More and more middle-class families are finding themselves on the streets. Correspondent Lisa Ling reports on this new group, she calls the Hidden Homeless.
Even more people find themselves on the brink - facing foreclosure on their homes. That's bad enough, but now, as the LA Time's David Lazarus reports, scammers are coming out of the woodwork to offer help. False help as it turns out.
And LA Times columnist Steve Lopez says don't believe recent reports showing homeless is actually decreasing.
Hidden Homeless
Take a recession, add a housing collapse and you end up with formerly solid, middle-class working families on the street.
Mortgage Scams
If someone offers to help you "fix" your troubled home mortgage - beware. Consumer columnist David Lazarus has the low-down on the latest "mortgage modification" scams.
Steve Lopez On Homelessness
LA Times columnist Steve Lopez says a recent report showing a drop in LA's homeless population was more than wrong. It was harmful to those trying to solve the problem.
Web Extras:
The Art of the Mortgage Scam
As foreclosures rise, so do scams that target desperate homeowners. Find out how to avoid being taken, and what to do if you suspect fraud.
Mortgage Scams? Who Can Afford A Mortgage?
For large numbers of workers in the LA area, getting scammed over a mortgage isn't a concern. They don't earn enough to come close to owning a home.
The Young and the Homeless
Homelessness is painful enough, but especially so for the young. Some disturbing facts about the number of children with no place to call home.
A Different Kind Of Homeless Shelter
An interview with the executive director of Door of Hope, a transitional housing program that serves homeless families with young children.
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The hidden homeless story is so touching, this family is amazingly brave to tell their story, hopefully it will help many others. that could be me, or any of my friends, and sadly still could be. this reporting, of such good quality and so touching, is what we need more of in the world - not who some star is seeing. thank you for doing this, it is very needed at this time.
"Hidden Homeless" is a valuable look at a growing problem throughout the country. Even though the first impulse may be to blame the families that got into this situation, if we are honest there are many, many people who are on the verge of finding themselves homeless just for participating in our consumer driven culture. This article was very well done and should trigger some important discussions and some honest thinking.
wow... what an eye-opener. BOTH families are to be thanked for allowing this documentary. Easy to second-guess other folk's household and financial management, and way too easy to lump the homeless all together as people who must have drug issues, or who don't have intelligence or drive.
And yes, another commenter's term, "consumer driven culture", is entirely accurate. We've been taught for over half a century that the economy is only healthy if it does spiral upward.
But with greed at the highest levels, collapse now trickles down onto so many people who were at all less than that embarrassingly old-fashioned term "frugal".
Mary, Larry and Jessie are a wonderful family. Thank you so much for opening your heart and life to help others see, learn, and hopefully make a difference. The Door of Hope is an amazing organization! This is truly a solution oriented place that empowers families with hope and a future. We need more Door of Hopes and more people to step up and give to help them help more families.
I remember this kind of terror first hand from the economy collapse in the early 1970s. People tend to think these things only happen to "those" people, but all of us are only a crisis away from disaster. Thank you to these brave people for sharing their stories, and to Socal Connected for reporting it.
The solution for this..
Get your selected out and your elected in.
H.B. Westen
Delft, Zuid-Holland