Posted on 12/28/2019 5:28:31 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Common life events that can cause homelessness
Youve heard it before: the root cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing.
Thats still true. However, anyone can become homeless. Setting aside the structural factors and systemic failures, here are the most common individual causes of homelessness.
Because this is a more personal look at the subject, Ive included examples of someone who became homeless in these various ways.
Eviction or Foreclosure
Unsurprisingly, losing your home can result in homelessness. It did for William when he lost his Detroit home to foreclosure in 2007 while undergoing treatment for colon cancer. Its a huge change, and with the limited notice youre sometimes given, its incredibly difficult to scrape together enough money for a security deposit along with first and last months rent. Rosalind is one such person who was evicted from her apartment and subsequently became homeless. That was four years ago now.
With housing prices rising across the country, many find themselves suddenly priced out of an apartment theyve rented for years. Without the extra funds when prices increase by 50, 100, or even 200 percent, people must prepare for eviction.
Even worse, you may not even be given the option of paying ridiculously inflated rent. Your landlord may just decide to kick you out in order to sell the property for a hefty price. Or, he may turn your unit into a more lucrative, short-term vacation rental. This increase in malicious evictions is what led the UK government to ban no-fault evictions, though many individuals and families who became homeless as a result of these evictions in previous years are still without housing.
(Excerpt) Read more at invisiblepeople.tv ...
Small towns and rural areas are less expensive than big cities.
For me safety is a major concern and its part of the reason why small town life is exactly where I want to be.
Lack of crime and quality of life is a consideration in where to live.
Thre less money people have the less mistakes they can afford. Today's worker can't afford the slightest mistake.
Most of the time it’s drugs and/or alcohol.
The primary cause of homelessness is bad life choices.
Nope.
#1 is craziness.
A lot of people rent because they may have to move and also because people want a lifestyle free of the chores of home ownership.
Franky Im not built for it and with my limited physical strength, the fewer household chores I need to attend to, the better.
#1 Methamphetamine
I was very fortunate but you know what I learned? Just showing up and doing what you are supposed to do goes a long long way. Today, not many want to show up and do even the minimum.
Ha!
Got a paid-for shack in th boonies and had to hire help with the yard work this year for the first time.
It was both dispiriting and kinda frightening.
LOL!
Lord, 90^ of a job is showing up, doing what you’re hired to, and not causing trouble!
If one is willing and able to do the least bit more then promotion is assured.
Being over 55, assisted living relieves me of outside maintenance chores but also of the need to cook, clean and do laundry.
There are things I dont want to do because I simply am not good at doing them.
As we grow older our capacities and needs change.
My older brother became so irrational and violent that even his drug buddies were afraid of him.
Hell, he pulled a knife on a friend of 35 yrs and threatened to gut him like a pig.
I couldn’t even open the door to my own brother. I was afraid of him. I couldn’t tell you how many times he threatened to knock my teeth down my throat.
He’s gone now. Got in gambling trouble AGAIN(casinos). My father died in 2010, so he wasn’t around to bail him out... for a 3rd time. Brother stopped eating and wasted away. He was found on his birthday. We had him cremated.
Unemployment among young males (18-30) is through the roof. Many of my son’s high school classmates (now 23-24) are still living at home, either un-or-underemployed. If it weren’t for their parents, they’d be living under a bridge.
I know some people that live in a hole in a local park. Disabled vet and his wife. Every couple of weeks they’re told to move. On Christmas Eve, what little they had was stolen. They don’t go to the beach, even though it’s close. He says he’s up most nights so his wife can sleep. Big fun.
Ten years ago, I had little savings and was responsible for all six of us. One day, I went to work to be told out of the blue that they were reorganizing and my job of 18 years ended that minute.
No insurance, no job, in Michigan non prospects.
I did get a good severance but we went into immediate money saving mode.
Six months later I get a new job 700 miles away. It took eight months to sell the house at a massive loss.
For those eight months I paid for the house payment and a cheap apartment plus fuel and tolls for a quick trip home about every three weeks.
Because we live frugally, our only payments were the house. Never missed a payment.
I dont want to sound arrogant but a lifetime of good financial decisions allows one to handle the inevitable downturn.
Bad decisions beget bad outcomes.
Someone with a couple car payments, $20,000 in credit card debt, a big house cause they need a big house and it has to be well outfitted will almost of necessity be foreclosed quickly with a downturn
My son in law is an electrician, my daughter will not have to work when they start a family.
Hell, I am married to a mechanic and stayed home with our 4 kids (now all adults). I still don’t work outside the home.
Poor spending choices is the root of living hand to mouth for most Americans.
Affordable housing is a big social issue. Solving it means increasing housing stock and lowering prices.
Runs head on into NIMBY and concern every one elses real estate values will decline.
Its a Catch-22.
In the past it was family that made sure nobody lived under a bridge.
You’re right.
My sister-in-law has lived in a car for years.
She collected about 400K when my mother-in-law died
but ‘cannot find affordable housing’. She refuses to move from the Bay Area. Whack job.
I’m in my late sixties and the number one concern for me (usually) is not the physicallity of a task... but it’s aggravation!
IDK, jobs were judged by me on an aggravation vs pay scale when I worked, but I’m kinda surprised that it’s so important to me now.;
Like marrying the wrong woman who then divorces you and sucks your assets dry and you wind up sleeping in your car.
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