Indicator: 54 - Housing Problems

Why This Is Important

Housing problems can pose serious threats to children's physical, psychological or material well-being. A 1995 national study reported 12% of households with children under 18 had severe housing problems (that is, either severe housing cost burdens or major physical problems among those not receiving rental assistance). The most common problems were lack of complete plumbing for exclusive use, having unvented room heaters as the primary heating equipment, and multiple upkeep problems such as water leakage, open cracks or holes, broken plaster or signs of rats.

Where We Stand

In 2000 and 2001, 11% of all Maine respondents with children under the age of eighteen answered "yes" to the question, "Have you experienced any type of housing problems, such as, lack of complete plumbing, unvented room heaters as your primary heat source, and/or multiple upkeep problems?" The higher the respondents' household income, the less likely they were to report such problems in both years.

Data Sources and Context

Maine data for this indicator comes from the Maine Development Foundation 2000 and 2001 Surveys of Maine Citizens. The 2000 Survey was conducted in September 2000 by Market Decisions, Inc.; the 2001 Survey was done between August 20 and September 6, 2001, by Strategic Marketing Services. In both years a randomly selected statewide sample of 601 households was interviewed by telephone. Special effort was made to include an adequate number of parents with children living primarily at home (401 in 2000, and 425 in 2001), so their responses are representative of all parents in Maine. However, because the number of parents in each of the income groups in the chart is comparatively small (especially for households with income below $15,000), those results are not necessarily representative of all parents in those income groups in Maine.