What About Joe (or Jo) Defaulting Homeowner?

Published October 16, 2008 @ 05:39PM PT

[Note: The title of this post was edited to include Jo after a fellow change.org blogger pointed out that women - especially minority women - were given subprime loans at higher rates than men. You can read all about this in a 2006 study by the Consumer Federation of America.]

We are in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

Just last week, the federal government committed hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out our investment banks.

States across the country - from New York to California - are forced to slash state budgets in response to the national meltdown in credit markets, shrinking stock and real estate values, and the likely recession.

And, at the most local level, people are scared. Families are worried about keeping their jobs, filling the oil tank, putting food on the table, and staying in their homes.

This is not just a bleak picture. This is our reality.

As a result of our sick economy, people are losing their homes in record numbers. Tent cities have sprung up across much of California. States are putting up entire families in hotels and motels. Schools are seeing an unprecedented increase in students without a home address.

And still - there has been no moratorium on foreclosures. Banks are not renegotiating the terms of defaulting mortgages. Little is being done to turn foreclosed properties into housing, and properties are boarded up and vacant.

All this turmoil is happening right now on Main Street, America. It's affecting Joe Six Pack, Joe Plumber, and Joe Momma. Given the scope and severity of these issues, I was amazed at how limited the discussion was during last night's third presidential debate about the day-to-day struggles facing low-income families.

How can families focus on healthcare, education, and energy conservation if they don't have a place to sleep at night? How will they watch campaign ads - positive or negative - without a place to call home?

Shelters and safety net social services are being stretched by the increase in calls for help and assistance. Many anticipate the demand to become even greater as the weather becomes colder. So why wasn't the word "homeless" mentioned once during last night's debate when so many people are grappling with the ultimate hardship? Where is the outrage?

Seriously, where is the outrage?

Share this Post

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Shannon has worked in homeless shelters and service organizations in San Francisco, the Triangle region of North Carolina, and currently in the greater Boston area. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.