Unfortunately if you don't pay your rent or mortgage whether you are disabled or temporarily out of work, you can be evicted. The only thing they can do is send you to a homeless shelter or maybe there is a relative or a friend who can help you out. The only time I've heard of them giving you a stay is if it is a state of emergency like hurricane Katrina. If you're dealing with a slum lord you have to put the money in the court registry until the landlord fixes up the place. One of the saddest stories I heard is this lady was dying of cancer and she only had six months left to live she couldn't pay her taxes and she wanted to die in her home of 40 yrs., the house was paid for but because she couldn't pay her taxes there was a tax lien on her house, they evicted her and she had to die in a nursing home. Here is some information I found, on how serious the housing is.

http://www.ich.gov/PDF/FactSheetChronicHomelessness.pdf