. . . . . . . . . . "According to the Economic Policy Institute, the real no-frills cost of living for a single parent and two children (the typical welfare unit) in Chicago, based on what it calls a basic family budget (one that takes into account housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, and other necessities and taxes), was $35,307 in 2001. (Economic Policy Institute, Hardships in America: The Real" .