheart, it's just dirt. It's pretty gross to think that you have no way of knowing who (or how many???) or what kinds of people lived in your little spot before you so...don't think about that. But the more you can find and toss their junk, the better! I have discovered that the cleaning checks for subsidized housing are INTENSE. They check your smoke alarms to be sure they are all operating and have working batteries. They check your window tracks to be sure they're clean and free of debris. I've found that while this is expected of you it's not necessarily the state of affairs when you move in. But come on people, you don't want to live like that just because that's the way it was handed to you! Grow some dignity! Fire up a little proactivity.

I have a dream, just kidding. No really, I have a new vision for government housing and it starts with appreciation. It starts with acceptance and ownership. It starts with a little love and care that will clean up not just your spot but hopefully the community around you. For any of you reading this that find yourselves in a rough spot, this won't last forever..... Don't let your circumstances define you. You define those circumstances and rewrite the program. This is your life and if you need a little support to start building your future, you tell the government "thank you" for supplying the first brick.

Now go have a beautiful life.


XOXO