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Homelessness is not self inflicted nor is it simply
the result of irresponsibility.
It is not a disease of the uneducated or addicted.
Homeless is often a failure of the system.
Homelessness is a condition that is reversible.
Many
working individuals are homeless due to jobs not
paying a living wage - a wage that supports their
expenses in the community in which they reside.
46%
of the jobs with the most growth,
between 1994 and 2005 pay less than $16,000 per
year.
In
Sussex County, the 2008 fair market rent of an apartment
was $1103.00 per month. The annual income needed
to afford that apartment is $44,120.00 or an hourly
wage of $21.15, which is 30% of the total family
income that must be allotted to housing expenses
(The national average for a 2-bedroom apartment
is $900).
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