Income Levels, Sources, and Employment
Currently homeless clients report a lower level of income during the past 30 days, on average, than formerly homeless clients ($367 versus $470, table 3.8).4 Further, 13 percent of currently homeless clients report no cash income at all during the past month, compared with 5 percent of formerly homeless clients. Both are significantly below the federal poverty level of $680 a month for a single person. Median incomes are very low, at $300 for currently homeless and $462 for formerly homeless clients. Other service users report a mean income over the past 30 days of $575, and a median of $514. Currently homeless clients are more than twice as likely as formerly homeless clients to have incomes below $100 during the past 30 days (30 versus 14 percent). The proportion of clients with incomes below $300 is 49 percent for currently homeless clients, 30 percent for formerly homeless clients, and 21 percent for other service users (figure 3.8). Currently, compared with formerly, homeless clients are more likely to have worked for pay during the last 30 days (44 versus 34 percent) (table 3.8). However, although they are less likely to work at all, a higher proportion of the work activity of formerly homeless clients is in jobs lasting or expected to last three months or more, whereas more than half of the work done by currently homeless clients is in temporary or day labor jobs. Forty-five percent (20/44 = 45%) of currently homeless clients who work report jobs lasting or expected to last three months or more, compared with 62 percent (21/34 = 62%) of formerly homeless clients with earned income.
Food stamps are the most common source of means-tested government benefits for currently and formerly homeless clients (37 and 48 percent, respectively) (figure 3.9). Currently homeless clients are less likely than formerly homeless clients to receive SSI (11 versus 29 percent). Formerly homeless clients are more likely than currently homeless clients to receive General Assistance (16 versus 9 percent). Formerly homeless clients are also more likely than currently homeless clients to receive SSDI (16 versus 8 percent). Other service users are most likely to get food stamps (37 percent), Social Security (33 percent), and SSI (26 percent).
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