Salvation Army Rental Assistance

• The Salvation Army has rental assistance programs.Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
  
  The Sacramento Salvation Army (tsatoday.org) has a rental assistance program to help with "move-ins" and "eviction avoidance." The assistance amount is between $200 and $600. A copy of your lease and an eviction notice, proof of economic hardship and inclusion in certain zip codes are some of the requirements for the program. Funds are limited and may not always be available.
  
  

Catholic Charties' Centro Guadalupe

• Centro Guadalupe has a bilingual staff to help with rental assistance.Maria Teijeiro/Lifesize/Getty Images
  
  Centro Guadalupe, (no website; 730 South St., Sacramento, CA; 916-443-5367) provides emergency rental assistance in the south side area of Sacramento. Run by Catholic Charities, this bilingual community center serves families in the following zip codes: 95626, 95660, 95673, 95833, 95834, 95835, 95836, 95837, 95838 and 95843. A copy of your lease, eviction notice and proof of economic hardship will be required to apply for this assistance. Like most rental assistance programs, the funding is limited.
  
  

Saint VIncent de Paul

• Often Catholic churches have Saint Vincent de Paul Societies to help those in need.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Local Catholic churches run their own local Saint Vincent de Paul societies, (svdp-sacramento.org) thus you will need to find the church nearest you to contact their Saint Vincent de Paul. There is a list of all the Saint Vincent de Paul "conferences" in the Sacramento area online, and you need to contact one, or more, until you find one with rental assistance funding available. Once you have called one of the "conferences," they will help you with the next steps. Saint Vincent de Paul typically makes a home visit and then gives the renter a check in their name or they will talk to your landlord and make the check out in the landlord's name, depending upon the situation. Saint Joseph's Church (saintjosephsacramento.org) is one of the Catholic churches with an active Saint Vincent de Paul Society.
  
  

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

• HUD helps families with Section 8 rental subsidies.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, (hud.gov) has Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers that can be used to assist low-income families with rental costs. Rent is generally 10 percent of the family's income and HUD subsidizes the rest of the rent in a check to the landlord. There can be long waiting lists for HUD vouchers and some people find it easier to get a HUD Section 8 voucher in a city with little demand for them then transfer to the city they would like to move into after one year in the other city, as Section 8 requires the first lease be for one year. Section 8 has eligibility requirements that must be met for participation. Another HUD rental option is public-owned housing, which is subsidized by the state, and like the vouchers, recipients usually pay 10 percent of their income for rent, with the rest paid to the landlord by the state.