The partnership is designed to last one year, but some residents feel confident enough to leave the program after six months, she says.

Kovacev says further assistance could be provided by addressing affordable housing, welfare reform and welfare-to-work transitional assistance.

She says her goal is to help families become self-sufficient by finding employment and housing in the city.

"Working with the homeless has really opened my eyes to realize that many people are just a paycheck away from being homeless, too," she says.

But despite the obstacles faced by many residents of Area Four, Kovacev praises them for their resilient and upbeat attitude.

It would be easy to give up. But in keeping with Area Four's character, many residents have dealt with their setbacks, bounced back and kept on moving.

"Cambridge has more community resources than most other cities," Kovacev says. "And its needy families have a lot of coping skills and work hard to keep their families together."

The Economics of CambridgeArea Four is a mere 10 minutes from Harvard Square, yet economic demographics reflect a wider disparity. These statistics represent the median family income, percentage of families below the poverty level and the percentage of labor force unemployed in Area Four and throughout Cambridge.Jenny M. Fu, Joshua J. SchankerCrimsonCity  Income  Poverty  UnemploymentEast Cambridge  $37,013  2.8%  6.0%MIT/Area 2  25,000  13.0  3.2Wellington-Herrington  32,615  8.6  6.5Area 4  26,836  18.6  10.8Cambridgeport  32,432  6.9  5.7Mid-Cambridge  50,272  3.5  3.7Riverside  32,746  9.9  4.4Agassiz  55,407  1.1  4.0Area 9  52,721  4.8  5.0Area 10  73,300  2.7  2.6North Cambridge  37,236  9.7  6.1Highlands  43,214  0.0  4.6Straw. Hill/Mt. Auburn  35,357  7.9  7.3Average for Cambridge  39,990  7.2  5.2Source: Cambridge Community Development Departmen