'Family' Is Fastest-Growing Homeless Category (avg apt requires $16/hour wage in Orlando)

[The Straight Story]

'Family' Is Fastest-Growing Homeless Category

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Families with children are the fastest-growing population of homeless people in our region, according to a Local 6 News investigation.

There are almost 2,000 homeless families with children living in Central Florida and more than 1,000 of them have no shelter.

Central Florida children, Michael and Sam, have lived on the streets with their parents and baby sister Iris.

....

"How do families become homeless? Well, for the Riveras and many like them, it is about livable wages," Local 6's Steven Cooper said.

"I was the only one working at the time and my wife got pregnant with my daughter," Rey Rivera said. "She couldn't work anymore and I couldn't afford to pay the rent by myself with only a $7 an hour job."

The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Orlando requires an hourly wage of almost $16.

http://www.local6.com/news/15131622/detail.html

[China_cat]

1. Gee, Reagan redux

[flashl]

2. Not to make light of these families distress ...

after December's job report, the talking heads gleefully reported that the 'new' family economic model 'had to have' two members working MORE THAN one job.

:shrug: