Understanding a Living Wage

This month I have been focusing on employment and specifically on how simply "getting a job" when you’re experiencing homelessness is rarely as easy as it sounds. Today I want to talk about the meaning of a "living wage" and its profound connection to homelessness.

A living wage is the heartbeat of a stable life. It's the assurance that you can provide for yourself and your loved ones. That you can save some money and not have to live paycheck to paycheck continuously teetering on the precipice of financial disaster.

The unfortunate reality for far too many people is that it doesn’t matter how much they work because their salary will never be enough to keep up with the cost of living where they work. There is a direct correlation between the number of homeless people living in any given city and the average rental price for an apartment in that city.

A 2018 report commissioned by Zillow confirms that when housing prices force typical households to spend more than 32% of their income on their rent, a rapid increase in homelessness inevitably follows.

Countless hardworking individuals find themselves ensnared in low-wage jobs, their dreams overshadowed by the grim reality of inadequate paychecks. My friend Detra worked the opening shift at Starbucks for months while sleeping in a bunk bed surrounded by 30 other women with no place to call home. My friend Shawn worked as a security guard at a bank while either sleeping in an attic of a local business or on the subway. Brian was in a shelter for over a year while he worked every day at a shipping company in Brooklyn until he hurt his knee and was forced to start from scratch.

The absence of a living wage is a significant driver of homelessness. It's not a reflection of an individual's character or commitment, but a gaping hole in our system that leaves people vulnerable, stripped of dignity, and battling to survive.

Our hope at City Relief is to champion a future where a living wage is attainable for everyone. We advocate for policies that ensure fair wages, and we work tirelessly to provide support systems that can lift people out of homelessness.

But we can't do this alone. Your voice and your support are instrumental in making this vision a reality.

Together, we can mend what's broken. We can create a society where every individual has the opportunity to thrive, away from the crushing cycle of homelessness.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Josiah Haken