Financial aid or grants to help house college students?

I'm going to a community college, which doesn't provide housing for students, and I'm recieving financial aid for school. The problem is, school and work are almost an hour away. I'm thinking of moving closer to school and work to save money on gas, but only have a minimum wage paying job.

I have considered sharing an apartment with someone, but don't want to live with a stranger. All of my friends are married, and don't know my coworkers on a level where I would feel comfortable living with them (I know I'm being picky).

My stepsister told me that there are programs and grants available to help pay for housing of college students. If so, where can I find the information about obtaining such help, and where can I apply?

Just about any type of Federal financial aid and most private aid can be used to pay for housing (including off-campus). Most organizations (whether they give scholarships or loans) simply wish for their funds to be used towards "educational costs." For example, at nearly all accredited, "Title IV eligible" schools (i.e. schools eligible to administer Aid like Pell and Stafford, etc.), you will be allowed to obtain financial aid up to your "Cost of Attendance" (COA). Your COA is a specific number determined by the Financial Aid Office that roughly corresponds to your actual educational costs. It may (and often does) include the following items*:

-- tuition & fees
-- room & board (whether it be on- or off-campus)
-- a "reasonable amount" for books, supplies (in some cases, a computer), transportation, miscellaneous expenses
-- dependent care
-- study abroad expenses
-- loan fees
-- employment expenses for co-op study

As you can see, tuition is only one part of your COA, so you can keep applying for financial aid even once your tuition is covered. For example, say your total COA is $20,000 and your tuition is $10,000. Even if you had received Federal Student Aid in the amount of $10,000, you could still obtain another $10,000 in other types of funding. Try the following scholarship sites:

* http://www.fastweb.com/
* http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss...
* http://www.scholarships101.com/
* http://www.srnexpress.com/
* http://www.scholarships.com/
* http://services.princetonreview.com/defa...
* http://www.finaid.org/scholarships
* http://www.collegeanswer.com/paying/cont...

Or, if you must borrow, try any of the loans on this page:

http://www.finaid.org/loans/privatestude...

*There are some things that can't be included in a COA, of course, like deposits and late fees; by the same token, there are things in your COA that aren't usually on your bil, so the two usually balance out nicely.

Check out fastweb.com, or speak with a financial aid person at your school. They would be the best to give you advice on this situation.