The Economic Consequences of Homelessness in The US

side. Sure, these individuals struggle financially, but they have jobs — the first and most
essential step toward lifting oneself out of poverty, right?
If only it were that simple.
According to 2012 Census data, more than 7 percent of American workers fell below the
federal poverty line, making less than $11,170 for a single person and $15,130 for a
couple. By some estimates, one in four private-sector jobs in the U.S. pays under $10
an hour. Last month, Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have raised the
federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, despite overwhelming public
support for the measure.
And these numbers don’t say anything about the many Americans who earn well above
the official poverty line and still barely stay afloat. In HuffPost’s “All Work, No Pay”
series, the working poor told their own stories, painting a devastating portrait of their
day-to-day struggles.
They’re a diverse range of people: single parents, couples with and without children,
young women with graduate degrees, business owners, seniors and everyone in
between. Their financial situations, however, show many similarities. Jobs generally
provide them with the means to barely scrape by, treading paycheck-to-paycheck,
earning just enough to keep from going under, swallowing their pride sometimes to take
food stamps or visit food banks. Others are entirely out of work, tirelessly seeking
employment and relying on other means to survive.
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