Family Homelessness

How many families are homeless?
Twenty-five years ago, two shelters served homeless families in Massachusetts. Today there are over 80 state funded shelters—all of them filled to capacity. Approximately 20,000 children are homeless each year in Massachusetts and over 10,500 families will experience homelessness this year.

Why are families homeless?
The primary reason for homelessness is economic. To live unsubsidized in Boston, a person with two children needs an income of more than $51,000 to attain a basic standard of living. The average income of a person coming off welfare is $17,000. mother earning minimum wage in Boston has to work 97 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Workers must earn an hourly wage of $22.40 to afford a two bedroom apartment in Massachusetts.

Homeless families do not fit our stereotypes.
More than one in five homeless parents are working while living in shelter. These parents are not teens; their average age is 32 years old.

Sources: One Family (2004); McCormack Institute, UMass Boston (2002); National Low-Income Housing Coalition (2003)