Caries

Dental caries is an infectious disease which damages the structures of teeth. Tooth decay or cavities are consequences of caries.

Decile

A decile divides the distribution of the variable into ten groups having equal frequencies.

Emergency Bed Nights

Emergency Bed Nights are a count of individual stays (one person for one night) in an emergency shelter.

Fair Market Rent (FMR)

Fair Market Rent is HUD's best estimate of what a household seeking a rental unit in a short amount of time could expect to pay in rent and utilities in the current market. This is an estimate of what a family, moving today, can expect to pay for a modest rental home, not what the current renters are paying on average.

Homelessness

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines the term "homeless" or "homeless individual or homeless person" as -- (1) an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and (2) an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is: A) supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill); B) an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or C) a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodations for human beings.

Housing Distress

Housing Distress is generally defined as a household that pays more than 35% of the households gross income on housing costs.

Housing Wage

The Housing Wage is the wage at which the Fair Market Rent is no more than 30% of the gross income, expressed as an hourly wage.

McKinney-Vento Act

McKinney-Vento is the primary piece of federal legislation dealing with the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness in U.S. public schools. It was reauthorized as Title X, Part C, of the No Child Left Behind Act in January 2002.

Mean Renter Income

Mean Renter Income is the estimated average income of renter households in Pierce County.

Seniors

The term Seniors refers to residents age 65 and older.

Service-enriched Housing

Service Enriched Housing is transitional or permanent family housing operated by an agency that also provides family oriented social services programming.