Ask HN: I'm homeless and I got the job – now how do I find housing?
As it currently stands, I have a government IT job -- in addition get a pension and have good job stability, the only wrinkle is maintaining residence in the area said local government serves.

I'm making ~80k, and for context with 15ish-k I could put a down payment on a cheap house in the city (where the schools are worse but taxes are lower)... but with an eviction most landlords won't even consider me.

What I'd like to do is find a cheap apartment, save aggressively, and find a house in the city.

(It's like a lot of America here -- the city schools suck, but you have a lot less taxes, so you can get a good deal if you're single on something a very short commute to our downtown.)

I'm also homeless.

I tried moving out of a bad domestic violence situation, but got laid off after about six months as COVID fell.

One of my parents had the beginning of Alzheimer's, and would wave a handgun around if he perceived disrespect. The local police allowed it.

Imagine trying to interview or study for OSCP and your NRA dad will stew any time he's told he can't go into his "man cave" (the only area of the house suitable for interviews) and blocks the only exit to the basement, holding a .22 magnum, threatening to "defend himself" if you "assault him" (make any physical contact whatever manuvering around his hulking frame in the doorway)

Now imagine the local cops tell you, a domestic violence victim, they will arrest you if they are called back, and remind you that it's a felony to record someone without their consent in PA when you offer to produce audio of some of the interaction.

(That's not accurate btw -- there is an exception in the 2 party consent law if you fear a "crime of violence" is about to occur. Threatening to shoot me, shoot my mother, then shoot yourself is a "crime of violence".)

These same local police did absolutely nothing when after I moved back in and my mother, who I currently live with, had a mental health episode and also threatened to kill me. (The reason? For the first time in a while... I had a date. I got back at about 1230, after saying I had plans.)

I am worried my mother will have another mental health episode, the police will follow through on their threats to arrest me, and even if I defend myself in court and was found not guilty, I'll emerge homeless and jobless since I couldn't make bail and didn't come in for >3 days.

One apartment I toured explained they can hit with a discrminination case if they make an exception for me, and not others. Apparently this rule does not apply to people with a small number of units.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Keywords to use when searching ads? Nonprofits that help with this?

I can post my city if needed but it's a bit of a catch-22 -- folks sing a big song and dance about "supporting victims", but it seems like unless you want to go the path of getting declared disabled and going on public assistance, then all they'll do is offer to connect you with talk therapy.

No amount of talk therapy will change that I am in a dangerous, precarious housing situation, caused in part by the fact that local party officials refused to enforce my state's laws, and that the only reason I even got a fair interview was that several local party officials were removed in the primaries.

It'd be a real shame if I had to take the documented experience I have in this role and move abroad because I couldn't solve a simple housing issue -- it's 15-20k for a down payment here.