Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City

by Andrea Elliott

January brings relief. This is the start of “tax season,” when everyone Chanel knows rushes to file for their “refund”—the special tax breaks given to low-income families. The largest of these is the Earned Income Tax Credit, which can bring a cash subsidy of thousands of dollars to a family like Dasani’s. Administered by the Internal Revenue Service, this is one of the largest antipoverty programs in the country, helping more than 27 million families. It has been years since Chanel filed for a tax refund, given that she mostly works off the books. But this year, Auburn’s administrators have another plan. IT’S TAX TIME: GO GET YOUR REFUND reads a flyer at the shelter, where Chanel and Supreme must sign a “10 Day Contract” with Auburn, agreeing to file their tax return and bring proof of the filing. If they violate this contract, they may be forced out. They can stay, according to state law, only if they meet the shelter’s requirements, which include searching for an apartment and saving enough money to move. The goal is to find permanent housing, as the city’s shelters are meant to be “temporary” (a word that occurs thirty-four times in the state’s three-page regulation on shelter eligibility). In order to leave Auburn and rent an apartment, Dasani’s family needs a minimum of $4,800, between the broker’s fee, the security deposit, and the first and last month’s rent (for the median cost of a three-bedroom apartment—about $1,000 in early 2013). This does not include moving ...