Secure Jobs, Secure Communities

Our Neighborhoods: Roxbury, Mattapan and Dorchester

• 22% (44,413) of residents in these three neighborhoods live under the federal poverty line
• 64% of all foreclosure in Boston in the past year are in these 3 neighborhoods
• The unemployment rate in Dorchester is 20% higher than Boston as a whole, and 60% higher in Roxbury
• Mattapan has very few job opportunities in the neighborhood---only 6 jobs for every 100 residents
• 74% of all homicides this year have happened in these 3 neighborhoods
• 69% of residents in these three neighborhoods rent---and the median rent for a 2-bedroom is about $1200


Boston's Inequality

• Today, a wealthy family has the income of seven poor families
• 64% of all businesses will not hire anyone with a criminal record (CORI) no matter how minor, unrelated or old the offense
• A typical household today makes less money than in 1989
• Boston is now the most expensive metropolitan area in the country
• Someone making minimum wage can only afford a monthly rent of $360 and 75% of low-wage workers spend more than 1/3 of their income on housing
• The average cost of a home in Boston is almost $400,000--this means over 79% of Bostonians can not afford to buy a home.
• Nearly 1 in 4 people receiving food support were actually working