Friends of the Homeless of the South Shore is dedicated to helping homeless families by providing shelter, food, clothing, education and advocacy. We address a whole range of needs, from physical to emotional, from personal to social, and from psychological to spiritual. As a result, we make every attempt to address the needs specifically associated with homeless families.
Our Goals to Help the Homeless:
It is our mission to focus on the following:
- Build stronger parents, children and families;
- Secure education and employment opportunities;
- Find safe and affordable permanent housing;
- Every family work toward functional self-sufficiency.
How many families are in crisis?
- Nationwide 2 million families experience homelessness each year.
- Currently about 3,600 families are in emergency shelters in Massachusetts. This means that more than 7,200 children are staying in a shelter tonight.
- Families remain in shelter, on average, for a year before finding housing.
Who Are They?
- 84% of families that are homeless are headed by women.
- 92% of these women have experienced domestic violence and/or sexual abuse at some point in their lives.
- In 29% of families that are homeless, someone is employed.
How Homelessness Affects the Children
- 32% of homeless children repeat a grade in school. A recession, such as during the pandemic of Covid-19 can raise that.
- Children who experience homelessness are sick 4 times more often than others and have 3 times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems.
What Does It Cost?
- A family living in a shelter for 1 year will cost the state about $43,800.
Did you know …?
- Fair Market Rental for the Boston/South Shore area is $2,311/month for a 2-bedroom apartment.
- A parent working full-time at minimum wage ($11/hour) will only gross $1,906/month.
- Financial planning experts suggest not spending more than 30% of your income on housing. A family renting a typical 2-bedroom apartment in our area needs to earn $69,680/year — or $33.50/hour to meet that guideline.