According to a new analysis from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, nowhere in the United States can a minimum wage worker afford a two-bedroom apartment. Even worse? 93% of full-time minimum wage workers can’t even afford a ONE-bedroom apartment!
What does this mean?
The government and most budget experts suggest that nobody should spend more than 30% of their income on rent – but most of us are forced to pay much more than this. And things are getting worse.
The amount of people who were late on rent doubled during the pandemic. Late rent payments lead to bad rental history or evictions – which can cause housing insecurity and increase poverty.
Why is the system so broken?
In fact, it’s not broken, according to many analysts. The system is fully functioning to do what it was intended to do – keep millions of people dependent and vulnerable.
The fact that minimum-wage workers can barely afford to keep a roof over their heads is evidence of the deep injustices in our economy. Everyone deserves to have a place to live – minimum-wage workers included.