1. Have you ever had trouble finding or keeping housing that you could afford? Yes No
2. Have you ever been put on a waiting list for public housing/Section8/etc?Yes No
            If so, how long did you have to wait?
3. Have you or your family ever been homeless?YesNo
            If so, for how long?
4. Have you ever had to stay in a homeless shelter? YesNo
            If so, did you feel safe there? YesNo N/A
           What were the conditions like?
5. Have you ever had your heat, electricity, phone or other basic utilities shut off?Yes No
6. Have you ever had to live in crowded or unsafe conditions? Yes No
            If so, feel free to explain:  
   

1. Have you ever worked for minimum wage or less?Yes No 
             If so, for how long?      
2. What is your monthly income?   
             How many people rely on your income? 
             If employed, does your employer provide health benefits? Yes No N/A
3. Have you had to work more than one job to make ends meet? Yes No
4. Were you ever laid off? Yes No
             If so, how long before you found a new job? 
5. Did you ever lose unemployment benefits before you found a new job? Yes No  
6. Have you ever gotten sick/injured because of your job? Yes No
             If so, were you able to get medical treatment or worker's comp?Yes No N/A
7. Have you ever gone into debt to pay for shelter, heat, healthcare costs, etc?Yes No
             If so, did this result in bankruptcy or foreclosure? Yes No N/A
8. Were you ever harrassed, threatened, or fired for attempting to join or form union? Yes No
9. Have you ever worked for a temp agency or day labor company?Yes No
             If so, for how long? 
             Did it ever result in being hired permanently?Yes No N/A

• Q: Do I have to answer all the questions in order to take the survey? --No. Feel free to answer as many or as few questions as you like. Of course, the more you answer, the more helpful it is for us. 
• Q: Can I take the survey anonymously? --Yes. Giving your name & contact information is entirely optional. 
• Q: Will any contact information I provide be kept confidential? --Yes. Absolutely.
• Q: Do I have to be poor or low-income to take the survey? --No. Anyone may take the survey. 
• Q: Do I have to be from Maine to take the survey? --No. Anyone may take the survey. 
• Q: What are economic human rights? --Economic human rights include our rights to food, housing, healthcare, living wage jobs, education, and income for those who need it. These rights are outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: for more info click here or visit our human rights page. 
• Q: What are some examples of economic human rights violations? --For example: problems getting healthcare when you needed it; struggling to pay your rent or mortgage; working jobs that don't pay enough to make ends meet; skipping prescriptions because they were too expensive; taking on student loans you later can't afford to pay... These are just some of the many examples of economic human rights violations that millions of us are experiencing all across the nation. 
• Q: When I tried to submit the survey, I received an error message. What do I do?
  --Please click here to make sure you checked off "YES" in the required field.
  
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MORE ABOUT ECONOMIC HUMAN RIGHTS

Conditions of poverty represent violations of our economic human rights. As part of the struggle to end poverty, we're working to document these violations wherever they occur.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a landmark international treaty signed by the United States in 1948. It clearly states that economic human rights are guaranteed to all human beings.

Economic Human Rights are specified in Articles 23, 25, & 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as outlined below. 

Also see:

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS:
Articles 23, 25, & 26 | Read the full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Article 23:
The right to LIVING WAGE JOBS, to safe working conditions, and to form and join unions.

1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for him/herself and his/her family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his/her interests.
   

Article 25:
The right to well-being of a person and their family, including: HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, & FOOD, CHILDCARE, & SECURITY for all those who are unemployed, unable to work, or working at home raising children, or caring for other family members.  

1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of him/herself and of his or her family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his or her control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26:
The right to EDUCATION, including higher education & training. 

1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.