Working but Homeless: Why full-time workers are becoming homeless in America
Why full-time workers are becoming homeless in America Affordable housing crisis explained: why rent is so high in 2025 Homeless workers in Los Angeles share their stories How inflation and rent hikes fuel homelessness Living wage vs minimum wage: what’s the difference?
By YEET Magazine Staff, YEET Magazine
Published October 26, 2025
Working but Homeless: The Harsh Reality Behind America’s Housing Crisis
A new study has revealed a shocking truth about the American workforce: between 40% and 60% of people experiencing homelessness currently hold full-time jobs. The finding challenges the long-held belief that employment is the key to stability and exposes a growing national crisis — people are working harder than ever, yet can’t afford a place to live.
Experts say rising rents, stagnant wages, and record inflation have pushed millions of workers into housing insecurity. “We’re seeing people with steady incomes — even two jobs — sleeping in their cars or couch surfing,” says Dr. Laura Bennett, an economist at the Urban Policy Institute. “The idea that homelessness only affects the unemployed is outdated.”
One such worker, Marcus, 37, has been working full-time in logistics in Los Angeles for three years. Despite earning just above minimum wage, he lives in a tent near his workplace. “I shower at the gym, I eat cheap, I save what I can,” he says. “But even shared apartments ask for deposits I can’t afford. It’s impossible to catch up.”
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, an American worker needs to earn over $30 an hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment in most states — more than double the federal minimum wage. The numbers paint a bleak picture: millions are working but still falling through the cracks.
Advocates are calling for policy reforms that link wages to real housing costs, alongside more affordable housing projects. “We have to stop blaming individuals and start fixing systems,” says Bennett.
As the American dream slips further from reach, this data forces a difficult question — what does “hard work” really mean when it still can’t buy shelter?
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