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Why Are People Homeless?
The answer is simple and has two parts. In the Lowcountry, we do not have enough:
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Jobs that pay a living wage
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Affordable housing
Personal issues like untreated mental illness, substance abuse and addiction, and domestic vilolence certainly add to the problem; but they are not the cause of homelessness.
Most people experiencing homelessness do not fit the stereotype many people have. Families with children comprise some 50% of the homeless population.
Homelessnss is a growing problem for veterans. In one local emergency shelter, the number of people who had previously served in the armed forces rose 50% between 2006 and 2007.
More details about the economic realities in our area help to explain the problem of homelessness. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Out of Reach 2009 , in the Charleston-North Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA):
- An annual income of $31,480, or $15.13 per hou,r is required to be able to afford (spending no more than 30% of monthly income) the fair market rent on a two bedroom apartment ($787 per month).
- In 2009, in our area, the minimum wage was $6.55 per hour.
- An individual paid at this level would have to work 92 hours per week (or 2.3 full-time jobs) to afford a two bedroom apartment.
The most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures (2005) indicate that:
- Nearly 50,000 people 15% of our population) in Charleston County live in poverty (annual income less than $16,090 for a family of 3).
- This number includes more than 17,000 children (almost 23%).
For more information on the state of homelessness in the Lowcountry, click here.
For information on the 2009 Point in Time Homeless Count, click here.