I'm in Illinois, where, if you go to your local Walmart, there are people standing outside, offering to sell you their link cards (ie., food stamps) -- so they can get the cash to buy their drugs. Going rate is 50 cents on the dollar.
Now, the wait list for section 8 is often several years, depending on where you live, but to get into a subsidized public housing complex? About 2 months max. I know this because my husband and I have an attached in-law unit we've allowed a couple of our neighbors to stay in, while they were on the waiting list.
Even better if you're an illegal alien because you can go on full public assistance, ehile not reporting the money you're earning under the table, much less pay taxes on it. If caught, the worst that can happen is deportation, but that doesn't happen often, not around here. They tend to brag and gloat about abusing the system, so not exactly a secret.