Hi, does anyone receive SSDI and live off of this source of income and/or with other government benefits alone? Can you literally live alone and pay rent or a car payment with it? Asking because I’d like to be able to do this. I do hope I can also work a part time job in the future.
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I presume you are in the USA?
My countries disability is 80 dollars per month world’s biggest joke.
Hopefully it’s better in your country
First, I live in Alaska. I get $940 SSDI and, from the state, $193 in Adult Public Assistance. I get $26 in Food Stamps. I also get Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, which is like Section 8 Housing assistance (they help with rent). I am able to live in my own apartment, pay my auto and renter’s insurance, buy my own food, and pay for electricity, internet, and one credit card.
So, yes, it can be done, but there’s not a lot left over each month. I couldn’t do it on just SSDI when I lived in Florida, it’s really the public/social programs that Alaska has that makes it possible.
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Jeez that’s the most I heard of
Can you live off SSDI alone?
Well, yeah,
if you like beans and rice and
2nd hand clothes,
and staying at home watching the grass grow.
The public libraries are your best friend and people watching is another past time.
Your house is a tad crookedy, your hair a bit long,
The Tv’s antenna has to be re-positioned when it’s windy, and against the window wall when it rains,
but it’s still better than radio that can’t get anything more than talk radio and the traffic reports.
So what if you’ve seen the old movies a thousand times and it was made before your grandfather was born.
It’s all good as you sip that chlorinated tap water with the bread that was stale so you made yourself some toast.
At the end of the day the blankies keeps you warm and you sleep a few hours and dream of a life that you love.
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Yeah, it took years of documentation to qualify for those amounts. I also have health insurance thru Medicare (government) primary and Medicaid (state) secondary so I hardly ever have to put out money for hospitalizations or doctor visits and my meds usually run $1.20 for each 30 day supply. I’m very lucky to be able to live on my own here.
Csummers, that’s pretty close!
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I get zero from government as a disability …i am poor dude…!!! I think within 10 yrs we gonna get medication for negative and cognitive symptoms… enjoy take it easy… I love u all…!!! Take care…
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You always have such a positive attitude on things, always cheers me up lol
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Thanks all for your input. I really pray everyone gets benefits one day in there life or can move somewhere that does. 
We deserve them. Mental illness is very difficult to manage sometimes when it comes to work. I will be getting 800 from SSDI in Ohio. I have Medicaid that covers my insurance. I’m going to apply for food assistance today. I have applied for metropolitan housing authority public housing and section 8v assistance in multiple counties in Ohio, but it could be a year to 3 years before I here anything back from them. Praying on that. I was hoping I could afford at least a $600 rent and get heat assistance service where gov pays portion or all of heat bill, low internet bill, water included in rent, low electric, my phone bill is $35 with Metro Pcs. I have 2 credit cards.
With love x
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It really depends on the cost of living where you decide to live. Living in Muncie, Indiana where my rent, all utilities included, for a one bedroom apartment (that was a good quality apartment) was $525 a month, plus about $100 in SNAP benefits, bus was only $1/day and got you pretty much everywhere, food was cheap. It was totally doable.
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Wmn09, once you get SSDI you should be eligible for Medicare, and that is accepted at a lot more doctors than Medicaid. Be strong, you’ve got this!
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I am in New Jersey and I live in Section 8 Senior Housing (even though I’m 33) and my rent is 112.00 (1-bedroom apartment). I get HEAP for electricity during the winter months, which definitely helps (about 500.00). The rest of utilities are paid for by Section 8. I also get foodstamps along with my SSI. … so, it’s just rent, electricity and internet that I pay for.
The thing is, my parents live close by, so I am constantly going over there for meals, which helps with my budgeting. I usually have money left over at the end of the month to purchase small things for my apartment (or save).
So, yes, it can be done – but might be a bit (or significantly) more tight if you have absolutely no support system. You’d REALLY have to keep a smart and developed budget on paper to make sure you are managing your finances correctly. It would be easy to go off track if you weren’t careful!
Also, it took 2 and a half years of waiting to get my apartment. It’s nice and isn’t what you’d expect for the rent…
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Thank you! I did talk with someone about receiving Medicare in 24 months after my benefits start.
Well first of all my income goes off my wifes income cause she works so one month my ssi could be 730$ and the next month 450$. Just depends how much she makes really. The more she makes the more she screws me really. We have Hud which helps us pay for our trailer (255$) and foodstamps (230$) not to mention we have a kid in the house that eats us out of house and home so that doesn’t last but 2 weeks and were broke, unless we budget meals and only meals no extra stuff like twinkies or ho ho’s. Its’ really a struggle from month to month for me. The electric bill which is in heap (145$) and the cable bill (150$). I have about 100$-200$ a month left over from all my bills and stuff not to mention imma smoker so theres 150$ a month in cigs. It’s crazy but it can be done
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In most places in the US I think you need about 1800 a month to live in a decent neighborhood with a car and eating reasonably well. A job plus SSDI can make it work.
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I hope that they come up with better medications so that all of us could feel better and work full time. It would give me peace of mind I’m still scared of losing ssdi. I make about 1100 per month ssdi and plus I work part time. I wouldn’t consider moving out and living on my own with that income. Still live with mom. I could end up in a cheap apartment probably in a bad neighborhood. I don’t consider it a good idea for a single female. I would probably end up isolated. Don’t have many friends like a lot of us with schiz. I don’t like living alone period. I don’t think it’s a good idea for people with mental illness to be isolated. Family is best for me. I do have a boyfriend that hates living alone perhaps moving in with him would be my next step. I wouldn’t advise living alone and paying the bills by yourself unless you absolutely have no other choice. Not having enough money to live of off can ruin your credit as well. Sorry this may be a little of topic. But I felt like giving my two cents.
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without work with disability alone you can’t survive in expensive Greece.
So I’m moving out alone and I’m so excited! I’ve been wanting to live alone for years and now is the time. My first milestone was buying a car. Did that last year. So this year it’s an apartment!
The apartment is in the town I grew up in which is a lovely Arbor Tree award winning city. The rent is $625 a month for one bed and bath which is average for a one bed in my town. There’s granite countertops in the kitchen and the bathroom has new dark wall tiles. Heat and water is included in the rent. I pay gas that is typically $10 a month. I pay electric that is never more than $25 a month. I opted in for a car port during the winter which is an additional $40. I get a storage in the basement which is good. I’ll have to pay 1.65 for laundry or wash free at my mom’s house. I’ve lived with my mom for nearly 8 years since I graduated high school and I haven’t left so I’m finally ready.
I own my car so the only thing I pay is auto insurance $52/ month. Then i have my phone bill $35. Then i assume my wifi bill will be $45 to $50.
My total monthly expenses comes to $836 not including food.
I have food stamps coming soon, but I don’t know how much yet. They have me down as staying with my mother now so i might get less money until I can prove I’m on my own.
I receive $889 a month with SSDI.
I plan on doing data entry from home part time. Will my SSDI benefits go down if I work during the “trial period” part time?
I’ll be receiving around $2000 from student loans this month so I hope to buy furniture with that.
I pray I can make it! I’ve been applying for metropolitan housing authorities in various states so hopefully in a year or two I can live in disabled housing.
Gosh I get the maximum benefit for disability for mental illness and I still need assistance from my parents…then again the real estate prices are RIDICULOUS here in Connecticut. Some of the worst in the country. If I teamed up with a roommate(s) and moved to the south I could survive on my own. But I need every penny and then some up here in the pricey north east.
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