Mom forced to live in car with dogs

Originally posted by ATruGod
reply to post by theendisnear69

 

Let me get this straight:

You live alone in an apartment (at 17)
You have a Job making $8.00 an hour
You put 1/3 of your checks away
You are in college


So if you work 40 hours a week (which is generous considering your in college and a teenager) You would make $1280 a month (before taxes) you put a third of that away leaving you $853 a month.

So your claiming you pay Rent, Utilities, Insurance, Gas, Food, and whatever else on $853 a month.

Thats pretty impossible in todays society....care to enlighten us on your methods?

Mommy still helps. lol.

I lived on my own for a while making $8 an hour..

I actually find it harder to make 60k a year and save then it was when I only made $8 an hr.. because when your poor to begin with you are cautious with your money. Some days we didn't eat, and when we did, it was fast food and raman noodles lol. Now it's like, meh, I gots the money, I think I will buy a new car, new house, big TV, a boat another new car, take a trip, play some golf, and put a weeee little bit in savings!

Well, at least that's what I feel like doing..

But if we take myself and what I do and I .. loose my job (own my business so I can't get laid off) and I go from roughly 60k to 8hr again .. I would have to declare bankrupcy, sell my new cars, move out of my expensive apartment (refuse to buy a house in this market) and ya, I could see my self living in a car .. or in a red roof in lol..

$850 some dollars... I spend about $250 in gas a week for our two cars ..

So there goes that kids pay check!

I agree with some people though that.. ya, she could move.. but why should she have to? That is not the American dream .. and she sure as hell didn't PLAN on getting laid off.

If it was a women who made $8 an hr to begin with, I wouldn't read the story.. but because she used to be upper middle class, probably made over a hundred K a year and now she lives in a SUV? .....

Dear God, people, it does NOT matter what she did to get into this situation, but the very fact that she IS and is NOT ALONE ..... if that is not a sign of the times, what the hell is?!?!

reply to post by Ninja-san


hahaha. It's called sarcasm, I don't have a credit card. I was just trying to show the attitude of America. We are in this crisis because of credit cards.

This woman has worked and raised her children. She's lived and loved and is loved back by her children. This woman chooses to do this until she gets back on her feet. She does take pride in caring for herself and doesn't want to burden her children. Nothing wrong with that. She's hopefully saving some money and will be ok. Her dogs are there for security and helps her in this bad time of her life. There's no reason to get rid of them as long as they stay healthy and she cares for them. I feel bad for her but I'm happy that she refuses to quit and has a job on top of SS benefits that will help her get back on her feet.

Just a note to the young out there. It never hurts to save your money. Don't fall into the trap that has people living from paycheck to paycheck. Buy what you need, not what you want until you are secure enough to buy the other stuff. 40 years from now that saved money will come in handy. Be prepared for the worse.

reply to post by Solarskye


Indeed Solar, her attitude and those like her is quite extraordinary.

One thing I am very impressed with is the foundation that is opening these lots to protect the women (and men, there are male only lots as well as family lots).

"new beginings" .. I am already looking on the net to see if they have an official site, I would love to donate some money to their cause to help these people out.

How is it the oil companies fault that people don't save money in case something like this happens?
After reading into it more it says her daughter calls her....so does she have a cell phone too.Another $60 a month that could be going twoards a place to live.
And I appreciate her pride in not wanting to ask for help,but come on,for at least 18 years she provided her kids with a place to live,apparently a pretty good place at that.You have to stop being so foolish.Me and my wife make a good bit more than my parents.My mom hasn't been able to work full time for about 5 years now due to illness.Does it hurt them to ask me for help,sure it does,but when they need it they ask.For 20 years they gave me a safe place to live,and made sure I never missed a meal.Now,I am grown and have a place to live and a good job,I will see to it that no matter how bad things may ever get for them,they too will have a safe place and never miss a meal.

i think its terrible. yes she has adult kids but if she is living in car a they xan't find her b. she is too proud to ask for help or c. they don't care. yes there are children who don't care what happenbs too their parents. i live in a little town of 600 people mostly rural area of north carolina and make 14 dollars an hour. it is hard to make ends meet. it would be impossible on 8 dollars an hour. i have no credit cards no cable tv. all my entertainment is boot leg off of internet except 20 dollars a month i pay on magic the gathering online. we aren't heading too reccession we are heading for another depression.

[Anybody who can see these homeless people and not feel any kind of emotion [sadness] is truly very cold-hearted!! Not all homeless people are criminals. Some are just down on their luck. Nobody in this country should be rummaging through trash cans for food! Granted, some homeless people have mental problems but I think with the economy the way it is...some people lost their jobs and their homes.

I was touched about this article because these people DID NOT give up their animals like a lot of others did.

I wish them the best and hope they get a decent place to live. We all deserve that much.

Originally posted by Ninja-san
You have a credit card at 17?
I work in the F&I world, and at 17, credit companies cannot recover any losses, as you arent leaglly liable.

In other words.. I think what you mean is you have your parents credit card.
not your own.

CC companies do NOT issue Credit cards to Minors as primary cardholders.

Off topic, but this isn't true. I graduated high school after just turning 17 and started college when I was 17. The very first week of college I had a credit card offer in the mail and a few weeks later I had my first VISA. I remember it quite clearly and it was 4 months before I turned 18.

Nothing from the OP in a while......hope they haven't been kicked out onto the street....or parking lot

I only hope they can learn to see more than one side of every story.

reply to post by BlueTriangle


Either your lying or there was a fluke.

If you are under the age of 18 a parent must sign as the coapplicant for any form of loan, this includes Credit Cards. In fact, by your birthday the card companies should have known you where 17 and should not have mailed them out to you. Most card companies don't send information on cards until you actually apply for one either.

But anyways.. I don't see how a 17 year old obtained a Credit Card, at the very least, a card with a limit above a few hundred bucks. And a 30% interest rate.

I retract my previous statement nobody deserves to be homeless, let's hope she can get her life back on track.

Originally posted by dgtempe
You know, the dogs may serve as pillows, but its time for her to find them a home- she wouldnt have to feed them and the dogs could be happier.

She has kids, and sometimes you have to swallow your pride and go with your kids temporarily and make the best of it until she can get a little room.

I feel badly for her, but at the same time, she wants everyone to know she's a victim and wants not help but pitty.

God helps those who help themselves. The main thing is get rid of the dogs, because there isnt one apartment building or motel who will take them. I wonder if she's even tried a shelter for herself?

Hi DG,

I think you have misunderstood her. I don't think she wants pity at all. Its just she in this parking lot full of people and when the news came around about it shes the one they choose to do this article about. As far as the dogs to some people their just like kids family so too speak. I know mine is and goes through everything we go through. I travel a lot and there is plenty of pet friendly hotels today. As well as plenty of pet friendly apts. She shouldn't have trouble finding one when she is ready.

Why doesn't she move somewhere more affordable? I'm sure she could find an $8 an hour job somewhere where the rent is affordable.
Why aren't her adult progeny helping her? Why has she no savings? Why did she rent? If she couldn't afford the area, why did she stay?
Sounds like a woman that's made a bunch of bad decisions in her time.

reply to post by Rockpuck


It's the New Beginnings Counseling Center and they do take donations. I will be sending some money to it for my state. (TN)

There are 12 parking lots across Santa Barbara that have been set up to accommodate the growing middle-class homelessness. These lots are believed to be part of the first program of its kind in the United States, according to organizers.

Source

The lots open at 7 p.m. and close at 7 a.m. and are run by New Beginnings Counseling Center, a homeless outreach organization.

Source

Not sure if TN has this program, but if not then I'll help out a fellow citizen who needs a place to sleep in Cal.


[edit on 5/21/2008 by Solarskye]

Originally posted by jpm1602
The tip of the iceberg. Where do you think the people go in the massive foreclosure crisis? To never never land? No. This is what happens. And it's only the start.

There is not a massive foreclosure crisis. It is a myth. 96% of homeowners are paying their mortgages on time.

Well i don't think it was all her fault. i see this happening to me here really soon. i worked at a place that built homes for the last 13 years last year i got laid off my unemployment just ran out last week and I'm still having trouble finding a job. with the housing market crashed put me out of work. and all the home building industry left our state. luckily i seen this coming and i ended up putting enough back to last me about 9 more months after this 9 months is out I'm out of luck also raising 3 kids that's all still in school its very scary to try to figure out where my kids are going to end up over this deal. unfortunately i cant get no help to go back to school and get a new trade. I'm a white male so I'm at the end of everybody list to help. btw the place i worked for got to keep 3 weeks of vacation time by letting me go. thank you who ever in congress let them get away with keeping money that was earned off time earned....

