A New Kind Of Homeless

The Christmas season was not made any brighter by the release of a survey from the U.S. Conference of Mayors showing that the demand for homeless shelter has spiked 13% since last December. The report confirms a subtle change in the complexion of the homeless population. In contrast to the usual conception of the homeless as hardcore unemployed, 1 in 5 residents of shelters now holds a full- or part-time job. These people--waiters, security guards, laborers and other low-paid workers--once earned enough to pay their rent but are now squeezed between high housing costs and stagnant wages, worsened by the recession....

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