Brittney's+Structural+Factors

Housing costs are rising drastically. In the five years 1999 through 2004, rental price of primary residences rose by 19% and the consumer price index, rose by only 13%. There is not a single jurisdiction in the country where a person working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year at minimum wage can afford a one-bedroom apartment. Aside from just low wage earners, many workers cannot afford to live where they work, and even in moderately priced communities housing costs continually require a larger portion of a household's annual income. Government housing-assistance programs are massively over-burdened. Currently, only one-fourth of all eligible families receive any federal housing assistance due to program funding constraints, and the average wait for Section 8 vouchers is 35 months.

In 2004, the total number of health expenditures rose 7.9%, and since 2000, employment based health insurance premiums have increased 73%. People working low wage jobs, even if they work full-time, are less likely to be provided with health insurance. For example, Walmart does not provide health insurance. Without health insurance and under increasing medical costs, unexpected health emergencies quickly overburden the resource of poor households.