One of those people

 Some people talk about the homeless like "those people" are some sort of subhuman class of people. Most are not the strerotypical drug addict, mentally ill or alcoholic, they are people, families just like you and me that couldn't overcome the financial hurdle they were hit with. None of us are immune to life and in what seems like an instant could be in the very situation that we so readily judge and punish another for being in.The possibility of  being homeless is a real threat to almost every middle class / low income earners/disabled/retired.. The reality is that the vast majority — 93 percent — of homeless people living in my city were either born here, or are long-time residents. Only about 7 percent of homeless people moved to here within the last year. While the majority of people without housing are single adults, families with children represent 20 percent of all people experiencing homelessness. There's 372 families with children — 451 adults and 688 children living on the streets outside or staying in a shelter. Additionally, about 8 percent of homeless people are unaccompanied youths under the age of 18. Only 9 percent of homeless people use alcohol or drugs. Apx. 1 in 5 have mental health condition such as severe depression or schizophrenia. 1 in 5 homeless people are 55 or older.

We all have our struggles and go through difficult times and we must come together as  compassionate humans to take care of one another's basic needs. If not for the sake of decency or to lead us into a successful future as a collective society then what good is society and what  does our future hold for us?

Interestingly statistics show the average American family is 2 pay checks away from a financial disaster. I pray that you never have to find out just how close you are to being homeless or that you never have to fully understand how lost and broken it feels to be homeless. . In a very short time I went from enjoying the American dream & a relatively normal life to living a nightmare that has quickly became my living reality. I had a house fire causing me and my family to move 4 times in a year while rebuilding our house which drained our savings leaving us no safely net. The next challenge came before we could recover from the financial hardship of the fire. Sometimes we are given hard choices in life & when my 14 yr old daughter got cancer I had to make the choice between getting her to her appointments for medical care and paying the mortgage. With no savings & an already strained budget I couldn't afford both. I tried to get a loan modification but before I could our lender foreclosed on our house leaving us homeless. I don't drink or do drugs, I'm am just a regular person who fell on hard times  and became homeless because I couldn't regain my financial stability between hardships.

I now have a $0 (the sale paid the loan off) forclosure on my credit coupled with the fact that I am disability means I didn’t  meet the minimum qualifications most properties require. The challenge was not just finding someone willing to rent to me but it's difficult to save that kind of money while still surviving with my daughter who has cancer again. Most security deposits are 2x'mo. rent plus the 1st month rent and application fee so your basic ghetto apartment is well over $4000 to move into in addition to utility deposits... ....... Could you afford that today ? Or could you pay 3 months rent/mortgage all at once after renting a truck, storage unit, paying utility deposits and shelling out gas money to move? How about after doing that 4 times in 1 year?? Well I couldn’t and it took 2 years to get back on my feet and get an apartment. So if you are wondering how "those people" end up in this position I hope this has enlightened you and helps you understand how a family could become homeless or at least gets you thinking about how even you yourself could become homeless.. If not you'll be in our prayers.