About Family Homelessness

Families are homelessness because of economics. Simply, incomes do not keep up with the high cost of housing. As a result, thousands of Massachusetts families are forced to choose between paying for housing and food, child care, health care, and education. Being poor in our Commonwealth means living at risk of becoming homeless.

Family homelessness is a national issue

Each year, 600,000 families with 1.35 million children experience homelessness in the United States, making up about 30% of the homeless population over the course of a year
In any given day, researchers estimate that more than 200,000 children have no place to live
A full time worker earning minimum wage cannot afford a one bedroom unit priced at Fair Market Rent anywhere in the United Stated.
Federal Support for low income housing has fallen by 40% from 1980-2003
15% of all American families and 32% of single parent families lived below the poverty line in 2006

Family homelessness is increasing in Massachusetts

The Emergency Assistance Program, which supports contracts for emergency family shelters, has seen a steady increase since fiscal year 2005. At the beginning of FY05, the number of families in the EA system was 1,147 families. On October 3, 2008, there were 2,539 families in the EA system. From August 2007 to August 2008, the caseload grew by 440 families, or 24%.
Without a significant invesment in housing, homelessness and the cost of shelter will continue to rise. In FY1990, Massachusetts invested $122.24 million in MRVP and $44.9 million in the family shelter system (EA). Today funding for MRVP is at $33 million and EA is funded at $87 million.
Statewide, 5,733 families applied for EA in calendar year 2007.
Because of the lack of affordable housing, the average shelter stay has increased, reducing the numbers of families exiting shelter.

Family Homelessness is caused by a lack of affordable housing and wages that do not keep up

In Massachusetts, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,193. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities, without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn $3,977 monthly or $47,719 annually. Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this level of income translates into a Housing Wage of $22.94.
In Massachusetts, a minimum wage worker earns an hourly wage of $8.00. In order to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment, a minimum wage earner must work 115 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Or, a household must include 2.9 minimum wage earner(s) working 40 hours per week year-round in order to make the two bedroom FMR affordable.
In Boston-Cambridge-Quincy HMFA, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,353. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities, without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn NA monthly or $54,120 annually. Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this level of income translates into a Housing Wage of $26.02.
In Boston-Cambridge-Quincy HMFA, the estimated mean (average) wage for a renter is $20.79 an hour. In order to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment at this wage, a renter must work 50 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Or, working 40 hours per week year-round, a household must include 1.3 worker(s) earning the mean renter wage in order to make the two-bedroom FMR affordable.
The average wait for Section 8 vouchers rose to 28 months in 1998. The U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2004, reported an average wait of 35 months

View a graph demonstrating how a reduction in MRVP funding lead to an increase in homelessness.

Wages are not keeping up

The majority of jobs that pay family sustaining wages require some form of education or training beyond a high school diploma. Nearly half of the state’s 3.2 million workers lack the skills required to obtain jobs with family sustaining wages
In 2005, there were more than 32 thousand working families in Massachusetts with a combined income that fell below the Federal Poverty Level.
There are close to 117 thousand families, or 16% of all working families, that are earning less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level
The cost of supporting a family in Worcester increased 16.3 percent from 2003 to 2006. At the same time, wages decreased by 7%

The State is spending less on housing and more on shelter

In FY89 the Department of Housing and Community Development was funded was $410million. By FY95, this amount was reduced to $183 million. While there have been some increases, notably to $239 in FY02 , DHCD funding remains a fraction of what it was. In FY06, DHCD was funded at $91million, FY07 at $112million; FY08 was funded at $128million, while the projected spending was $149million. The General Appropriations Act budgets $142 for FY09.
In 1990, the Emergency Assistance program was funded at $45million. Almost two decades later, the state spends over $87million on the EA program. In FY06, EA was funded at $74million.

About homeless families

The typical sheltered homeless family is comprised of a mother in her late twenties with two children
84% of families experience homelessness are female headed
Families of color are overrepresented in the homeless population
53% of homeless mothers do not have a high school diploma
29% of homeless families are working
92% of homeless mothers have experienced severe violence and/or sexual abuse during their lifetime; 63% report this abuse was perpetrated by an intimate partner
Homeless mothers have three times the rate of post traumatic stress disorder
About 50% of homeless mothers have experienced a major depressive episode since becoming homeless
Over one third of homeless mothers have a chronic physical health condition, and ulcers at four times the rate of other women
Children experiencing homelessness are sick four times more often than other children, including four times as many respiratory infections, twice as many ear infections, and five times more gastrointestinal problems
Children experiencing homelessness have three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems compared to non-homeless children
36% of homeless children repeat a grade

Links to Solutions

2008 Boston Family Shelter Providers’ and Homeless Families’ Vision for Successful Neighborhoods and Successful Families

Sources:
National Alliance to End Homelessness’ FACT CHECKER SERIES. Available at www.endhomelessness.org
Burt, M. et al, 1999a
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2008). Out of Reach 2008. Available at www.nlihc.org
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2005). Out of Reach 2005. Available at www.nlihc.org
The National Center on Family Homelessness (2008). The Characteristics and Needs of Families Experiencing Homelessness. Available at www.familyhomelessness.org
Department of Transitional Assistance (2008)
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2008) Out of Reach 2008. Available at www.nlihc.org
Crittenton Women’s Union 2007. Unlocking the Doors to Higher Education and Training for Massachusetts’ Working Poor Families (2007) Available at www.liveworkthrive.org
CHAPA (2002)
MA State Government (2008) FY2009 Budget (2008). Available at www.mass.gov
The National Center on Family Homelessness (2008) The Characteristics and Needs of Families Experiencing Homelessness (2008). Available www.familyhomelessness.org

