What is Affordability?
People are the focus of HOPE Partnership’s work.
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People who need decent, affordable homes to raise their families and live healthy, productive lives. In simple terms, affordable workforce housing is housing for households whose income is less than 80% of the average median income. Unfortunately, living and working in Southern Middlesex County is becoming less and less affordable for many families.
A recent report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition notes that Connecticut is one of the most expensive places to rent a two-bedroom apartment in the country. A renter must earn a wage of about $23 an hour to find something affordable, but the average wage for a renter is about $15 an hour. The reality is that it’s not just minimum wage workers and those on fixed incomes that are suffering. Market rate rents for apartments and high home prices mean that school teachers, child care workers, nurses and other professionals who are using too much of their earnings on housing.
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In Connecticut
Fair Market Rent (FMR)
for a two-bedroom
apartment is
$1,197
Shoreline Basic Needs Task Force
The Shoreline Basic Needs Task Force (SBNTF) is a collaboration of community groups and concerned people, working to affect change that increases self-sufficiency among vulnerable individuals and families in need along the Connecticut Shoreline.
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GET TO KNOW THE SBNTF:
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Their three action groups focus on the fundamental issues that many of our citizens face on a day to day basis: hunger, wage, and housing.
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They work within the community to raise awareness, identify needs, and put programs into place to help people receive the support they need.
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The Hunger Action group, in collaboration with EndHungerCT!, has worked with the community to create the summer meals for kids program which provided kids with meals in Essex, Clinton, and Old Saybrook.
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The Wage Action group focuses on the issue that many people in our area and state face, having an income above the federal poverty line but below the state’s basic cost of living. Unfortunately, this issue is very prominent particularly in Connecticut where the cost of living is considerably higher than the national average.
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The SBNTF works to raise awareness of this problem in conjunction with the ALICE report released by Middlesex United Way in hopes to inform the community of this growing problem and create the enthusiasm needed to attack this issue.
Housing affordability on the shoreline
is the focus of a series of community conversations
being held by the Shoreline Basic Needs Task Force.
These discussions are held the first Thursday of each month,
and the public is invited.
CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING SBNTF SCHEDULE
Join us for the next community conversation.
For more information call HOPE Partnership at (860)-388-9513
Minimum Wage Workers
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A minimum wage worker in CT earns an hourly wage of $8.70
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In order to afford this level of rent and utilities (without paying more than 30% of income on housing) a household must earn $3,991 monthly or $47,890 annually
In order to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment:
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A minimum wage earner must work 106 hours per week, 52 weeks per year
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A household must include 2.6 minimum wage earners working 40 hours per week year-round to make the two-bedroom FMR affordable.
Median Wage Workers
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The estimated average wage for a renter in CT is $15.75
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In order to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment at this wage:
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A renter must work 58 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.
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A median wage working worker must work 40 hours per week year-round and the household must include 1.5 workers earning the mean renter wage in order to make the two-bedroom FMR affordable.
Breakdown of Statewide Wages by Occupation (CT)
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State of Connecticut Occupational Employment and Wages provides accurate and meaningful wage information to employers, job seekers, counselors, students, planners of vocational education programs, economic developers, Regional Workforce Development Boards, and others.
(Click to View)