Poverty in Our Community
Martin County is a beautiful place to live, but it is also costly. On average, the cost of living is 4 times higher than the minimum wage. Low wage earners would have to work 80 to 120 hours a week to afford common expenses like food, housing, health insurance, medical bills, transportation, child care and taxes. Low income communities also have higher rates of chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, obesity and risk of stroke. They also have increasingly limited options for housing, with even rental prices of modest apartments out of reach for low-wage earners.
In Martin County:
- 12% of households are living in poverty (2023 ALICE Report)
- 33% of households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for our county (2023 ALICE Report)
- 16,750 individuals are food insecure (2020 Map the Meal Gap)
- 250 individuals are experiencing homelessness (2022 Point in Time Homeless Count)
- 500 individuals are couch surfing (moving from one friend or relative to another) with no permanent place to call home (2022 Point in Time Homeless Count)
Most of these reports were conducted before COVID and are not reflective of the recent challenges and inflation affecting our community. These numbers are likely much larger now.
House of Hope urges you to learn more about our community and the challenges its most vulnerable residents face. With your support, House of Hope strives to create dignified solutions to the problems our neighbors are facing.
