Over the Edge: Homeless Families and the Welfare System.

Institution	National Coalition for the Homeless, Washington, DC.
Titel	Over the Edge: Homeless Families and the Welfare System.
Quelle	(1988), (38 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Children; Family Problems; Federal Legislation; Government Role; Homeless People; Housing Deficiencies; Housing Needs; Poverty; Poverty Programs; Program Development; Program Evaluation; Welfare Services + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Child; Kind; Kinder; Familienkrise; Bundesrecht; Homeless person; Homeless persons; Obdachloser; Armut; Armenfürsorge; Programmplanung; Programme evaluation; Programmevaluation; Fürsorgeeinrichtung
Abstract	Homelessness among families is quickly reaching crisis proportions across the country. Over 30 percent of America's three million homeless people are members of families, and families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. Perhaps more disturbing, homelessness represents only the most extreme manifestation of a more generalized, and growing poverty among families. For each homeless family, many more families are living at the edge of homelessness. Yet while both homelessness and poverty among families continue to increase, programs designed to assist those families have been cut back. The Federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program is now grossly deficient in providing even basic survival resources for poor families. This report surveys the situation of the homeless in 25 cities. It makes the following findings: (1) between 1970 and 1987, the average value of AFDC benefits fell by 35 percent, to only 44.2 percent of the federal poverty level; (2) in 41 states, the combined value of AFDC and Food Stamps is less than 75 percent of the poverty level; (3) since 1981, federal housing programs for the poor have been cut by 76 percent; (4) in all but seven states, the shelter portion of the AFDC is less than 50 percent of the federally defined "fair market rent"; and (5) nearly two-thirds of AFDC families spend 50 percent or more of their income on housing. Recommendations are offered. Data are illustrated on three charts. Footnotes are included. (BJV)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC