Life-Saving Homeless Service Workers Struggle for a Living Wage

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Frontline homeless service workers are trained professionals who are vital to the health of every community. Yet, their chronically low pay contributes to an epidemic of burnout and turnover, with many struggling to pay for their own housing on current wages. Learn from frontline workers and service providers how the age crisis is hindering efforts to end homelessness.

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Feb 27, 2024

4 min

Nicole DuBois

New Federal Funding Boosts Unsheltered Homelessness Response

Unsheltered homelessness rose to an estimated 256,610 people on one night in January 2023, up 9.7 percent from the prior year. This continued a trend of increases that began in 2016 and has occurred every year since.

Race-ing to Thrive: Homeless Service Workforce Survey Reveals Low Salaries (and Other Challenges) More Greatly Impact People of Color

Pressures on the homeless services workforce are widespread. The Alliance’s 2023 survey of the field shed further light on employees navigating challenging environments marked by understaffing and high turnover, feelings of being overworked, and personal sacrifices significantly tied to low salaries and financial hardship.

Increasingly Unsustainable: Unpartnered Homeless Services Workers Struggle to Make Ends Meet

The homeless services sector is significantly defined by low pay and high turnover. Recent data analysis by the National Alliance to End Homelessness (the Alliance) illustrated that most employees aren’t able to afford their own housing given their current salaries.

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