Mentally Ill only make up less than a quarter of the homeless population.
http://wwf.avigation.net/viewtopic.php? ... ess#102828http://nch.ari.net/jobs.html Nat'l Coalition for the Homeless
The connection between impoverished workers and homelessness can be seen in homeless shelters, many of which house significant numbers of full-time wage earners. A survey of 30 U.S. cities found that almost one in five homeless persons is employed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998). In a number of cities not surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors - as well as in many states - the percentage is even higher (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1997).
The future of job growth does not appear promising for many workers: a 1998 study estimated that 46% of the jobs with the most growth between 1994 and 2005 pay less than $16,000 a year; these jobs will not lift families out of poverty (National Priorities Project, 1998).2 Moreover, 74% of these jobs pay below a livable wage ($32,185 for a family of four). [Note: that is nowhere near a living wage for a fam of 4]
Wikipedia has a good definition, here?s an excerpt:
The term "living wage" is used by advocates to refer to the minimum hourly wage necessary for a person to achieve some specific standard of living. In the context of developed countries such as the United Kingdom or Switzerland, this standard generally means that a person working forty hours a week, with no additional income, should be able to afford a specified quality or quantity of housing, food, utilities, transport, health care, and of recreation. This concept differs from the minimum wage in that the latter is set by law, and may fail to meet the requirements of a living wage.
In the United States, several municipalities and local governments have enacted ordinances which set a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum for the purpose of requiring all jobs to meet the living wage for that region. Often, these ordinances only apply to certain types of businesses, such as those receiving government contracts. However, San Francisco, California, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Madison, Wisconsin have notably passed very wide-reaching living wage ordinances.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_wage~~
LW for Austin, Tx was determined to be $9.79/hr by the LW Coalition. The formula for calculating it:
http://www.main.org/alwc/wageformula.htmIt?s a myth that the homeless are largely ?mentally ill?.
The survey was conducted in 14 homeless shelters run by Volunteers of America in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. There were 202 homeless families in those shelters; they included a total of 370 children. The survey found that 42 percent of the adults were employed, and that 28 percent of them had never received public assistance.
According to the survey the median income for working homeless families in the four states is $988/mo. Volunteers of America figures the cost of housing, food and child care exceeds that by about 20 percent. [Only $1185 for housing, food, child care? No way. Unrealistic.]
http://www.universallivingwage.org/You can learn more about the demographics by reading the Conference of Mayors report:
http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/hungersurv ... er2000.pdfAcross the survey cities it is estimated that single men comprise 44 percent of the homeless population, families with children 36 percent, single women 13 percent and unaccompanied youth 7 percent. Sixty-three percent of the homeless families in the survey cities are headed by a single parent.
Survey city officials estimated that 50 percent of the population is African-American, 35 percent is white, 12 percent is Hispanic, 2 percent is Native-American and one percent is Asian.
It is estimated that persons considered mentally ill account for 22 percent of the homeless population in the survey cities; substance abusers account for 37 percent. Twenty-six percent of the homeless in the survey cities are employed in full-or part-time jobs. Fifteen percent are veterans.
A number of diverse and complex factors have contributed to the problems of homelessness in the survey cities. Many of these factors are interrelated. Listed in order of frequency, the following causes were identified by the cities in response to an open-ended question: lack of affordable housing, low paying jobs, substance abuse and the lack of needed services, mental illness and the lack of needed services, domestic violence, poverty, and changes and cuts in public assistance.
An average of 29 percent of the eligible low-income households are currently served by assisted housing in the survey cities.
Officials in the survey cities estimate that low-income households spend an average of 51 percent of their income on housing.
[Seriously, I would like to see the tables turned (fantasy), whereby those earning $50K or more paid 51% of their earnings for housing, which would supplement those who aren?t earning a LW. Ya think the middle/owning class would go for an economy that demanded that much of their income for housing? Never.]
While the economy is strong, we need to be very mindful of the economy of many individuals. In this population, employment still often means minimum wages. In that framework, here is the math: 40 hours/week X $5.50/hour X 4.5 weeks/month = $990 month. gross $990 X .15 taxes = $842 month. net Average low-income rent = $350 Average low-income utilities payment = $150 Remaining monies = $342. $342 is to cover all other costs that these individuals have, which includes, but is not limited to, food, personal hygiene items, home cleaning items, transportation, clothing, telephone and/or access, potential health insurance premiums or co-pays, insurance for their homes/furniture and other costs of living. Three Hundred and Forty Two dollars may be considered enough for an individual living alone, but what is the effect of this income on a family?
Sorry to disagree about teacher?s pay, but around here they earn plenty for their contribution, and get a 2.5 month paid vacation every year. They are way down ?my? list of groups who need a pay raise.
