Less than 1% of King County's apartments are affordable to families with incomes lower than 30% of median income ($23,350 for a family of 4). Even if both parents work full time, two minimum-wage jobs can't cover housing as well as food, transportation, etc. It takes an income of $17-$21/hour to pay for a 2-bedroom apartment at our County's average rental rate of $985/month.
Poverty Due to Low Wages or Unemployment
People who can't afford all the necessities - housing, utilities, transportation, children's needs, health care, food - must make triage decisions. Homelessness is one possible result.
Of the more than 7000 homeless individuals counted in January 2007, 1000 young people and women (some with young children) said that violence in their homes was a major reason why they were homeless.
20-25% of homeless Americans have a severe mental illness that has gone untreated. Statistics on homeless people are less certain, but many are addicted to drugs or alcohol and remain untreated. The rates of other chronic and acute health problems in this population are high.
People are discharged from hospitals, prisons, and jails right back to the streets again, even if they have no viable options for shelter.
People who lack proper documentation are denied access to subsidized housing programs, and so are people who were convicted of felonies in the past, even if they've rehabilitated their lives and are employed. The development of affordable housing can be blocked by land use and zoning regulations.
In Seattle, median household income and home-ownership are significantly lower for people of color than for whites. More than half the children in King County foster care are children of color, and statistics show that people who spent time in foster care as children are more likely than others to experience homelessness.
For people lacking a stable network of family and friends, a single crisis (car breakdown, child's illness, downsized job) can spiral down into homelessness, and without such a network the chances of making it back into housing are low.
