SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Working families are struggling in the Bay Area, but policy changes can't be made if a true poverty line isn't set.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
A study by United Way Bay Area looking at data from 2021 has revealed the real cost of basic needs for low-income families.
Two factors were found to be costing Bay Area families the most: rent and childcare.
"The study really shows what do we need to do to make sure that all families in the region can meet their basic needs," said Ena Yasuhara Li, Senior Vice President of Impact Strategies at United Way.
Li walked through some of the data with KCBS Radio.
"At United Way Bay Area, we're trying to dismantle the root causes of poverty and we need to do that through making policy choices," she said.
According to the study, it takes $120,000 per year for a family of two adults and two children to afford basic needs in the Bay Area. But the data indicated that back in 2021, more than a quarter of households worked for wages that didn't cover those needs.
Unlike the Federal Poverty Measure, United Way's real cost measure uses a formula that factors in rent, transportation, health care and child care.
"I hope that this report can foster some conversation and some action," Li encouraged.
DOWNLOAD the Audacy App
SIGN UP and follow KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
