FPS staff report
August 5, 2008
Where can a single person meet the cost of basic necessities of life in a minimum wage job?
According to a study conducted by the University of Washington for the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies, you can in Carroll County!
The study found that Carroll County is one of only four counties in Ohio where this can be accomplished. Other counties include Belmont, Morrow and VanWert.
The study, known as the Self Sufficiency Standard for Ohio 2008, defines the income working families’ need to meet their basic needs without private or public assistance. Basic minimum needs include housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, miscellaneous expenses (clothing, telephone, household items) and taxes.
According to the report, the standard varies by family type and location in Ohio. The amount needed by a single parent with an infant and a preschooler ranges from a low of $14.05 per hour in Noble and Morgan counties to a high of $22.62 per hour in Warren. The Self-Sufficiency Standard for a two-parent family with a preschooler and school age child ranges from a low of $8.38 per hour for each parent in Noble and Morgan counties to a high of $12.14 per hour for the same family in Warren County. For a single adult to meet his or her needs at a minimum level requires at least $6.83 in Carroll County, but at least $9.57 per hour in Lake County.
The report explains how the standard differs from the official Federal Poverty Level; how it is calculated, what an adequate income is for families; and how various public work supports, public policies, child support and other resources can help families move toward self-sufficiency.
The Federal Poverty Level (FPL) is the official measurement used by the federal government to determine income adequacy. Families are characterized as “poor” if their income is below the Federal Poverty Level and “not poor” if it is above the level. In 2008, the FPL for a single adult is $10,400 annually. For each additional family member, it increased by $3,600.
The standard provides important guidance for policymakers and program providers regarding how to target their education, job training, workforce development and welfare-to-work resources. It helps individuals choose among occupations for work experience and educational training. It also show policymakers how subsidizing child care, transportation or health care impacts the wages necessary for working families to make ends meet.
The study concluded the challenge facing Ohio is to determine how to make it possible for low-income households to become economically self-sufficient.
“The rising costs of housing, child care and health care, the lack of education and skills, welfare time limits and restrictions on training and education all add to the problems faced by many parents seeking self sufficiency,” the study noted in the conclusion. “The Self-Sufficiency Standard shows that, for most parents, earnings are well above the official FPL and nevertheless far below what is needed to meet their family’s basic needs.”
The Self-Sufficiency Standard has been calculated for over 35 states. |
