Saturday, June 28, 2008

Hitting Home: New faces join ranks of the homeless - USATODAY.com

Hitting Home: New faces join ranks of the homeless - USATODAY.com: "With more families on the cusp of having nowhere to live, thousands of both former homeowners and renters are winding up in shelters or turning to charities for food or other aid to get by. Nearly 61% of local and state homeless coalitions say they've seen a rise in homelessness since the foreclosure crisis began in 2007, according to a study released in April by the National Coalition for the Homeless. According to the study, which let respondents offer multiple replies when asked where they're headed once their property is foreclosed on, 76% of displaced homeowners and renters are moving in with relatives and friends. About 54% are moving to emergency shelters. About 40% are already on the streets. Those facing homelessness include the working poor, who were among those hardest hit by the collapse in subprime mortgages. But others are middle-class families who scarcely expected to find themselves unable to afford their homes."
--------------------
This study is by an advocacy group and that makes it suspect. But the point about middle class people facing major problems due to foreclosure seems pretty clear.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Other sources note that 10-25% of the homeless have pets. A nonprofit group "Feeding Pets of the Homeless" helps some in communities across the U.S. and Canada. Go to www.petsofhomeless.org to find members and food banks that distribute food.