Liviing in Arizona vs Alabama with Environmental?

[[email protected]]

Hello everyone,

My section 8 housing in Naples will be up January

As someone with severe environmental allergies to indoor mold and outdoor pesticide spraying/heavy industrial agricultural toxins

Would renting an apartment with section 8 or independently with 900/month of disability and perhaps a couple hundred of cash aid from my parents and spendmist of of the day outdoors in the Sun in the winter be something possible in Alabama with the lish greenery as much as Arizona?

Alabama has been one of my favorite states its the indoors that worries me making a 12 month lease commitment with section 8.

If I don't do anything with the voucher in Florida and transfer it I lose it.Maybe this won't be the worst thing but just sort of brainstorming

Car camping when needed to get away without getting in trouble.California plates expire January

Appreciate it guys and gals

 

[peteg59]

Naples, FL. today must be really difficult to live comfortably in thanks to the recent hurricane, am I right?

One would naturally assume the better state of the two you mention for "environmental", would be Arizona.
Mainly due to the humidity in AL., vs the dryer climate in southern AZ. being more favorable for the severe allergy sufferer...?

Plus, you're much closer to CA. when it comes time for you to register your vehicle.

 

[user 423]

Since Arizona has a monsoon season it actually isn't so great for mold free living:

https://www.google.com/search?clien...HarfCk0Q1QJ6BAg9EAE&biw=1093&bih=614&dpr=1.25
If you're in lower elevations during the summers the intense heat will require that you not spend a lot of time outdoors. You'll need to be inside with A/C.

 

[[email protected]]

Since Arizona has a monsoon season it actually isn't so great for mold free living:

https://www.google.com/search?clien...HarfCk0Q1QJ6BAg9EAE&biw=1093&bih=614&dpr=1.25
If you're in lower elevations during the summers the intense heat will require that you not spend a lot of time outdoors. You'll need to be inside with A/C.

According to this article there seems to be higher amount of mold In Arizona and Alabama

I always remember 10 years ago when I moved to Atlanta making trips with my father to Alabama,visiting historical placed like sepma the air felt good outside

When I asked my disability attorney that helped me get approved a year ago, who is based in Alabama she mentioned today that it's wet and gets complaints about mold there

I don't know if maybe there maybe variables of liking the location.

Noticed similar patterns driving through jasper,GA

Small towns away from biggger cities

Just not sure if Alabama law enforcement may not like it sleeping in the car outdoors being more conservative in this area

Being a person of color

Never had a problem doing it in south Florida

Ultimately,I would rather settle in housing and do this as more of an occasional hobby if the body can tolerate modern building structures

 

[GotSmart]

Between the heat and the dust, Arizona is not as friendly as it appears on paper. But it is better than freezing cold.

Some beach, somewhere ~~~ away from the big storms.

I wish I could find something myself.

 

[Morgana]

I'm about to launch a next chapter myself (I hope). Going to be frank because that's the only way to be useful here.

I have more money and fewer health problems than you do, and I am coming up against major scary obstacles. It's only going to be worse for you.

We are in a housing crisis.
We are in a public health crisis.
We are in an economic crisis.
We are in a climate/weather crisis.
Social services are stretched beyond their limits, and many good people are falling between the cracks.
And no one with an ounce of sanity thinks they know what the world will look like a year from now.

Instead of hoping that there is some perfect place out there that will suit your needs -- God knows I've done my share of that too, so I'm not saying you were wrong to try it -- pick someplace, plant your feet, and start working hard to, through your own effort, first make it liveable and then start pursuing your other dreams.

It doesn't matter how bad your health problems are or how much you love or hate certain ways of living or how deserving you are. Life is a scramble for everyone. Your own effort is what will make the biggest difference. Plant your flag somewhere (or roam, if that's practical, but it doesn't sound like it right now for you), and get on with it.

Good luck!

 

[[email protected]]

Appreciate it guys and Gals,

Part of me is wondering if I should play it safe and just stay in AZ as im close bye.

I got slammed by bad air in Abilene,TX as I started heading east then got discourage about going to the the southeast.What if this doesn't work out.Tolerating housing in rural alabama

This means I have to drive cross country again through bad areas of the country?

With 4k left in savings and 900/month is there enough to drive from west Texas to Alabama to apply for housing then drive to south Florida to try and port my section 8 voucher out either to Alabama or Arizona.

Test housing in Alabama by telling Florida I'd like to transfer somehwere in Rural Alabama and if this doesn't work either go back to beach stealthing close to where I felt best along the Atlantic side of Florida or just come back to Arizona and try to get low income/section 8 housing as a home base in Benson where I feel good in warm weather

Last time I stayed with my friend in talahasee,FL it wasn't too bad there

Spend the days outdoors and deal with cold as much time as possible away from indoor mold and only come back to cook,sleep at night

Right now I feel safest in warm weather outside with windows rolled down away from indoor mold.I know that the probability of me finding housing I can tolerate is less than 5 %

Appreciate it ladies and gentlemen.

 

[user 423]

You may have a long wait to be approved for housing in Alabama since it's next to FL and there will likely be 1000's of people displaced.

Buy a tent and a Clam shelter, a cot, a camp chair, camp kitchen, etc. and just stay outdoors wherever you can following tolerable weather. If you move to Benson, you wouldn't be far from higher elevations and cooler summer temps in AZ and W. New Mexico where there is free or cheap camping available. You'd still have to deal with monsoon rains though.

 

[mattvei]

if it were me, I'd set up to be totally mobile (living #vanlife). Then you can move around to where you feel good. Think of skills you could develop that would let you increase your income remotely. Run it through someone else's LLC that you trust. They pay the taxes, then "gift" you after tax up to $16K per year per individual (H&W $32K) with no tax consequence. Then you have income, disability, no rent, and can move around to where you feel good

 

[[email protected]]

You may have a long wait to be approved for housing in Alabama since it's next to FL and there will likely be 1000's of people displaced.

Buy a tent and a Clam shelter, a cot, a camp chair, camp kitchen, etc. and just stay outdoors wherever you can following tolerable weather. If you move to Benson, you wouldn't be far from higher elevations and cooler summer temps in AZ and W. New Mexico where there is free or cheap camping available. You'd still have to deal with monsoon rains though.

You mean when in AZ during monsoon season I would be stuck in the car with the windows rolled up and have to deal with flooded roads and potential of being stuck on the road in hiking/camping areas with a vehicle that's not 4wd?

Appreciate it gone2day

 

[bullfrog]

From what I’ve seen of Benson Arizona and the surrounding area there isn’t a lot of rental housing. There is an Escapee park and a few other RV parks with reasonable yearly rates and free camping on federal lands.

 

[user 423]

Davsey27:
"You mean when in AZ during monsoon season I would be stuck in the car with the windows rolled up and have to deal with flooded roads and potential of being stuck on the road in hiking/camping areas with a vehicle that's not 4wd?"

If you had a good tent you wouldn't have to be stuck in the car. It's been suggested you get a van so you're not so cramped in the SUV. If you had window vents that allow you to crack your windows a bit plus a small fan, sitting in a vehicle wouldn't be so bad. It does rain a lot during monsoon but it's not constant. Also, it's possible to avoid roads that would be dangerous when it rains.

The alternative is to stay outside in the Benson area when on many days from June to Sept. it's 95 -100 degrees. Or sit in an apartment with A/C. So anyway, Arizona might not be a good place for you.

 

[[email protected]]

Davsey27:
"You mean when in AZ during monsoon season I would be stuck in the car with the windows rolled up and have to deal with flooded roads and potential of being stuck on the road in hiking/camping areas with a vehicle that's not 4wd?"

If you had a good tent you wouldn't have to be stuck in the car. It's been suggested you get a van so you're not so cramped in the SUV. If you had window vents that allow you to crack your windows a bit plus a small fan, sitting in a vehicle wouldn't be so bad. It does rain a lot during monsoon but it's not constant. Also, it's possible to avoid roads that would be dangerous when it rains.

The alternative is to stay outside in the Benson area when on many days from June to Sept. it's 95 -100 degrees. Or sit in an apartment with A/C. So anyway, Arizona might not be a good place for you.

Appreciate it gone2day,

The air in Vail,Az and Benson feels way better and less toxic than California. And more peaceful than big cities and traffic

Sitting in an apartment with Ac all day may be too much with my sensitivities if running a bunch of fans won't be enough at the peak of the SE AZ summer.

Eliminating the HVAC system

During that season maybe go to Colorado Springs to eliminate these variables was one idea but then worry about being evicted if I get lucky and can find low income housing near benson/vail.

Or find a month to month deal without contract 500- 700/month and my parents pitch I a couple hundred a month

My parents did suggest helping me with possible an extra 500 month with housing as there encouraging a more stable lifestyle , on top of 900/month of disability

They do typically pitch in an extra 200/month to help me every month and occasionally 500

Would these free me up to go and explore southern states like Alabama during this time?..

Yes at something need to trade this SUV In for a Van

Check this out.

I don't have the start up capital to build a mold proof foundation with a plastic slab and eliminating wood and materials that mold eats and considered seeing if Habitat for Humanity in Alabama may help with this so I don't have to worry about living in mold

Maybe it's just a pipedream

If there's a way to not have to keep running on the road I would do it

https://paradigmchange.me/lc/upton/
Appreciate it gone2day

 

[rruff]

The air in Vail,Az and Benson feels way better and less toxic than California. And more peaceful than big cities and traffic
Sitting in an apartment with Ac all day may be too much with my sensitivities if running a bunch of fans won't be enough at the peak of the SE AZ summer.

Most of the reason why some places have more mold than others is because of urban building practices. Places with a dry climate like AZ probably pay little attention to it.

