109 Hours/Week = What it Takes to Afford a Home at Minimum Wage

By Aleta Payne

This week’s report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows what anyone who works with those experiencing homelessness already knows – the lack of affordable housing in this country is staggering. The coalition found there is no place in the United States where a worker earning minimum wage could afford a modest two-bedroom rental. In North Carolina, it would take 90 hours of minimum-wage work each week – and in Wake County 109 hours – to cover the cost.

Through our work at Family Promise, every day we meet mothers and fathers who are trying to lift themselves and their children out of homelessness despite enormous challenges. Our time is spent not just on helping them find shelter but on developing the skills to find financial stability and to remain independently in permanent housing. Your gift to Family Promise helps us help them beat the odds as we also work to advocate for more affordable housing.

The report from the coalition did not surprise us, but it did reinforce the importance of the work Family Promise does. Please donate today to support our efforts.

#GivingTuesday

Whether you're trying to come up with yet another way to use leftover turkey or wrestling decorations out of the attic, the transition from fall to winter is a time of anticipation and celebration for many families. Not everyone in Wake County, however, has a warm kitchen in which to prepare food or a home in which to store their treasured holiday memories. Today, on Giving Tuesday, we ask you to take a moment during your preparations to remember those who need your help this holiday season.

Your donation to Family Promise of Wake County helps us support families in their journeys from homeless to safe, affordable housing. Any size gift provides concrete help to a family in need:

• $10 provides one day of food for one person in our emergency shelter.

• $20 provides one night of emergency shelter for one person.

• $50 provides one week of housing for a family in our transitional housing program.

• $200 provides one month of housing for a family in our transitional housing program.

As we reflect on what we are most thankful for, it is the support of our generous donors and volunteers. You allow us to do the work we love and serve our families as they face one of the most difficult challenges a family can face. Right now, your gift counts double. All new and increased donations we receive by February 1, 2018 will be matched through our partnership with the Stewards Fund. If you've been considering donating for the first time or increasing your annual gift, now is the perfect time to do so. Please donate today.

Read more about our work in today's Triangle Gives section of the News & Observer.

Thank You from Family Promise

Thanks to your immense generosity, we did it! We raised enough money in eight days to cover all of the damages and necessary repairs associated with our flooded well house and the fallen tree that damaged two of our families' cars. (If you missed the story of our very bad week, you can read about it on our blog.)

Your support, both in times of need and when things are running smoothly, allows us to continue serving families like Sabona's, whose story we shared in our Annual Report. We're sharing her story again today as a reminder of the real people your donations and volunteer hours help us serve.

Sabona and her three daughters were evicted from their rental home in 2014. Even though Sabona was working in environmental services for a local hospital, she fell behind on her bills as she tried to reestablish her life after leaving an abusive relationship.

After living with a friend for a year, Sabona and her daughters found Family Promise and moved through the emergency shelter and transitional housing programs before spending the last two years in New Lease on Life, which places them in an apartment complex at a reduced rate.

Her children felt so welcome in the churches that housed them through the emergency shelter program that her daughters, now 16, 12 and eight, did not initially want to leave.

“God helped me get here,” Sabona said. “(Without Family Promise), I’d probably still be homeless, going from place to place. Could have lost my children. Could have lost my job. It’s a blessing that I didn’t.”

“(At the churches) they listened to the children. They made us feel welcome,” she said. “They just did things I thought no one else would do. They opened up the churches and let us come in, strangers they didn’t even know.”

Still, she knew her daughters needed stability. They progressed through Family Promise and have now moved into their own three-bedroom apartment having successfully completed New Lease on Life.Sabona credits the parenting and budgeting classes offered by Family Promise with helping her reach this point of independence. Support and encouragement from the staff have been important to her success, she said.

“God helped me get here,” Sabona said. “(Without Family Promise), I’d probably still be homeless, going from place to place. Could have lost my children. Could have lost my job. It’s a blessing that I didn’t.”

From the staff and Board of Trustees at Family Promise, thank you.