Over 50 and homeless: Recession's toll rises

[babylonsister]

Over 50 and homeless: Recession's toll rises

By Anita Creamer
[e-mail]


Danetta Betancourt is an unwilling part of a recent trend: seniors made homeless for the first time in their lives by bad luck, bad timing and the recession.

Although people 50 and older are traditionally a small part of the homeless population, their numbers have grown as the economy has stagnated.

For six months, Betancourt, 52, and her husband, Arturo, 43, lived in a small silver Hyundai with two windows broken out of it. Rain sometimes leaked in, despite their attempts to tape heavy plastic sheeting into place.

They found a subsidized apartment on the edge of Oak Park last week, ending almost a year of homelessness that began after the Betancourts lost their jobs.

"It can happen to anybody," Betancourt said. "You never think it will be you."

A snapshot of the Sacramento area's graying homeless population shows a group that came to the streets as a result of midlife job loss and health problems, not chronic addiction and mental health issues.

Loaves & Fishes reports upticks in the number of formerly middle-class men and women past the age of 50 who are now on the streets, said advocacy director Joan Burke.

more...

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/03/2577909/over-50-and-homeless-the-recessions.html

[ixion]

1. Tent cities and shanty towns: The new "gated communities"

:(

[eridani]

2. But with health care "reform" you get a mandate to spend lots more

--on insurance than younger people pay. That will surely help.

[Donnachaidh]

3. and if you don't have an address but do have pensions or other money coming in the mail

The IRS can slap a lien on that and you can have less money to survive on, so our government can claim Victory in healthcare reform!

:puke:

[Macoy]

4. This Economy

This economy is hitting people you would never expect. The other day I was laying out desserts for a 12 step program. A well dressed, well groomed woman (40-45 year old) was taking several desserts and got very flustered when she saw that I noticed her.
Long story short, I asked if she wanted some cheese pizza and she broke down in tears when I gave her a large pizza. She talked about how she and her husband are having hard financial times. We would talk, she would look at the pizza and the tears would well up again.

It really struck me to the core to see some one who looked like mid to upper management reduced to tears over a free pizza. I am afraid I am going to meet a lot more people like her before things get better.



Macoy

[thunder rising]

6. I FEAR ... I FEAR .... RUN AND HIDE

[Donnachaidh]

7. ...

:eyes:

[lib2DaBone]

5. ..The politicians in Washington should be ashamed..

and the Media for pretending that "everything is OK".

[babylonsister]

8. I would love to see the media do daily stories on this; I wonder why

this topic isn't sensational enough for them. :eyes: