have an idea for the houseing .that is everyone in the commuity to come together.or a nation wide person goes house to house.to help others out and sign a paper to stop forecloser.the housing in america is the key to are country back bone.if we lose are house or anyone.we will  be have tent cities.the houseing and the ecomony and more are tired together.big companies are leaving the ecomony to go dry.big companies and bank are working together to leave poeple to live in tent cities.the companies,stock market,banks are going to put people to live in tents.we need the banks ,companies,stock market to re money to get the ecomony going. thanks

by stop forecloser with a paper signed by the people of the united states .and send it to congress. other wise we all will be living in tent cities.

Amen, Cheryl. Thanks for reading and commenting.

I, too, was pleasantly surprised to learn that Obama volunteered at a youth homeless shelter on MLK day. But you're right, perhaps this was intentional since "housing" and "homelessness" were not given airtime during the inaugural address (nor are they very prominent on the new http://whitehouse.gov).

How bad does this crisis have to become, how many people must be ejected from their homes, before we resolve to change things?

The root of the problem is spiritual. People have lost the basic virtues that made America great- frugality, self-reliance, faith in God, and hard work that our founders preached and practiced. You can't blame someone else for making bad decisions that inevitably lead to disastrous consequences. You must accept responsibility for them yourselves. The fault, dear Brutus-

Obama can't be talking about homelessness. It's inappropriate for a national politician to be discussing things that the American public disapproves of. Homelessness is the fault of the homeless in the minds of most Americans, especially the rich and powerful Americans. It's equally inappropriate for the President to be discussing the liberty of people who have virtually no agency to begin with. "Middle class" is the middle ground, the refuge in which politicians can take so as to make the largest number of people feel gratified. If a few people get left behind for the sake of public image, it can only be the best route for America since a larger number got their way.

That was irony, by the way.

In #3 in your list, Abromowitz proposes -

"Even the bankruptcy playing field through judicial loan modification. This would allow primary properties to be included in bankruptcy proceedings, a privilege that is now available to those with multiple homes but not middle- and lower-income households with *only* one property."

We couldn't agree more with this statement.  AFFIL and other consumer groups will be putting the pressure on Congress big time over the next few weeks to pass this common sense reform that could save 600,000 homes without costing tax-payers a dime!

Visit our website www.affil.org to stay in the loop and take action!

My goodness!  The poor man has been president for 5 minutes!  We gave George Bush 8 years and he did absolutely nothing for anyone . . . homeless, on the verge of homeless, on the verge of joblessness, or anyone else . . . President Obama is going to address what he can, as he can, I am sure.   But look at the mess we're in!  It can't all be done or even addressed in the first week, month or maybe even year of his Presidency.  It took a long time to get where we are.  It's going to take a long time to climb out of the hole.
In order to get the mortgage crisis under control, and the homelessness crisis even partially under control, I believe his first tasks will need to be 

1) find a way to get our troops home and end some of the military spending in the middle east that's sucking our funds dry; and

2) find a way to fix our own sagging economy (that's being too kind -- "sunken" might be a better word) by creating jobs to help people catch up on their mortgage payments, or afford to rent even a room, instead of a park bench.  


People can't get back on their feet if there are no jobs to be found.  And I'm not talking white collar or even blue collar jobs.  I've worked with the homeless myself . . . they are rarely up to those kinds of jobs.  And they can't get any jobs in any facility that serves the public, even a bagger in a grocery store, if they have no appropriate clothes, can't get there on time, or have no prior skils.  But if nothing else, they CAN mow lawns, learn to work in construction, wash cars, pick up trash in parking lots, and other small odd jobs for businesses or individuals. 


When President Obama said we all needed to pitch in and help to turn this situation around, he wasn't kidding.  This is NOT a one-man job!  Nor can we wait for government as a whole to solve it.


Need a lawn mowed?  Go down to the unemployment office and catch someone on the way out the door who looks like he needs a little work.  (You'll know him -- he'll be the guy who looks like a deer in the headlights -- embarrassed to be there, and not believing that he IS there.)  Tell him you want to help someone out who's going through a rough time . . . that you don't have a lot to offer, but if $25 to mow a lawn would help him at all, you'd like to offer him that job.   The first guy may not take it, but someone will.   Help those willing to help themselves.


Need your car washed?  How about working with a homeless shelter or getting a business near a shelter to help you sponsor a car wash where the homeless can work close to where they are living.  Provide buckets and sponges and soap, and let the sponsoring business donate the water -- charge the normal car wash fee in your area, and divide it up among the homeless car washers.  Maybe you do this once a week or once a month . . . if they can use the money to buy a new shirt or pair of pants, or get a haircut, they might just be able to find a job at a fast food restaurant.   It's a small beginning -- but it's a beginning.   (And YES, some of them will drink the money away -- but not all -- some will be eternally grateful for these little opportunities, and make the most of them.)


I read recently of a Catholic church (in Michigan I think it was), that is holding twice monthly workshops for people who are out of work and on the verge of losing their homes.  They invite job counselors, and bank loan officers, etc., to come (as volunteers) to work with these families to find solutions for them.   Is this something your church could do?  


These are little things . . . you can probably think of more . . . it's going to take lots of sharing of little ideas, lots of team work, lots of us "little people" doing little independent things, and lots of patience to turn all this around. 


What can YOU do today to make a difference in the life of just one person who's having a hard time?

 

I have been reading a lot lately about the new "Green Collar" jobs but they all seem to originate in California.  www.greencollarjobs.org .  Check it out and perhaps, you will get involved.

Carol Daly, we just have a natural skepticism of big-time politicians... and no, we didn't give Bush 8 years. I didn't give Bush 8 years. He and his cohorts STOLE 8 years from the American people - nay, from the world!

You're right. It is not a one-man job. I am not particularly worried about Obama... no more than I am about anyone else... except that it's kind of annoying that he's the only thing people can agree to talk about. Seriously... there are more than 6 billion people in the world, and Obama is only one of them. Obama's going to do some good things for this country. He also happens to represent some really horrifying things in this world. But that's life. I represent some really terrible things in this world, too, to be honest. All I can say is that I hope to change them, as many of them as possible... whereas Obama is oblivious to more of them than I would like for a person the whole world is talking about and looking up to. "Marriage is between a man and a woman," he says. That kind of thing is not too promising, but I can't deny that he nonetheless represents a step forward in the evolution of the media and national discussion.

It is still very annoying when a person dedicates their life to changing other people's lives, and yet still can be so silly about things like gender fixation. I am only 19, and I'm pretty sure I'm more "progressive" than Obama in every issue that I have some knowledge about, at least in terms of my ideals. That's the sad truth, but I'm also more progressive than this country in general, so I suppose there shouldn't be anything surprising about that. You can blame people, nonetheless, for being frustrated when someone like Mayor Adrian Fenty stands on a pedestal and ignores almost every plea the homeless make in favor of wealthy developers.

I think  one of the best ways to solve the mortgage crisis and foreclosure has to start with a reduction of property taxes. This taxes are too exorbitant in some counties. Imagine buying a property for just $ 300,000.00 with a property tax of $9,000.00 annually. This is killing. THis is the situation in places like Prince Georges county in Maryland. The government needs to intervene promptly to regulate these taxes.
Thank you

Yes much adjustment must happen. Taxes must be reduced so people can afford to buy homes and appartments for rental propertuy. Not everyone wants to own or can afford to own.
If all wages go down, politicians wages must go down too.

The key is all must have a home. Shelter for themselves and family. With many out of work, this homeless will  likely get much worse. This Capitalism is only for capitalists, Eventually it burns out all the wealth, like now. Not good for the United States. Socialism is not a dirty word, it means providing for society. That is US folks.

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

You may be interested in today's follow-up to this post: http://tinyurl.com/ckpx8n

Luella . . . Your post doesn't really address the topic of this particular forum, but since you addressed your comments to me in particular, let me just say this in the spirit of understanding and kindness.  When I was 19, as you are now, I was also full of "fire" for immediate actions and changes -- but I've learned this in my life so far . . .-- You can't be angry with everyone all the time.  Anger hurts you and everyone around you; but it doesn't solve a thing.

-- If you aren't "doing," just "raving," then you're part of the problem and not the solution  (I used to rave -- I've learned to try to make all my suggestions constructive, or else no one listens). 

-- That before you can fight for a cause, you must understand completely what you are fighting for, why you are doing it, and what the repercussions of winning your fight will have for other people, so they can become part of the solution you propose.  Frequently one person's victory is another person's pain.  You might say that the banking and mortgage industries had many victories in the past few years, and look at the pain they've caused, for instance.  The same thing goes for partisan politicians -- the Republicans hurt the Democrats -- the Democrats hurt the the Republicans -- and then it starts all over again.  It serves no purpose for the good of the country.  If nothing else -- if we can just stop THAT cycle, it would go a long way toward solving the housing/mortgage problem, along with all the other issues facing this new administration.

-- That people who run for office only VERY rarely have any clue what they can and cannot do if and when they finally get elected or appointed to an office.  I've worked in local government (which is way less cumbersome than federal government, so should be easier, you'd think.)  I've known my share of Councilmen and Commissioners and City Managers and County Managers.  They all have one thing in common on the day they take office -- they are totally clueless -- truly.  They all have to learn the hard way that what looks "easy" from the outside while you're criticizing the other guy, isn't so easy when you try to change the status quo. 

Existing laws and ordinances are big stumbling blocks to even the most well-intentioned officials.  They have a choice:  obey the existing rules and try to find a way to work in spite of them, or do whatever they like (ala the past administration) and pay the price down the road, when people call you on it.  So for all their "promises," politicians cannot deliver on their own -- they need a lot of backing from their peers, and they need patience from us while they try to make changes the "right way" instead of just barging in and causing insult to injury, so to speak.  

As you get older, you'll realize that government isn't quite what you study in civics class.   It's much more complicated than that.  Try going to some of your local government meetings, and you'll see why things get bogged down as they do, even with the simplest things.  The minute someone proposes a change, the meeting halls fill up with people to protest it . . . so voting gets put off for a public hearing . . . and then there's another meeting and someone else has something else to say . . . and it gets put off again.  It's called the democratic process . . . but it's weighty and cumbersome, and always leaves someone displeased and complaining, no matter what the final outcome.The biggest thing to remember though, is that WE are in charge.  We can force change if we do it properly.  Speak up to your own representatives, whether they be city, county, state or federal, or you must forever live with the cost of NOT speaking up.   There are forums here on Change.org for just about anything that interests you . . . I've worked along with thousands of others who've posted here and on other forums, to have a recently passed law (CPSIA) reviewed and revised.  I've done everything in my power to make that happen, as have many others . . . and just this week we've seen the first baby steps of progress.  It was small, but it is indeed progress, and I'll happily take it as a sign to keep on passing the word.

Good luck to you as you seek a "cause" you can really get behind, or plant ideas of your own for a better world . . . your generation will one day be in the driver's seat of this country, and it will be important that you did all the right things -- took all the proper steps and learned all the necessary lessons so you can go forward to really make a difference, and not feel hopelessly unrepresented.

2008 was a bad year for housing. And so was 2007 and so will be 2009 thanks a lot to do with "predatory" lending by banks. What the heck is predatory lending? http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=4
An short and understandable explanation.