- The three most cited reasons for family homelessness are: 1) Lack of affordable housing, 2) unemployment, and 3) poverty.
- 2.5 million children will experience homelessness this year in America.
- 1 in 30 children in the United States experience homelessness annually.
- Nearly 1.3 million school children were homeless in school year 2014-15.
- 51% of homeless children are under age 5 and, therefore, too young for school and are not counted.
- 37% of all homeless persons nationwide are families with children; in New Jersey, they are more than 50% of all homeless persons.
- Homeless families are often hidden from our view—they are living in shelters, cars, campgrounds, or doubled up in overcrowded apartments.
- More than 43 million people (1 in 7) in the U.S. live below the poverty line.
- 1 in 5 U.S. children under age 18, or nearly 15 million, live in poverty.
- In 2000, 12 million U.S. children (17%) lived in poverty. By 2015, that number had grown to 15 million (21%).
- The poverty line for a family of four is $24,300.
- A worker needs to earn $11.68/hour to reach the poverty level for a family of four.
- A renter needs to earn $21.21/hour to afford a two-bedroom rental in the U.S.
- In only 12 counties in the country can a worker making the federal minimum wage afford a Fair Market Rent, one-bedroom apartment.
- 11 million households now pay more than 50% of their income for housing–an increase of 20% since 2007.
- Only 25% of those eligible for federal housing assistance receive help, due to lack of funding.
- For every ten extremely low income households, there are only three affordable rentals available on the market.
- To meet the needs of low-income families, we need 4.5 million affordable housing units added to the current supply.
- In America, just over 16 million children live in households where they have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet.
- Two-thirds of poor children live in families in which at least one family member works.