Homeless Hotels

Evidently there is this program in Massachusetts to help the homeless that involves temporarily housing them in hotels, and offering "start up money" to get them into an apartment or other suitable housing  http://topics.masslive.com/tag/homeless-hotels/index.html.

The first day I ate breakfast at the hotel I am using in Massachusetts, there were two families (mother and children) in the breakfast room. They were talking about their circumstances.  One women talked about her belongings being boxed up in storage, and her daughter just that day learning how to get back to Boston (get a cab, get on a bus) so she can go back to work and hopefully rescue her job.

The other mother talked about taking the $6000 incentive to get an apartment. The first woman said not to do it until she could have a job, because the apartment rents are so high, $1400-1500, unless she has  a way to support herself, she will be homeless again in a couple of months.

I suspect both of these women want to work. They both talked about wanting to be self-reliant. If either of these women is not qualified for work that is much above minimum wage, which was $8/hour in Massachusetts, but was recently raised to $10.50/hour in April 2014, the prospects are not good.  If my math is correct, at $8/hour, it takes 175 hours/month to earn enough just to pay rent.  At four weeks a month, that is 44 hours/week.  Most minimum wage jobs are less than 35 hours/week, to avoid paying benefits.  Do the math. How can someone on minimum wage be expected to be financially independent?  I know I am making some assumptions that may not be correct.  But get real.

But, if all of your income goes into housing, how do you buy food? Get medicine and see the doctor? Buy clothing? Have transportation? I think there is something wrong with this picture.  I am not sure what the problem is, but living wages and job readiness training seem to be two things that can help.  And, I think job readiness training should be paid at minimum wage (not $8/ hour but at least $10.50) At $10.50/hour, someone could pay rent working 35 hours per week, if the rent is $1400 per month. But again, they would have nothing left for all the other expenses of life.

It used to be, if someone worked hard, did a good job, was thrifty, and planned well, they might get ahead. Not anymore.  The deck is stacked against the low wage earner.  It is very frightening to me that we cannot help folks in that category to improve themselves.

I think our economy is in a hole. I think there is an ever widening gap between the rich and the poor, and the middle class are becoming poorer and poorer. I resent that honest, hard work does not allow people to live independent and economically safe lives. I am not a great thinker, and I do not have an answer.  Just prayer.