How to keep going with a disability?

[flocy]

@hosslyn13 I went on disability in 2017 when I lived in Portland, OR. I had to leave the state because I absolutely could not afford housing on my monthly SSDI payment. It’s one of the highest cost of living areas on the west coast. She needs to move honestly.

 

[amberr]

@flocy Not a lot of people know, but the PNW in general is so crazy expensive. I was born and raised in Seattle (live in Los Angeles for college now) and the prices are ON PAR. Housing, food cost, etc. are nearly identical.

 

[flocy]

@amberr Yes, I’ll admit I was shocked. I lived in both Seattle & Portland. Both were insanely more expensive than I expected

 

[jonathan_gale]

@flocy I'd agree except that a 2% mortgage rate is insanely good and she's not getting anything like that right now. As I'm sure you know, your house is one of the few assets not counted for social services. If she can keep that asset it would be a good idea.

 

[flocy]

@jonathan_gale But if she can’t afford even that on disability there no choice to keep it. OP says she cannot afford it.

 

[jonathan_gale]

@flocy I'm hoping renting a room, as others have suggested, works out for her.

 

[jrprice]

@flocy It's crazy to me that Portland property values are dropping while they have exploded everywhere else. Why is that?

 

[ttobe2]

@jrprice They are not. They are going up like every other major metro in the US.

 

[jrprice]

@ttobe2 That comports.

 

[flocy]

@jrprice No idea. When I left they were riding faster than ever-becoming a new SF Bay Area

 

[anthoknee]

@jrprice They are not.

 

[evelin]

@hosslyn13 Is there heating or utility assistance for low income folks in Oregon? Does she have a social worker? The federal government provides 30.00 a month towards internet service and some states have assistance for cell phone service.
I would try and keep the house. You don’t want to be at the mercy of a landlord.

From Oregon.gov
Oregon homeowners who are either 62 and older, or disabled and eligible to receive Social
Security Disability benefits, and who also meet income and other criteria can apply to defer
their property tax. The state will pay the property taxes as long as the owners qualify for the
program. The taxes plus 6 percent interest, as well as recording and release fees, must be paid
back to the Department of Revenue (DOR) when the homeowner dies, changes ownership of
the property, or moves.

 

[sheenah]

@hosslyn13 Welp- she’s gonna have to get comfortable with going outside the norm. Roommates or sell.

 

[maryapple]

@hosslyn13 Get a roommate and put every dime into paying it off.

 

[kinggator49442]

@hosslyn13 So I went through this with my mother in law. I haven’t gotten her out of the house yet. When you lose your significant other, unfortunately your income gets smaller and bills don’t. You also have more responsibility. My MIL is 86 years old still living in a single family house with 1acre of land. She living just on social security and has maybe $10k of savings. Her property maybe can sell $300k-$400k. She is lucky that her kids families make a lot of money and they keep her afloat but none can help her on a daily basis as we all live far away.

All of her income goes towards energy bills and taxes and food. I made a budget for her and she’s in the red every month. Without the support from her kids she wouldn’t have been able to pay something. She filed for tax relief which she got so that reduced that expense. She also filed for energy bill relief which we are waiting on. I don’t know how much that will be but her house is on oil and paying $6 a gallon. She pays about $700 a month through the year because she’s on a payment plan. Electricity is about $250/month. Taxes after relief are $200/month. You get the point.

My recommendation was to sell the house and take the lump sum and put it in an accessible safe interest bearing account(CD money market, etc). And RENT. It makes sense with the number of years she has left in her life before she needs real health support. She won’t do it.

I also have a friend with epilepsy since he was 16 nobody would hire him due to liability. He has those same two skills. He built a small empire of cheap rental properties that he maintains everything about them. It supports his lifestyle just fine. But it took years to get comfortable.

 

[peaceandlove4]

@hosslyn13 If she’s able, she could offer old-fashioned “bed & board” where the landlady offered a furnished room with breakfast and an evening meal. Sheets were changed weekly, she cleaned the bathrooms and toilets and tenants had a weekly rostered laundry night to do their personal washing.

That way she would not have to worry too much about sharing the fridge etc and would make a bit more money. Just a thought.

 

[andrearay86]

@hosslyn13 She can rent out a room.
She can work from home.
Does she recieve SS?

 

[afyky]

@hosslyn13 Has she considered a reverse mortgage? I'm not sure how that works but it might be something to look at.

 

[jilnaan]

@hosslyn13 Great ideas and here she may could look into Proofreading as her own home business.

 

[jrprice]

@hosslyn13 How much equity does she have in her home?

This is of critical importance to understanding her actual financial situation