Last month, unemployment rates surged to 7.6 percent. As the jobless population becomes older and more educated, many are ending up with no car, no job prospects, no health insurance, and - before long - no home. Will the dramatic increase of unemployment change the face of homelessness in America?
According to data from the Labor Department, more jobs have been lost in the past 12 months than any other period since the government began keeping records in 1939. Perhaps most disconcerting is that experts predict unemployment will get worse before it gets better. In 1991 and 2001, unemployment didn't hit its peak until two years after those recessions ended.
As unemployment becomes worse, community-based organizations are noticing a change in their clientele. Shelters are seeing clients who are more representative of the newly unemployed. Here's what one non-profit, Partnering for Change, reported on their blog just last week:
In recent months we've noticed a change in the needs of our program feeding homeless children. I've mentioned, there are over 11,000 elementary age children in Orange County, CA who are homeless. They are homeless for different reasons. But here's a scenario you wouldn't think would take place:
http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/the_coming_crisis_white_collar_homelessness
If the US Government took the same money they are pouring onto the bankers and gave it back to the people (whose money it is anyway) each and every one of us would get about $30,000.
We could pay our mortgages. That would end the mortgage crisis.
We could pay our credit cards. That would end the credit crisis.
We could start new businesses. That would create jobs. That would end the unemployment crisis.
Those new businesses could make products for export. That would end the trade imbalance.
Why on Earth are they not doing this? Or at least slashing taxes by 50% which would produce the same result?
Instead the government has taken $8 trillion from the people to give to the banks so the banks can loan it back to us at interest!
This is like seeing a house burning and deciding that the best way to put out the fire is to rip wood from all the other houses to try to smother the flames!!!!!
Are the wealthy in this nation so greedy that they would not surrender their hold on our throats just long enough for us to stand back up again?
ReichGirl
According to data from the Labor Department, more jobs have been lost in the past 12 months than any other period since the government began keeping records in 1939. Perhaps most disconcerting is that experts predict unemployment will get worse before it gets better. In 1991 and 2001, unemployment didn't hit its peak until two years after those recessions ended.
As unemployment becomes worse, community-based organizations are noticing a change in their clientele. Shelters are seeing clients who are more representative of the newly unemployed. Here's what one non-profit, Partnering for Change, reported on their blog just last week:
In recent months we've noticed a change in the needs of our program feeding homeless children. I've mentioned, there are over 11,000 elementary age children in Orange County, CA who are homeless. They are homeless for different reasons. But here's a scenario you wouldn't think would take place:
http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/the_coming_crisis_white_collar_homelessness
If the US Government took the same money they are pouring onto the bankers and gave it back to the people (whose money it is anyway) each and every one of us would get about $30,000.
We could pay our mortgages. That would end the mortgage crisis.
We could pay our credit cards. That would end the credit crisis.
We could start new businesses. That would create jobs. That would end the unemployment crisis.
Those new businesses could make products for export. That would end the trade imbalance.
Why on Earth are they not doing this? Or at least slashing taxes by 50% which would produce the same result?
Instead the government has taken $8 trillion from the people to give to the banks so the banks can loan it back to us at interest!
This is like seeing a house burning and deciding that the best way to put out the fire is to rip wood from all the other houses to try to smother the flames!!!!!
Are the wealthy in this nation so greedy that they would not surrender their hold on our throats just long enough for us to stand back up again?
ReichGirl
