Each morning most Washtenaw residents roll over hit their alarm clock and get ready for work or school. With unemployment rates dropping below 10% last year and below 8% this past spring, many think people in our county are doing “just fine.”

The problem for folks in poverty is that many are currently working. With minimal wage below $8, making it by without assistance can be a great challenge. Here are a few facts to consider when thinking about people struggling to stay out of debt and pay their bills:

• A person working 40 hours a week, making $9 an hour, will end up making just over $300 a week after taxes.
• The vast majority of low-income workers monthly health-care premiums are around a week’s salary ranging from $150 to $288 a month.
• The average cost for daycare in Washtenaw County is around $900 a month.
• The average cost for a one bedroom apartment is around $650 in Washtenaw County and over $800 in Ann Arbor.
• A lack of affordable housing is the number one reason for homelessness in the United States. Affordable housing is defined as paying 30% of your income.
• With over 4,000 homeless including 2,000 homeless families the challenges of housing are great.

The United Way of Washtenaw County helped provide funding for programs and services that reached over 90,000 people last year. Services and Programs such as food for food pantries, daycare scholarships, free medical care, housing for the homeless, and relief for people struggling with utility bills are just some of the programs were believe in. Most of all we believe that everyone deserves a chance to get by, that people sometimes need help to support their families, and that neighbors helping each other make a strong and healthy community.
If you are interested in learning more check out the poverty simulator. Some folks in Durham, NC put together a “poverty simulator” for the Urban Ministries of Durham. Here is the link: http://www.playspent.org/ — let’s see if you can make it through a month.