This is an excerpt from the 2014 Hunger in America study. As noted, housing circumstances are an important indicator of stability in client lives.
“As context for household characteristics, we begin by presenting an overview of household size. Household size is an important indicator of the density of living conditions and the number of people needing food. Among the client households served by Vermont Foodbank and its partner agencies, the most common household size is 1 member.
“Housing circumstances are also an important indicator of stability in the lives of clients. The Client Survey differentiated between temporary and non-temporary housing. Non-temporary arrangements are those that could be long-term residences, and temporary arrangements are those that, although they could be long-term situations, are not typically intended to house people long term.The households served by Vermont Foodbank and its partner agencies are distributed among the following living arrangements: 6 percent live in temporary housing and 94 percent live in non-temporary housing (see figure 10). Non-temporary housing includes households reporting that they live in an apartment, house or townhouse, military housing, a mobile home or house trailer, or rented room in a rooming or boarding house while temporary housing refers to households reporting that they live in an abandoned building, bus or train station, park, campground, or airport, living in a vehicle, on the street, in a temporary hotel or motel room, in a residential treatment facility or supervised housing, and living in a shelter, mission, or transitional living situation.
“Among client households living in non-temporary housing, 15 percent of households own their home with a mortgage, 12 percent own their own home free and clear, 63 percent rent or lease their home, and 10 percent do not have to pay rent.
“However, not all non-temporary housing arrangements are stable. Among those living in non-temporary housing, 33 percent of respondents have lived in at least two places in the past 12 months, while 12 percent have started living with another person or family member in the past 12 months. Further, 15 percent of respondents have faced an eviction or foreclosure within the past five years.
“Even those with more stable arrangements may lack access to quality housing. Being able to cook and store food at home are essential elements of preparing meals at home. However,
- 2 percent of households do not have cooking facilities, such as a stove or hot plate.
- 2 percent of households do not have access to a place to preserve fresh food, such as a refrigerator.
“Languages spoken at home among clients of Vermont Foodbank were also explored. More than one primary language could be selected by respondents. An estimated 100 percent of households speak English as the primary language among adults at home. Spanish is spoken by 1 percent of households. An estimated 2 percent of households speak some other language.
“The Client Survey also asked whether anyone in the client’s household had ever served in the US military, and among households containing a member who has ever served, whether a household member was currently serving. US military service was defined as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard, and their Reserve components. An estimated 18 percent of households report that someone in their household has served in the US Armed Forces or as a member of the military Reserve or National Guard. This percentage includes both households with a member who is currently serving and households with a member who has ever served. Additionally, 3 percent of households report that a household member is currently serving in the military.”