HOUSING

While none of the fathers was homeless, many were living in unsatisfying or temporary situations, sometimes with relatives or friends. Almost three-quarters said that finding a place of their own that they could afford was "a big problem."

It's hard for people to get accepted, even if you're living on the streets. It still takes two to three years to get a place. For the family housing, public housing, any kind of housing, it takes two to three years to get accepted. And that's to live in a project that (has) cockroaches, and it's infested. Lead in the houses.

I get along with a hundred dollars from section eight. Everybody says with these rents at a hundred dollars a month, you should be living fat. But they don't understand that I've got five kids, I still have to pay my phone bills, my cable bills, my light bills, my food bills, sometimes hospital bills, and I don't have enough.

On the restraining order it says that she's got custody of both kids and is supposed to be living at this (particular) house. Well, she's also living with my sister's ex-fiancé. My sister has a restraining order on him for threatening to kill her. And my kids are living in this house?

Introduction | The Project | Their Own Fathers | Becoming A Father | Life With Children | Family Conflict | Violence and the Children | In School | Money | The Law | Housing | Jobs and Dream Jobs | Improving the System | Findings | Recommendations