There is a certain level of pride and accomplishment associated with being a homeowner. It is, after all, the American Dream. On the flip side, checking into a homeless shelter carries its own stigma. These days, thanks to the foreclosure and economic crisis, growing numbers of people are experiencing both of these extremes as homeowners-turned-homeless.
Growing numbers of homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure are winding up in homelessness shelters, according to a report released this summer by a coalition of housing and homelessness advocates. (This population is distinctively different than renters evicted from rental property due to foreclosure.) According to the report, foreclosure was rarely a factor leading to homeless three years ago. But in the past year, an average of 10 percent of homeless individuals seeking shelter lost homes to foreclosure.
The NY Times piece details the story of Sheri West who used to run a transitional shelter program and owned her own home. Over a year ago, she lost her house to foreclosure. She spent a year living out of her car and on the couches of friends and family, delaying the inevitable. Finally, she sought a bed in a homeless shelter.
Talk about the ultimate irony.
The part that I found so unsettling about the NY Times piece wasn't the devastation of West's plight. It was her closing quote: "I do want to eventually own a house again," she said. "That's the American dream. That's what everybody wants."
GERALD CELENTE Discussing The Swine Flu Shot and Economy (Listen)
LISTEN HERE
Time for people to have a little more charity toward their fellow man. Homeless people have it really bad right now. Freezing cold, people pissing on them, kids mocking them.
ReplyDeleteWait times are sometimes weeks long to get into a shelter.
Do a little research and you will find these people are not what you think. Many are people who had spouses, homes, cars just months ago and then life (and the banksters) just took a big dump on them.
I found your blog looking for blogs related to the search term "depression". So, it seems that anyone can feel the depression after reading this. Also I wanna welcome you to my Anxiety And Depression Blog. Thank you for the possibility to comment.
ReplyDeleteIt is better to be a little bummed out now but prepared then to get hit by the steamroller that is coming at you entirely unprepared.
ReplyDeleteendthe fed dot us
ReplyDeleteI feel the worst for the kids, who for the most part don't know just why they are having to lose the home, etc. Even if mom and dad made STUPID decisions, it ain't the fault of these kids.
ReplyDeleteOwning a house and the american dream was NEVER, IS NEVER wrong. What was wrong was the illusion that everyone could when they couldn't. What was wrong was people being taken for a ride. If the old rule of thumb regarding income to debt and financial verification and down payments had been followed, NONE of this would be happening. Hard work and reality .. nothing wrong with that if at the end of the day you can own a home. But not having enough money and being led to believe that this is ok... that's criminal.
ReplyDeletePosters on this thread are saying the right things (for a change!)
ReplyDeleteWe MUST keep the prespective on the buyers of homes who faced foreclosure.
A. The Greedy Overbuyer who knew could not pay for the house. Got foreclosed.
B. The Homebuyer who lost his/her job due to "A" above. Got foreclosed.
Too many lump them together. This is wrong. The construction worker was buying a home as well, and doing ok with payments on his loan. The odd thing was, he needed to keep constructing to keep making money. The COMBINED actions of the Greedy Overbuyer, and the bankers cost the "other" guy his home "as well" and this other guy was innocent. Also, for those overbuyers,a small investment in a hand held calculator would have been great!! SEE if you can afford the house, first. Not take the lender/realtwhore's word for it next time!!!
Remember this for the future...DON'T BUY INTO A HOUSING BUBBLE. If it goes up to fast, stop and think.
ReplyDeleteThe American Dream as a philosophy i.e. work hard and achieve a middle class status, is not that wrong. I might disagree with the "living in the suburbs" perspective, but generally speaking it's OK.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the "American Dream" was transformed to "California Dreamin'" and then to "Consuming Dream", which was then transplanted to the rest of the world.
And, oh, I watched some months ago a documentary called "End of Suburbia", which depicted exactly what this blog is talking about.
American Dream? You must see part of the Frontline program "Close to Home". There is a thirty-something b*tch that is absolutely out of touch with reality. Is this the typical nowadays?
ReplyDeleteYou need to get to part 2 at 6:10. The couple has a personal training business, and she has a Columbia "education".
Close to Home
Quote from beeyatch:
"Do I really go to school and then go out and try to find a real job."
WTF!!!!
Good comments by Gerald Celente.Sure, money is important, it keeps you alive,being alive is another matter.In todays egocentric world this seems to be an aspect of life that has been neglected, however , the pendulum always swings back the other way!.
ReplyDeleteThere should have been an immediate, and retroactive, freeze on foreclosures, as part of any bailout negotiations. How many of the foreclosed homes are now just sitting empty, not even on the market? How many people will die this winter because they are on the streets? How many children will be kidnapped or molested?
ReplyDelete