Friday, June 25, 2010

The Face of the Homeless

Do you know a homeless person? Personally?

I do.

It doesn't take much to be homeless. A lost job. Bills that can't be paid. And suddenly, you're homeless.

I know a young man, a single father, who was laid off and lost his home. Now his extended family is desperately trying to arrange for him to have a place to live. There's no unemployment because he was laid off two weeks before he would be eligible.

And in this day and age, jobs are difficult to find.

So, there. It didn't require any big drama. One lost job was all it took.

He's not a drunk sleeping in a box on the corner. He's a young man with a family. Where does he go? Guess what? He qualifies for NO assistance. What, you say? Surely there's some program out there for him? For his child?

Nope.

How fast could it happen to you? In the snap of a finger. Next time you hear that word "homeless" think about the people you know, your family and friends and consider just how fast you could be one of the homeless, too.

anny

4 comments:

  1. My heart goes out to this family. I've been there. For all the smug people who think "I'll never be poor, I'm too smart, too educated, too good..." Baloney. It CAN happen to you. And trust me--when you're applying for Medicaid so your kids can get medical coverage, they aren't any nicer to you if you have an advanced degree.

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  2. Too true, Cindy.

    My hubby's unemployment ended this week, and our insurance runs out at the end of July. Fortunately, any day now he'll get released from the dr's and be able to return to work. Praying hard over here; savings won't last much longer. Thank God for K's scholarships!

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  3. They say most people in America are two to three paycheck away from homeless. It can happen faster than you think and most people don't have a clue about it. They think that there are programs out there for anyone who will just use them, the myth of the welfare state.

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