I spent five years working in the HUD-VASH program as a Housing and Peer Specialist, helping veterans who were experiencing homelessness find and keep permanent housing. That wasn't a desk job reviewing applications — I was in the field, meeting people where they were. Literally.
Some of the people I worked with had been living outside for years. One man had been sleeping in a tent by the river for over a decade before we connected. Others were cycling through shelters, couch-surfing, or living in their cars. My job was to help them navigate a system that isn't exactly designed to be easy — find the right programs, gather the right paperwork, deal with housing authorities and landlords, pass inspections, and ultimately get keys in their hands.
Over those five years, I personally helped hundreds of veterans secure and maintain permanent housing. I saw what worked, what didn't, and where people got stuck. I learned which questions people were afraid to ask, which forms tripped people up, and which parts of the process could make or break someone's housing search.
Why I Built Waythrough Project
When I looked for online resources to share with the people I was working with, I kept running into the same problem: the information was either buried in government PDFs nobody reads, scattered across dozens of different websites, or written in language that assumes you already understand the system. That's not helpful when someone is stressed, overwhelmed, and just needs to know what to do next.
So I built Waythrough Project — a free resource that explains how affordable housing programs actually work, in plain language, from someone who's been on the inside. No sign-ups. No paywalls. No ads. Just the information people need, organized the way real people actually look for it.
Everything on this site comes from real experience — the kind you only get by sitting across the table from someone, helping them fill out an application, walking them through what an inspection looks like, or explaining why their voucher amount is what it is. I've been through the process with hundreds of people, and that's what this site is built on.
What I Cover
Waythrough Project covers the full range of affordable housing topics, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, HUD-VASH, public housing, LIHTC apartments, emergency housing, tenant rights, eviction prevention, and the many benefit programs that interact with housing — like SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, and SSDI. Whether you're just starting to look for help or you're already in a program and trying to figure out next steps, there's something here for you.
A Note About This Site
I'm not a lawyer, and this site doesn't provide legal advice. What I offer is practical, experience-based guidance to help you understand your options and navigate the housing system more effectively. When something requires professional legal help, I'll tell you that directly and point you to resources that can help.
If you have a question about housing that you don't see answered here, you can ask it on the community Q&A page. I read every question and do my best to answer based on what I know from my experience in the field.