This week we interview Ed Keener, president of the Interfaith Sanctuary board. This is the group that houses Boise's homeless without forcing them to subscribe to any religious activities or imposing any lifestyle rules. This is the second winter this massive operation is being undertaken. Only two paid staff positions coordinate the approximate 70 volunteers that are needed every week to make the shelter work. These are great people doing great things - why not contribute? You can make a financial contribution or find out how to volunteer or donate food, clothing, or other supplies to this cause at the Interfaith Sanctuary website.
Some statistics on housing and hunger (thanks to the Idaho Foodbank:
- A minimum wage worker earns about $11,000 per year. In 1996, the most recent year for which these figures are available, 46% of all jobs in Idaho paid less than the $9.22 needed for a single adult in 1996. The same year, 74% paid less than the $14.42 needed for an adult with two children. (University of Washington Job Gap Study)- 20% of Idaho’s households don’t make the $20,534 ($9.87 per hour) per year needed to rent a two-bedroom house. In Ada and Canyon counties, the necessary income is $23,200 per year. (University of Washington Job Gap Study)
- A newer study found that in 2003, 28% of Idaho renters don’t make the $10.13 per hour ($19,449.60) per year needed to pay rent and utilities for a two-bedroom apartment. This is an increase of 26 cents per hour from 2002. Idaho renters must earn at least $11.20 per hour to earn enough for a two-bedroom apartment. (Boise Neighborhood Housing Services and National Low Income Housing Coalition)
- This means that on average in Idaho minimum-wage workers must work 87 hours a week at $5.15 per hour to pay the rent. In Ada and Canyon counties, it is 98 hours per week; Bannock is 76 hours; Nez Perce is 79 hours. Madison County has the lowest rents and requires an average of 69 hours; Blaine County is highest at 119 hours. (National Low Income Housing Coalition 2004)
- In Ada County the average rent for two-bedroom apartment was $654 per month, $512 in Bannock, $527 in Nez Perce, $795 in Blaine (highest), $462 in Madison (lowest). (National Low Income Housing Coalition)
- On any given night, there are approximately 2,000 homeless people in Boise. (Boise City, 2005) In 2004, 18 homeless people died in the Boise area, up from 12 deaths in 2003. (Idaho Statesman)
- 20.7% of Idahoans (269,000 people) have no health insurance, compared to the national average of 17.6%. (U.S. Census)
- Bankruptcies in Idaho have risen from 7,119 in 2000 to 9,660 in 2003, the ninth highest total in the country. (Administrative Office of U.S. Courts)
- Idaho’s welfare laws rate 51st compared to all other states and Washington, D.C. when ranked for their likelihood to encourage and support families’ efforts to become economically self-sufficient. (Tufts University’s Center on Hunger and Poverty)
- Idaho was graded as an "F" for having the worst post-welfare reform social safety net (tied with Indiana and Wyoming) among the 50 states. (Center for Third World Organizing)
- Idaho is 11th in the nation in the rate of bankruptcy, 25% higher than it is in the nation as a whole. The bankruptcy rate is increasing over time, too – up 30% from 2000. (Center for American Progress)
- Despite the growing number of food banks and food-recovery programs, the U.S. food service and retail industries throw away 96,000,000,000 pounds of food each year. That is almost 26% of all the food produced for consumption each year. (Former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman) America’s Second Harvest affiliates distributed 1.4 billion pounds of food in 2001. [yours truly's partner personally oversaw the disposal of hundreds of pounds of perfectly good produce at Fred Meyer in just one month. Employees were threatened with immediate dismissal if any of the produce were taken home and were forbidden to give it away.]
