A few months ago, I went on a Realtor affordable homes bus tour and they took us to a neighborhood that had average prices in the 180s. Gasping to myself, I said, “Since when is this low income?” My perception of low income families were minimum wage workers and there was no way they would be able to afford that price!
Just this month, I discovered that there was a “low income” project going on in Charlotte where the average price was $150,000. Again, to me, even that was too high for low income earners. However, as it turns out, minimum wages workers are actually living below the poverty line. Low income is living 20% below the medium income.
Medium wage is actually a family making about a $100,000. High income is so far off the scale, it can’t be measured. 1% of the world’s population is holding 90% of the world’s wealth, however over 20% of people in America are living below the poverty line and work 40 hours a week.
The 2012 census bureau set the poverty line at $23,050 (total yearly income) for a family of four. That’s over $11. Per hour, however, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
Some politicians and small business owners don’t want to raise the minimum wage because it will have a snowball effect and prices would have to raise to compensate the increase, causing the increase to be of non-affect. Well, I don’t know. I just know that something has to happen. Whether they ever buy a house or not, I’m for raising the minimum wage. All in all, my perception has changed and now I know that low income housing is not for the really low income families at all.
~Elizabeth
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