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The
Facts about
Homelessness
Homelessness is a devastating experience for
families. It disrupts virtually every aspect of family life,
damaging the physical and emotional health of family members,
interfering with children's education and development, and
frequently resulting in the separation of family members.
The fastest growing segment of the homeless
population is families with children. The recent Point in Time
survey
indicates that families with children accounted for 76% of the
homeless population. The count also indicated that the number of
homeless children in families increased 50% over the previous year.
There is little question that homelessness among families is
increasing.
Poverty and the unexpected crisis situation
(unemployment, major illness) are the principal causes
of family homelessness. Also, there is a
shrinking supply of affordable housing. The gap between the
number of affordable housing units and the number of people needing
them is currently the largest on record. The affordable housing
crisis has had a particularly severe impact on poor families with
children.
Changes in welfare programs also account for increased poverty among
families:
Welfare caseloads have dropped sharply since the passage and
implementation of welfare reform legislation. However, declining
welfare rolls simply mean that fewer people are receiving benefits
-- not that they are employed or doing better financially. Current
TANF benefits and Food Stamps combined are below the poverty level.
In fact, the median TANF benefit for a family of three is
approximately one-third of the poverty level. Thus, contrary to
popular opinion, welfare does not provide relief from poverty.
Although more families are moving from welfare to work, the wage
earners are faring poorly due to low wages and inadequate work
supports. Only a small fraction of welfare recipients' new jobs pay
above-poverty wages; most of the new jobs pay far below the poverty
line. Moreover, extreme poverty is growing more common for children,
especially those in female-headed and working families. This
increase can be traced directly to the declining number of children
lifted above one-half of the poverty line by government cash
assistance for the poor.
As a result of loss of benefits, low wages, and unstable employment,
many families leaving welfare struggle to get medical care, food,
and housing. In addition, housing is rarely affordable for families
leaving welfare for low wages, yet subsidized housing is so limited
that fewer than one in four TANF families nationwide lives in public
housing or receives a housing voucher to help them rent a private
unit. For most families leaving the rolls, housing subsidies are not
an option. In some communities, former welfare families appear to be
experiencing homelessness in increasing numbers.
Domestic violence also contributes to
homelessness among families. When a woman leaves an abusive
relationship, she often has nowhere to go. This is particularly true
of women with few resources. Lack of affordable housing and long
waiting lists for assisted housing mean that many women are forced
to choose between abuse and the streets.
Policy Issues:
Policies to end homelessness
must include:
- jobs that pay livable
wages
- access to affordable,
quality child care
- adequate transportation
- education and training -
essential elements in preparing parents for better paying jobs.
However, without affordable,
decent housing, people cannot keep their jobs and they cannot remain
healthy. Preventing poverty and homelessness also requires access to
affordable health care, so that illness and accidents no longer
threaten to throw individuals and families into the streets. Only
concerted efforts to meet all of these needs will end the tragedy of
homelessness for America's families and children.
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