If you want a nice year round climate in the continetal US, you need to snowbird between at least two locations. You can be poor and still do that. Have you thought about buying a trailer you can pull, and having winter and summer parking spots?

There is an RV park SW of Tucson that is very reasonably priced... don't recall the name. Bob Wells did a bit on it I think. It's pretty remote, but seemed like a nice community. If being in the boonies is ok for you that could work. For ~7-8 months it would be nice there and dry. Then May to Sept you could move to the NW part of the country which has dry summers and is cool in the mountains. The only caveat there is you'd probably want to stay mobile so you can move if there is much wildfire smoke.

Here is a map of average July precipitation. IMO the colors are opposite what would make sense, but... :

 

[WanderingRose]

Davsey, if your Section 8 housing in Naples is up in January, just three months away, you are getting down to crunch time.

Unleas I am mistaken, in order to “transfer” this certificate you will need to find a new landlord in the area you want to move to, with a vacant apartment you find acceptable, and who will accept your Section 8 certificate.

 

[[email protected]]

Davsey, if your Section 8 housing in Naples is up in January, just three months away, you are getting down to crunch time.

Unleas I am mistaken, in order to “transfer” this certificate you will need to find a new landlord in the area you want to move to, with a vacant apartment you find acceptable, and who will accept your Section 8 certificate.

Hi wanderingrose,

While it is helpful to find a new landlord in an area I want to move to and probably most practical

[One that I am unsure of but have narrowed it to the southwest in Arizona and perhaps rural Alabama]

Once you port a voucher to a new county I think you still have 60-90 days to find a place that a landlord will take either an apartment that takes a voucher

Or a room in a house,if the housing authority in that county allow ls Single Room Occupancy [SRO'S]

 

[[email protected]]

Most of the reason why some places have more mold than others is because of urban building practices. Places with a dry climate like AZ probably pay little attention to it.

If you want a nice year round climate in the continetal US, you need to snowbird between at least two locations. You can be poor and still do that. Have you thought about buying a trailer you can pull, and having winter and summer parking spots?

There is an RV park SW of Tucson that is very reasonably priced... don't recall the name. Bob Wells did a bit on it I think. It's pretty remote, but seemed like a nice community. If being in the boonies is ok for you that could work. For ~7-8 months it would be nice there and dry. Then May to Sept you could move to the NW part of the country which has dry summers and is cool in the mountains. The only caveat there is you'd probably want to stay mobile so you can move if there is much wildfire smoke.

Here is a map of average July precipitation. IMO the colors are opposite what would make sense, but... :

Appreciate it Ruff,

I left California to get out of the wildfire and bad air.I can't deal with it again

The high altitudes in NW Arizona would be too much.Didnt feel too well last time visiting flagstaff

I could tolerate the lower altitudes of around 4k-5k feet though

 

[rruff]

I wouldn't live in CA for various reasons, but most of the west (including AZ) can have smoke from forest fires. That's why I say it's nice to not be "planted" during fire season. That is usually May-June in AZ and NM, and a bit later further north and west.

High altitude is hard for just about anyone initially, but you usually adapt in a couple weeks.

 

[DLTooley]

You want to keep that section 8. Transferring across State lines is more difficult than an instate transfer, and likely vary.

You can still be a nomad, but it takes a large portion of your discretionary income.

Personally, I would not transfer to a community that I didn’t know well.

 

[WanderingRose]

Instead of hoping that there is some perfect place out there that will suit your needs -- God knows I've done my share of that too, so I'm not saying you were wrong to try it -- pick someplace, plant your feet, and start working hard to, through your own effort, first make it liveable and then start pursuing your other dreams.

I agree with this, davsey, and believe there is much you can do to create a healthy living environment for yourself within a state whose climate reasonably suits you.

From my own experience in that state, I suspect that the heat and humidity in Alabama will be very difficult for you.

The other reality, here, is that you have acquired a coveted Section 8 voucher in Florida but for apparently many months now have not been living there.

You have moved back to California, or at least have represented that to California DMV, where your vehicle is registered.

At some point, legal residency and paper residency are very likely going to collide, and at the most inopportune time as you verify your identity thru producing a drivers license that has an expiration date on it.

Secondly, you have a Section 8 apartment you have vacated, which your landlord is undoubtedly aware of, and which information would probably be shared with any other state/county you want to transfer to.

I dont know that once one has secured a Section 8 voucher that one retains an inalienable right to ownership of said voucher, or that a receiving state/county must accept its transfer.

You seem to have researched this, but what happens in actuality may be different than it appears.

If you want to live in your vehicle, moving from area to area to accommodate your sensitivities, you have with SSDI, savings and help from your parents more resources than many, if not most, here.

If you don’t want to maintain a physical residence somewhere, consider giving your certificate up so that someone without your resources can use it.

Or, it could be revoked.

My two cents, and I’m kind of a cut-to-the-chase person, so there it is.