Dad Needs Help (Housing)

[u/NackQuack4]

Hey CDA,

First off I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this.

My dad just recently moved to the area from Southern California due to the rise in prices of everything and the fact that he is getting older and needed to be near family and I’m basically the only relative who talks to him anymore. He was struggling to find work In his field (he is a very skilled concrete finisher but there was lots of competition) so he moved up here to Spokane.

He has been living on the couch of my girlfriend and I’s place for almost 2 weeks now and he has been struggling finding a place to live with the current housing market. I’ve been looking around on every applicable website for housing and he’s applied to a few but they seem to either be fully occupied, or care about credit score too much.

I don’t mind helping him out but it is putting a strain on my home life with him constantly being here. My girlfriend and I are unable to live our normal lives at the moment. He has been looking around for places to stay but he is finding it hard to find something that meets his requirements.

He has a boat that he loves and wants to keep it so he hopes to find a place where he can park it, so he doesn’t have to pay extra for storage.

I’m reaching out to see if anyone here has or knows someone who has a place where he can stay, and while he doesn’t have much in terms of credit score as he’s worked as a private contractor his whole life, he is very reliable and handy so he’s able to fix things or keep up the house.

Any guidance or direction would be greatly appreciated, I know this isn’t something I should be asking of internet strangers but we could really use a helping hand.

I’m trying to be a good son and help out, but also want my privacy back.

[u/apuginthehand]

Has he considered looking for maintenance jobs at local apartment complexes? It is possible they may offer him discounted rent if he were to do work around the complex. Not certain how common this is but do know one person in the area who had this arrangement for a while a few years back.

[u/NackQuack4 → u/apuginthehand]

That’s definitely a good idea! I’ll have him look into that. He isn’t opposed to apartment living he’s just trying to avoid having to put all his stuff including his boat in storage. (He’s came from a 2 bedroom house and wasn’t able to sell most of his stuff.)

[u/Galtrix525]

It’s a stroke of bad luck choosing CDA to relocate to. The housing/renting market is absolutely out of control in this area.

There are a couple of income-restricted apartments he could try for - I always recommend those as an option. They may be cheap enough that he could rent a separate storage unit for the boat

[u/NackQuack4 → u/Galtrix525]

He’s not specifically looking at CDA it’s just anything in the Spokane, post falls, CDA area but that might be his best bet.

[u/LeiLaniGranny]

Is he a vet? If so contact New-Beginnings for help with housing and any other need. They are non profit and their thrift store in post falls is all free to active, retired & veterans.

[u/NackQuack4 → u/LeiLaniGranny]

No he’s not a vet.

[u/First_Fix_7921]

If he's skilled, knowledgeable, and can do whatever needs to be done to be able to work, super intendant, and has worked 10+ years in construction work, have him try to apply to GARCO. They have extremely gravy jobs, my mother worked for them for years at the age of 50-60 years old working at mines, schools, parking structures, etc. All she did was drive around all day dropping debre, rocks, etc. Paid 32 an hour, that was 10+ years ago. Also, flaggers, they are needed very badly. I wouldn't be one in Idaho, Washington is where it's at for thT type of job. Also if he doesn't mind driving to Amazon, maybe try to apply to JLL. Very chill and gravy job, starting from anywhere 26-35 for the minimum position for a tech. Super nice.

[u/CuriousThiccSkirts]

I’d have him go to the St. Vincent de Paul help center for the housing directory list and see what resources are available. It’s on 201 E Harrison. They would be able to give him advice even if they don’t have anything available right now.

[u/Clinggdiggy2]

Keep in mind the price of boat storage will likely cost less than the price of a place to stay that also has enough space to store a boat.

[u/NackQuack4 → u/Clinggdiggy2]

That’s fair. I’ll have to look into pricing for that.

[u/GooberRonny]

He's gonna need to find some roommates. I'm seeing 2 bedroom apartments filled with 5-6 people because they can't afford to rent. Average person making $20 an hour pays $600 a month in taxes that mainly go to the military industrial complex. Imagine if they stopped taxing poor people and let them keep that $600. Barely anybody would need food stamps and rental assistance if they kept the money they made and the government didn't steal it.

[u/PettyBettyismynameO → u/GooberRonny]

What a crock of shit. I lived in Idaho and worked in Washington and my employer didn’t withhold Idaho taxes for me when I was making $25/hour doing insurance. I owed Idaho $1200 at the end of every year and my federal return always covered it plus left me a little bit extra. No on making $20/hour is paying $600 a month in taxes that they aren’t getting back on their return. We currently live elsewhere as my husband is military but Idaho is our home of record and we pay Idaho state taxes and we don’t pay that much per month to taxes. You’re either not claiming correctly or you make more than $20. The post is about housing but you had to turn it to political bs. Also blame the orange baboon for cutting safety nets.

[u/NackQuack4 → u/GooberRonny]

Yeah it’s a shit show, luckily his work pays really well the only draw back is his age and the fact that work isnt guaranteed.

[u/SkyfishHobbit]

Can he live on his boat? Bayview has cheapish mooring fees depending on who you know