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About Family Homelessness Useful Links For Families in Crisis	About Family Homelessness Families are homelessness because of economics. Simply, incomes do not keep up with the high cost of housing. As a result, thousands of Massachusetts families are forced to choose between paying for housing and food, child care, health care, and education. Being poor in our Commonwealth means living at risk of becoming homeless. Family homelessness is a national issue Each year, 600,000 families with 1.35 million children experience homelessness in the United States, making up about 30% of the homeless population over the course of a year In any given day, researchers estimate that more than 200,000 children have no place to live A full time worker earning minimum wage cannot afford a one bedroom unit priced at Fair Market Rent anywhere in the United Stated. Federal Support for low income housing has fallen by 40% from 1980-2003 15% of all American families and 32% of single parent families lived below the poverty line in 2006 Family homelessness is increasing in Massachusetts The Emergency Assistance Program, which supports contracts for emergency family shelters, has seen a steady increase since fiscal year 2005. At the beginning of FY05, the number of families in the EA system was 1,147 families. On October 3, 2008, there were 2,539 families in the EA system. From August 2007 to August 2008, the caseload grew by 440 families, or 24%. Without a significant invesment in housing, homelessness and the cost of shelter will continue to rise. In FY1990, Massachusetts invested $122.24 million in MRVP and $44.9 million in the family shelter system (EA). Today funding for MRVP is at $33 million and EA is funded at $87 million. Statewide, 5,733 families applied for EA in calendar year 2007. Because of the lack of affordable housing, the average shelter stay has increased, reducing the numbers of families exiting shelter. Family Homelessness is caused by a lack of affordable housing and wages that do not keep up In Massachusetts, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,193. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities, without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn $3,977 monthly or $47,719 annually. Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this level of income translates into a Housing Wage of $22.94. In Massachusetts, a minimum wage worker earns an hourly wage of $8.00. In order to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment, a minimum wage earner must work 115 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Or, a household must include 2.9 minimum wage earner(s) working 40 hours per week year-round in order to make the two bedroom FMR affordable. In Boston-Cambridge-Quincy HMFA, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,353. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities, without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn NA monthly or $54,120 annually. Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this level of income translates into a Housing Wage of $26.02. In Boston-Cambridge-Quincy HMFA, the estimated mean (average) wage for a renter is $20.79 an hour. In order to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment at this wage, a renter must work 50 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Or, working 40 hours per week year-round, a household must include 1.3 worker(s) earning the mean renter wage in order to make the two-bedroom FMR affordable. The average wait for Section 8 vouchers rose to 28 months in 1998. The U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2004, reported an average wait of 35 months View a graph demonstrating how a reduction in MRVP funding lead to an increase in homelessness. Wages are not keeping up The majority of jobs that pay family sustaining wages require some form of education or training beyond a high school diploma. Nearly half of the state’s 3.2 million workers lack the skills required to obtain jobs with family sustaining wages In 2005, there were more than 32 thousand working families in Massachusetts with a combined income that fell below the Federal Poverty Level. There are close to 117 thousand families, or 16% of all working families, that are earning less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level The cost of supporting a family in Worcester increased 16.3 percent from 2003 to 2006. At the same time, wages decreased by 7% The State is spending less on housing and more on shelter In FY89 the Department of Housing and Community Development was funded was $410million. By FY95, this amount was reduced to $183 million. While there have been some increases, notably to $239 in FY02 , DHCD funding remains a fraction of what it was. In FY06, DHCD was funded at $91million, FY07 at $112million; FY08 was funded at $128million, while the projected spending was $149million. The General Appropriations Act budgets $142 for FY09. In 1990, the Emergency Assistance program was funded at $45million. Almost two decades later, the state spends over $87million on the EA program. In FY06, EA was funded at $74million. About homeless families The typical sheltered homeless family is comprised of a mother in her late twenties with two children 84% of families experience homelessness are female headed Families of color are overrepresented in the homeless population 53% of homeless mothers do not have a high school diploma 29% of homeless families are working 92% of homeless mothers have experienced severe violence and/or sexual abuse during their lifetime; 63% report this abuse was perpetrated by an intimate partner Homeless mothers have three times the rate of post traumatic stress disorder About 50% of homeless mothers have experienced a major depressive episode since becoming homeless Over one third of homeless mothers have a chronic physical health condition, and ulcers at four times the rate of other women Children experiencing homelessness are sick four times more often than other children, including four times as many respiratory infections, twice as many ear infections, and five times more gastrointestinal problems Children experiencing homelessness have three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems compared to non-homeless children 36% of homeless children repeat a grade Links to Solutions 2008 Boston Family Shelter Providers’ and Homeless Families’ Vision for Successful Neighborhoods and Successful Families Sources: National Alliance to End Homelessness’ FACT CHECKER SERIES. Available at www.endhomelessness.org Burt, M. et al, 1999a National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2008). Out of Reach 2008. Available at www.nlihc.org National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2005). Out of Reach 2005. Available at www.nlihc.org The National Center on Family Homelessness (2008). The Characteristics and Needs of Families Experiencing Homelessness. Available at www.familyhomelessness.org Department of Transitional Assistance (2008) National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2008) Out of Reach 2008. Available at www.nlihc.org Crittenton Women’s Union 2007. Unlocking the Doors to Higher Education and Training for Massachusetts’ Working Poor Families (2007) Available at www.liveworkthrive.org CHAPA (2002) MA State Government (2008) FY2009 Budget (2008). Available at www.mass.gov The National Center on Family Homelessness (2008) The Characteristics and Needs of Families Experiencing Homelessness (2008). Available www.familyhomelessness.org
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