How do you know if you can get a home loan with bad credit and some debt.?

I have a student loan and a few little bills that i’m currently paying off total less than a thousand for the bills student loan is 22,000 but i’m not paying cause i’m barely getting by. I could get a house for what i i pay in rent. I just want to know if there’s a possiblity of gettting a home loan and how could i improve my chances. I had great credit a few yrs ago but lost a job and bills pilled up. I’m just curious on what my options are b/c if you get a house you get equity.