MAYBE an open door for housing in Ennis Texas

During the past months I have invested untold hours on online research to find my next housing. I have called dozens of apartment complexes. Most of the rents are too high to be covered by the voucher. Some are not too high but will not accept the voucher. A few are low enough and accept the voucher but the waiting list is 6 months to 3 years.

The reason for my difficulties relates to more than a 100 thousand new jobs in the greater Dallas area added recently. So this article says about 200 move here daily. http://www.jphomesforsale.com/blog/YES+That+Many+People+ARE+Moving+To+DFW+Each+Day

I talked to a friend yesterday that is moving out of state from Dallas. He put his house on the market and in 2 days he had 9 appointments to show it. He had 2 offers immediately. He sold it for more than he was asking in less than a week.

In the middle of this buyer’s market a dear friend from church recommended that I search Ennis. So  yesterday I called many apartment complexes and at first heard over and over that they do not accept section 8 housing vouchers.

I was about to give up. Then just at the end of the day I heard that the last 3 said yes they take vouchers. And they put me on their informal waiting list. I did not need to go there in person to fill out paperwork like those in Dallas wanted for a waiting list.

They have a waiting list but it is much shorter than those in Dallas. One manager suggested that I call every day at the end of May and start of June. Then if someone leaves they will basically bump me to the head of the waiting list.

Also the ones I talked with in Ennis were far more friendly and laid back. Ennis https://www.visitennis.org/ is a small town that is 33 miles south of downtown Dallas. One apartment manager said that some of her residents like it and others miss the big city. They miss all the restaurants, bars, and social activities. I told her that my top priority was a quiet place to read and write. As long as I have access to a grocery store then Amazon will ship everything else I need for my modest lifestyle.

NEXT WEEK

Just because I am on informal waiting lists that is not the end of the story.

I will continue to search next week.

I will expand my search to St Louis where my brother live and College Station where I had felt led to relocate years ago.

There remains a chance that a door for ministry and housing will open in LA. But I do not hold my breath on that.

I have added the Philippines to my list of options. The voucher will not work there. But the cost of living away from the major cities is so low I could live on my retirement income. Every Filipino that I met at the seminary was super friendly. This is at the bottom of my list of priorities but it is a new entry there.

TODAY

I need to focus on completing preparations for my sermon on Saturday. It is part of a long series named Let’s Pray Better. I enjoy preaching. I think others receive my messages well.

I need to move toward ways that my sermon preparations times and visual aids will also become parts of future online messages that will lead to income streams.

I have begun a short course on how to publish videos on Youtube. It is helping me get over my internal barriers that are mental and emotional.

Shalom

John