3 Jobs and No Apartment? Thank you for making the point that significant numbers of the more than 50,000 New Yorkers in city homeless shelters do work, sometimes more than one job, but still can't afford housing ("In New York, Having a Job, or 2, Doesn't Mean Having a Home," front page, Sept. The Department of Housing and Urban Development defines housing "affordability" as spending not more than 30 percent of gross income on rent and utilities. A full-time, 40-hour-a-week, 52-week-a-year minimum-wage worker in New York grosses $15,080 annually. According to HUD, that worker shouldn't spend more than $377 monthly on housing. Based on HUD's affordability definition, a minimum-wage-earning New York City family, stringing together multiple jobs, must work 139 hours weekly - three and a half full-time jobs - to afford a typical two-bedroom apartment including utilities. These data are a compelling argument for living wages to help end homelessness. Director, Care for the Homeless New York, Sept.