SaviorComplex....THANK YOU.It's just another "republicans are screwing things up" ploy.
The thing I've seen to be the biggest problem is people buying a house with a very low "adjustable rate" because it is what they can afford.When the rates go up,they realize how much longer they will have to pay interest and then blame it on economy,government,etc...I could have gotten a very low interest rate when I bought my home,but would have been adjustable.Instead,I went with a little higher one(but still reasonable) and now I don't have to worry about that.Eventually I will refinance to drop my note,and will once again go with fixed.
Of course the banks and anyone who is going to benefit from these things are not going to tell you the best thing to do for your benefit,only theirs. Get educated on these things before you purchase a home.
Once again,live within your means.If you make $50,000 dollars a year,live like you make $35,000-$40,000.

And for the person who said maybe her kids can't contact her,the article said her daughter has tried to help,but she refuses.Once again,I respect her having her pride,but there is a difference between pride and being hard-headed.

reply to post by Quazga


Exactly! As a crime analyst I can confirm that there is a direct correlation between increasing poverty, homelessness and crime.

Social programs such as welfare are societal necessities that ensure public safety. When a person is given only a choice between watching their children starve and turning to crime to support their family, 10 times out of 10 they are going to suspend whatever value system they have and feed their kids.

Welfare is an interceding choice that offers an alternative to a criminal act for those faced with the dilemma of starvation, homelessness or worse. Of course all crime does not occur out of necessity but to be blind to the fact that a percentage does or could is ignorant of the facts.

The real problem is the people that fall through the proverbial cracks. Those who the social programs don’t reach or those who live in an area where the $400 a month the Department of Human Assistance provides will keep you and your children from starving but do little else to ensure your family lives a sanitary, healthy life with a roof, any roof, over your heads. In the case of the aged homeless, forced onto the streets by foreclosure, lay offs or some other collateral damage of the worsened U.S. economy, many have continuing medical treatments, medical equipment, or medications that cost big bucks to continue and find that Medicare (or state-run programs) don’t provide the level of assistance needed to replace the group medical plan they had when they were employed.

The future is bleak indeed. As the economy spirals down farther and farther expect skyrocketing crime rates in your community and the nation.

-MK

I have to say that this thread has really opened my eyes. Not to the plight of the homeless, or the amount of homeless people as i was already aware of this. Rather to the amount of people that seem to have no compassion for thier fellow human beings. I've always been aware of the fact that for the most part our goverment doesn't care about it's citizens, but never imagined that there were so many people out there that just don't care.


When i first saw this thread i thought that the author was concerned about the situation, but soon saw that the author who was so quick to call others shallow, in fact was only worried about the safety of his/her own possesions. Just exactly who is the shallow one ? I doubt that these people that have found themselves homeless, due to whatever reasons, are a threat to your possesions.


For those that can't seem to get past the blame game. Does it really make a difference who's to blame, the point is that it is what it is and as long as this country keeps heading in the direction that it is, it's going to get nothing but worse. We have people living in thier cars, on park benches, under bridges and worse for cripes sake ! Yet our goverment gives away billions of dollars in foriegn aide every year ! Do you not see anything wrong with this picture ?


Not all people that are homeless are that way due to any fault of thier own. Sure there's relocation,but what happens when they all start relocating to these places that you all speak of ? The jobs become scarce in those places, rents sky rocket and then these places are just like the rest. No body knows what this woman's or anybody elses situation is , it's easy to point a finger, but obviously too hard to show compassion. And that attitude, believe it or not, is exactly the attitude that our goverment feeds on, and the attitude that allows it to get away with the things that it does.


Just why exactly should she have to get rid of her dogs, she mentions nothing of them being a burden to her ? In fact her dogs are probably the main thing that keeps her going, take away her dogs and she just may give up. They are all she seems to have left, take that away from her and she just may turn into the kind of homeless person that most of you don't want to see. They give her a reason to get up and go to work every day in such a hopeless situation.I for one applaude her for keeping her dogs, it means that she still cares about something other than her self.


She should go back to school ? She is 67 years old ! What she should work until she is 90 and on her death bed ? She is of retirement age, she should be able to work only part time, or not at all and still be able to at least have a decent place to live. That is supposed to be why they came up with social security isn't it ? Although i must admit that it must be just about impossible to give the senior citizens and the disabled a decent sourec of income when the goverment takes from a fund that was set up for retirement & disability to give to children that have ADHD, alcoholics, & drug addicts,


For the young poster i'd really like to know where you live at that you can pay rent, utilities, food, etc on less than $800. a month. Most people have to pay more than that in rent alone these days.


It's not so much the situation that so many homeless people are facing that is so discouraging to me, but rather the lack of empathy of the majority of the the people that have posted here.

Originally posted by chise61


It's not so much the situation that so many homeless people are facing that is so discouraging to me, but rather the lack of empathy of the majority of the the people that have posted here.

Its nice to see I'm not the only one that feels this way. Thanks for your post.