Module II - Key Concepts:

• The number of low-income households far exceeds the workforce housing units available. Those that are, cost half or more of a low-income family's earnings forcing them to maintain a nearly impossible balance making decisions to prioritize food, transportation and health.

• Housing and Urban Development categorize housing status using: Literally Homeless - sheltered and unsheltered and Stably Housed persons.

• McKinney Vento Act defines homelessness slightly differently than HUD and provides for additional supports for students considered "homeless" by its definition.

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was enacted to support families struggling in poverty.

• The Cliff Effect refers to a situation in which a pay increase triggers a disproportionate loss of government assistance.

• Two-thirds of people living in poverty work 1.7 jobs and cannot afford rent.

• 75% of US children rely on schools for meals. These food insecure families have limited or uncertain access to enough food.

• Schools struggle to understand the needs of students living in poverty and these students suffer from low academic achievement, stress from their educational experience and often describe a feeling of not belonging.

• The key effects of poverty - individuals see no options, have high rates of incarceration and low rates of literacy. Poverty affects the ability for humans to develop to their full potential.