FACTS
Family Homelessness in Massachusetts:
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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates
the average income for a family of three in Massachusetts is
$78,200.7
To receive emergency assistance in Massachusetts a family of
three can not have an income higher than $22,880
3
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During 2007, The Department of Transitional Assistance served
over 4,400 families in the state shelter system
3
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Workers must earn an hourly wage of $22.65 to afford a two-bedroom
apartment in Massachusetts
4
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To live unsubsidized in Boston, a person with two children needs an
annual income of over $58,000 to attain a basic standard of living.
The average income of a person coming off welfare is $17,000
8
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A worker earning minimum wage ($6.75) would have to work 134 hours
a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Boston
4
Click here to learn why our families are homeless.
Family Homelessness Nationwide:
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Nationwide, 3 million people, 1.3 million of them children,
are likely to experience homelessness in a given year
1
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36.5 million Americans live in poverty
2
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The primary reason families are homeless is economic; housing
costs often exceed income levels
3
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There is no single community in the United States where a minimum wage
worker can afford a market-rate two-bedroom apartment
3
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Families with children are among the fastest-growing segment
of the homeless population
4
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Half of homeless children attend 3 different schools in one year
5
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Homeless children are twice as likely to repeat a grade
6
Click here to learn more about family homelessness nationwide.
1. National Law Center on Homelessness, 2008; 2. U.S. Census Bureau, 2006; 3. One Family Inc., 2004; 4. National Low-Income Housing Coalition, 2008; 5. The Institute for Children and Poverty, 2006; 6. National Center on Family Homelessness, 2000; 7. 2008 HUD Income Limits; 8. The Self-Sufficiency Standard for MA, MassFESS, 2006
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