The Challenge

Why Our Neighbors Need Help, Why Steps Toward our Shared Success Matter

a house under construction with a blue sky in the background

Housing instability in New Jersey, already high, is increasing at an alarming rate.

What is housing instability?

Bulk of household income used on housing
Difficulty paying rent
Frequent moves
Forced to move in temporarily with family or friends
Facing eviction
Experiencing homelessness

$ 38.08 Per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rate

According to current data, a person in Mercer County would need to work 95 hours a week—the equivalent of two and a half full-time jobs—at minimum wage or earn $33 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rate.

“There is no state or county in the U.S. where a renter working full-time at minimum wage can afford a two-bedroom apartment”, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Learn more from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

a red pen sitting on top of a paper next to a laptop

Unemployment and under-employment lock families out of opportunities that will increase their earning power, skills and resources.

Under-employment looks like:

Working fewer hours than meets a family’s economic needs
Working at a lower wage than meets a family’s economic needs
Being employed in a job inadequate to one’s level of training

The majority of households receiving SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) have at least one working family member, according to Hunger Free New Jersey.

Most working SNAP recipients have jobs with little or no benefits, unsteady hours or only seasonal work, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

Learn more from Hunger Free New Jersey.
Learn more from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

a woman opening a refrigerator door in a kitchen

Faced with limited resources and rising costs, too many families in our community are experiencing food security.

Food insecurity is when a family doesn’t have enough food and doesn’t know if or where they’ll be able to acquire enough food for their next meal.

1 IN 12 CHILDREN

in Mercer County are facing food insecurity, according to Advocates for Children of New Jersey.

Helping feed our neighbors has a positive impact on us all.

Findings from the USDA suggest “SNAP [Supplemental Food Nutrition Assistance] spending during a recession stimulates economic output.”

Hunger Free New Jersey further summarizes estimates “that every $1 of SNAP benefits can generate between $1.50 and $1.80 in economic activity during a downturn.”

Learn more from Advocates for Children of New Jersey.
Learn more from Hunger Free New Jersey.

Living with deprivation can have a long-term negative impact on an individuals’ health and well-being.

“Across the lifespan, residents of impoverished communities are at increased risk for mental illness, chronic disease, higher mortality, and lower life expectancy.”

Learn more from the Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Children experiencing homelessness and housing instability are more at risk than their peers for long-lasting developmental and physiological damage.

"Children make up the largest age group of those experiencing poverty."

"Childhood poverty is associated with developmental delays, toxic stress, chronic illness, and nutritional deficits.Individuals who experience childhood poverty are more likely to experience poverty into adulthood.”