people will not rent to me because of bad credit?
Answers:
Maybe you can rent a room in somebody's house. It is often more inexpensive, you get your own room, you generally have run of the house and you do not (usually) pay utilities as it is included in the rent. Try craigslist.org to access rooms for rent in the larger cities in the country.
Other answers:
try finding a co-signer, or whats the most you can pay ahead, offer that to landlord...
try finding a co-signer, or whats the most you can pay ahead, offer that to landlord...
Find a relator that does not use credit ratings but rather references from previous land lords. Try to find a privatly owned property to rent.
Put an ad in the classifeds for what you are looking for. When you talk to a landlord don't mention your credit unless they ask. Some independant landlords or homeowners don't run a credit report; if they do tell them your situation and why you have bad credit. Some landlords may be more understanding than others. Landlords are people too; several of them have bad credit also.