Hunger in the Community of Wichita...
Facts gathered by The Lord's Diner Task Force indicate that more than 40% of the homeless people in Wichita are children and more than 30% of those are under the age of 11. Hunger is not just a problem for homeless people or people without jobs. About one of every five homeless people is employed and even people with jobs and homes often have to choose between buying food and paying for housing. More and more people are having difficulty making ends meet and the impact on families have been especially severe. It is estimated that 9.9% of households in Kansas know hunger.
The needy population of Wichita is a diverse mixture of working poor and single parent families, Hispanic and other ethnic groups, unemployed and indigent individuals. The majority of the poor are working at minimum-wage jobs whose salaries barely cover basic costs of living. These people are caught in a spiral of poverty that is devastating to self-respect and initiative. Worst of all is what it does to children.
Profile of Our Guests...
- Gender - Nearly 30% of guests are women, 70% are men.
- Age - 11% of the guests served by The Lord's Diner are children under the age of 18. 80% are adults between the ages 19 - 61. Almost 9% of the people we serve are seniors age 62 and older.
- Employment - 71% of our guests are unemployed and 29% have some form of employment.
- Disability - 56% of our guests have a disability.
- Housing - 64% rent. 11% own their own home. 25% live on the streets of Wichita.
- Transportation - 66% of our guests do not own a car. 34% of our guests own a vehicle.
