Rents 'out of reach' at minimum wage

Washington Times ^ | Tuesday, December 21, 2004

[JohnHuang2]

ASSOCIATED PRESS
    Most Americans who rely on just a full-time job earning the federal minimum wage cannot afford the rent and utilities on a one- or two-bedroom apartment, an advocacy group on low-income housing reported yesterday.
    For a two-bedroom rental alone, the typical worker must earn at least $15.37 an hour -- nearly three times the federal minimum wage, the National Low Income Housing Coalition said in its annual "Out of Reach" report.
    That figure assumes that a family spends no more than 30 percent of its gross income on rent and utilities -- anything more is generally considered unaffordable by the government.
    Yet many poor Americans are paying more than they can afford because wage increases haven't kept up with increases in rent and utilities, said Danilo Pelletiere, the coalition's research director.
    The median hourly wage in the United States is about $14, and more than one-quarter of the population earns less than $10 an hour, the report said.
    "A lot of people continue to be squeezed out," said Judy Levey, executive director of the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky. "Housing here is relatively inexpensive, but because the wages are so low, people can't afford housing."

[risk]

No wonder they won't pick lettuce.

[bad company]

For a two-bedroom rental alone, the typical worker must earn at least $15.37 an hour

Horse hockey.

[Bonaparte]

Rent a room or get a room-mate or train for a better job.

Next problem?

[Jaysun]

".....and more than one-quarter of the population earns less than $10 an hour, the report said."

No mention of the age group or anything else concerning those making less than $10 an hour. Doesn't it seem likely that many of them are kids working part time, or even full time, while still at home or in college? They always lead you to believe that it's single parents with 4 kids at home - but when you visit places that pay less than $10 hour, you see that 95% of those working there are kids.

[kingu]

Mismanaged funds is so common, I could see why some of these advocacy groups view 30% of wages are spent on rent and utilities.

But there is a real need in this country for viable housing for the 18-29 group. Perhaps someone will eventually move to capture the market.

[ambrose]

Maybe it is "horse hockey" in Kansas.

[goldstategop]

Liberals are the ones who have made housing unaffordable with anti-sprawl policies and rent control. Oh and yes the Left likes the poor - as long as they sleep under the bridges and don't have the comeuppance to live along with liberals in their gated communities.

[Bonaparte]

Exactly.

At that pay, gross earnings are $2700. Even if the govt took a third, that would still leave $1800. Here in the SF East Bay, you can rent a room for $400.

[goldstategop]

A month?? How many working families live in San Francisco proper?

[raisincane]

Our average income is $28,000 per year, our medium home price is $65,000, and one can rent a 1 bedroom apartment for $250 per month. The Housing Authority is prominent in providing additional assistance in our area (HUD).

[JohnHuang2]

They always lead you to believe that it's single parents with 4 kids at home - but when you visit places that pay less than $10 hour, you see that 95% of those working there are kids.

Bingo

[goldstategop]

Where do you live? You don't mention your location. A 1-bedroom apartment at that rate is a steal. LOL

[Always Right]

If a minimum wage was a living wage, you would have over a third of the kids in this country not even finish high school. What is the point to finish high school if every job produced a living wage. There has to be incentives for kids to obtain a real skill or we would never get a productive work force.

[goldstategop]

And there's federally subsidized public housing for the poor. To be homeless in this country, you have to work really hard to sleep in the back of a carton on Skid Row.

[weegee]

That is $31,969.60 before taxes (SS, federal income, etc.). Take out 1/3 for taxes leaves over 20k ($21,313). Divided by 12 months equals ~$1776 a month. If rent is $800 for a two bedroom apartment, that leave over half the paycheck for other expenses. If that is hard to swing, get a one bedroom apartment or a roommate.

To cap this off, the left said that a $300 tax rebate check wouldn't do much. Sounds like it would at least pay a half a month's rent which would help someone's bottom line.

If it takes $15 an hour just to pay rent, why don't we make the minimum wage $20 an hour??? Of course a value meal may then cost $12 and a meal at a "cheap" restaurant would cost $25 a plate (plus tip).

[JohnHuang2]

Nail on the head..

[goldstategop]

Why don't we set the minimum wage at $100 an hour? But even the Left knows there is such a thing as pricing people out of the job market so you will never hear them proffer such a proposal.

[Bonaparte]

SF rents are more. A friend of mine rents a 12x14 room with tiny adjoining full bathroom for $1000. It's in midtown and I think it's called a "residential hotel."

I don't know how many "working families" live in SF. In fact, I don't even know what a "working family" is.

[Bonaparte]

What part of the country do you live in?