Invisible Families: The homeless you don't see

seattletimes.nwsource.com...

On this chilly May evening in the parking lot of Southcenter mall, Cherie Moore is growing anxious. She and her 17-year-old son, Cody Barnes, sit almost unmoving in the cab of their old Ford Ranger, all their belongings crammed in the back -- their 32-inch flat-screen television, a prized movie collection, Cody's video games.

Moore is down to her last $6. It's nearing 10 o'clock and it's been hours since the two have had a meal.

Well, I am sure people will comment on the woman still having her tv and movies when they're homeless. I sure think it's kind of bonkers. That stuff wouldn't have been in my home in the first place. She doesn't even have electricity to hook the tv up to, so what purpose does it even serve??

Even so, there are millions of homeless families in this country. I have been homeless four times so far. So, articles like these hit close to home. I'm soon to be homeless again due to lack of a job.

I hope I'm posting this in the right forum. It's definitely a social issue...

I didn't see this posted anywhere when I did the search, but it sometimes doesn't, thus if this is a dup, very sorry in advance. Was not intentional.

They have stories of other homeless folks alongside this story. Regardless of any bad decisions someone makes to land them homeless, if they indeed did make bad decisions, it's still a very real and terrifying experience for many people to be homeless and without direction. The current economy is hitting a lot of people who were once employed and totally oblivious to the even posibility that it could ever happen to them.

This type of story is heartbreaking. Its takes a lot for a person to deal with, when they no longer have a home, but sometimes its even harder to try to ask for help.

I have almost 2 acres of land, and Ive been thinking of posting in my local paper that I would share this land with others, in exchange for helping with the garden or other outdoor chores.

I am skeptical to do so, but Ive always thought about it, and well I'm sure if I met the right person, who needed the help, I'm sure I would be ok to offer some of what I have to help another.

Peace, NRE.

reply to post by Jessicamsa


How right you are.

I serve meals to homeless citizens and more and more each year we are seeing what once were middle class families, now homeless.

Between the immigrants coming over here taking our jobs and companies sending jobs overseas (outsourcing).

After 15 years of service my company outsouced my job today at 5:00 pm Central Time to "Team India".

I'm lucky I have a husband who makes good money that I can fall back on.

So many people are nonempathetic until the brown stuff hits their fan.

There was one man I served lunch to a lot, got to know him.

Three days ago he was beaten while he slept.

I went to visit him in the hospital the day before yesterday.

He died this morning of a brain hemorage this morning at 9:00 am. He was 64 and his name was Mark. He could play the violin and resite Shakespere's many sonnets. He was kind and at one point in time, someone's child, someone's brother, maybe someone's father.

He was a nice human being, who happened to have a lot of bad luck hit him.

Many people don't realize the homeless are victims, they can never sleep safe.

One medical issue, one loss of a job, one issue you weren't expecting and any of us could end up homeless, but most people don't care because they think it will never happen to them.

As a nation, we don't care if some make so much money they couldn't afford to spend it in a million lifetimes while some have nothing and not because they won't work, they can't find work.

We are all our brothers keepers and there is such a thing as group karma as well as individual karma.



[edit on 31-8-2010 by ofhumandescent]

Originally posted by Jessicamsa
Well, I am sure people will comment on the woman still having her tv and movies when they're homeless. I sure think it's kind of bonkers. That stuff wouldn't have been in my home in the first place. She doesn't even have electricity to hook the tv up to, so what purpose does it even serve??

I think she may well have kept her tv as comfort for her, and her children.

People can be so haughty and arrogant, at times, in judging what ''poor'' people should, and shouldn't, own.


I have the utmost sympathy for people like this lady, and her children.

Then again, this situation would be a luxury to many people in less fortunate countries.








[edit on 31-8-2010 by Sherlock Holmes]

Originally posted by Jessicamsa

Well, I am sure people will comment on the woman still having her tv and movies when they're homeless. I sure think it's kind of bonkers. That stuff wouldn't have been in my home in the first place. She doesn't even have electricity to hook the tv up to, so what purpose does it even serve??

I will tell you what purpose that TV serves. It reminds her of what she once had. It is all she has left of a life that may be lose forever. Looking at that TV laying there and remembering the good old days of when she did watch it is mostly the ony thing keeping her from jumping off the nearest building and doing a header into the sidewalk. I understand, it is sad that you do not.

reply to post by fixer1967


Thank you for your input.

As I have said, I've been homeless a few times now, so I look at a more practical side to things around me versus the nonpractical side. Just a different point of view.

I'm about to be homeless again soon, so I'm definitely not looking down on the woman.

reply to post by NoRegretsEver


You sound like such a nice person noregrets.

I wish you the very best.

The world needs more people like you.

There are so many people who cannot get the help they need and deserve and are falling through the cracks.

The Government thinks nothing of helping illegal immigrants while citizens suffer. Greedy corporations think nothing of hungry and homeless citizens as long as they hire their illegals and can make more money.

More and more tent cities are arizing all over the USA. In cold climates this is a matter of life and death.

There r plenty of people homeless due to the economy or because they bought houses they could not afford... But there r people who r homeless cause they have never worked a day in thier lives. I just posted on another board about my step daughter mother here is her basic story...
My step-daughter's mother Paula C. Paquette is currently living in a welfare motel in Western Massachusetts, in a room which would cost anyone else 150$ a night! She is a herion addict who in 2002, was convicted of multiple counts of prescription drug fraud. She stole 25K of narcotic prescription drugs from senior citizens. During her incarcation in 2002, she gave birth to her 4th child. Her parental rights for this child were later terminated. Her first 3 children all live with thier 3 different fathers. Following her incarceration she moved to Florida until she became pregnant again and moved back to Western Ma. She gave birth to her 5th child in March and is now living in a motel paid for by all of us! She abused and neglected all 4 of her other children, 2 of which were also born drug addicted! She has never worked a day in her life! She should not have custody of this child let alone be put up in a hotel off tax payers dollars! (See springfield republican archives for Nov 2002, to see her news reports of her conviction).
These are the types of people living in these hotels! There may be hard working people who lost thier job or got into someother bind but most of these people have criminal records and will NEVER amount to anything or be productive in anyway! Stick them all in a shelter with armed guards, do drug tests and anyone with a felony record is just SOL!

My wife and I are not homeless, thanks to the help of family. Some don't realize how close they truly are to being in that situation.

In 2006 I got hurt on the job, a job I figured I would have until I retired. 1.5 years later the company my wife worked for went bankrupt owing us several thousand dollars.

We let our house go back to the lender, packed what was really important to us, sold and gave away everything else, drove 22 hours and moved in with my mother and step father.

They are getting older and can use some help, and we are set up pretty good. It is going on three years and we are still here, neither of us can find jobs that pay anywhere close to what we were making, nor full time jobs for that matter. To all of those that want to bash the homeless and unemployed, I pray you never find your selves in that position.

Edited to say, I am 50 years old, a veteran, and have worked since I was 14. Have never drawn unemployment, and outside of the two years of workmans comp, have never received any other government assistance.

[edit on 8/31/2010 by BubbaJoe]

I feel for this lady and her son.

I have been homeless before, and I have had to get rid of things I thought I never would have ever gotten rid of, not even if I was broke, but once I turned homeless, that all went out the window. I sold everything I could just so i could eat. My bass, my amp, my t.v, my video games, my movies, my stereo, my computer, and even some old baseball cards were the first things to go once I was in that position.

I found an abandoned house, and I pulled up a blanket, sleeping on the cold concrete floor for weeks until someone found out someone was staying there, then they put new locks on all the doors and put new windows in.

When you are homeless , you need to do what you got to do to get by, even if that means getting rid of personal items to buy bread. It is a sucky thing, but its either that, or you starve. I was always too proud to ask for help, more than a lot of people I have known, so I didnt stand in bread lines, or hang out at the shelter, or beg for money. I did whatever work I could find to feed and take care of myself. It was an eye opening experience, let me tell you. So I definately feel for this lady, cause not only does she have to worry about her, but also her child.

Good thread.

reply to post by Jessicamsa


I am glad to see this posted, and i truly am sorry to hear about your situation. Just this past week i have been writing a few Public Service Announcement scripts to address the problem of homelessness in my area, a problem of which many people are unaware. Many people see a homeless "bum" and judge that person as lazy, etc, but many people do not realize how far reaching homelessness is. People who have been foreclosed on, lost jobs, illness, veterans, people living in hotels, out of cars, in tent cities, these are people that might look just like everyone else and not appear to be homeless, which is why, as you say--and one of my points in the announcements--they are more or less invisible. A family eating or walking next to you could be homeless, yet you do not know it. That man could be homeless, living day to day, in his only suit, trying to fit in. These people are (could be) our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, etc. This is what many people seem to not realize.

It is only by bringing awareness to the problem, and offering the least bit of help, that we can reduce the situation and help improve people's lives, if only for one day.

And while i agree that she probably kept the TV and video games as a source of comfort (tone of the article), i also think that they could come in handy: if she gets truly desperate she can SELL/PAWN THEM for food, a night in a bed, gasoline, or whatever necessity she might need in an emergency.

Thanks for posting, more people should be made aware of this--and more people should care.