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Wow! What wonderful - but also disturbing -- responses we got from our story on Roz Lee. She’s the woman, wife and mother who lost her $70,000 a year job and is on the verge of getting kicked out of her apartment. People wrote to Roz sending their prayers, practical advice and empathy. But what’s disturbing is how many people are in the same terrible situation - unemployed, bankruptcy, buried in debt that they can’t crawl out of. Roz Lee, you are not alone.

Here‘s a summary of the advice that people offered (and a little bit of my own):

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So it's all out there...it's all on the table. Now you all know a bit about what life has been like for me of late. Most of you already know my story, and know it well. But I have to assume that some of you may also have some questions about what I must be doing wrong if I can't seem to find a job. Some, like the lovely Vera Lusia (thank you ever so much for your kind words in the comments--they carried light) know that the situation is rampant and hitting close to home.  And hear me: we are not the only ones.
 
It seems like everyday I am meeting people who are also displaced, and who also have not been able to find jobs unless they know someone on the inside. I recently chalked it up to the assumption that, by law, employers have to post open positions, but they wind up hiring from within. At least this is what I tell myself because the alternative is just too dark a corner to visit. Let's just say it's very, ummm, depressing. (Ahem!)
 
How depressing? A few days ago, I received my third regret letter from one major bank since Aug 2007. Did I mention that I have a 10-year history in Banking and Finance? Did I also mention that I was not offered an interview - not even an interview - for three positions I had applied for over the past year and half with another major bank? Now, that that bank has been in the headlines for financial problems it is apparent why.
 
Two days ago , I applied for an awesome Trainer position in Pasadena. It is with a heavy heart that I expect to hear that the position has been filled with someone who more closely matches their ideal candidate. Did I mention that I have been in Training Design and Delivery for the past 6 years from Trainer I to Training Manager? I even applied (twice, mind you) for positions at a department store. The first response was that the position was filled with someone else, and the second was that I was overqualified for the sales associate position. Imagine that; being told you are overqualified to work.
 
I did hold one job for a short while. I had to quit. And they knew I would...eventually. It was with a timeshare company, and I was so desperate to work that I did not mind the fact that I would only be working no more than 20 hours a week. I went in with the conviction that I would work hard and earn more hours. That's the way the company worked. What I did not expect was gas prices to hit an all time high (at the time), nor having to commute to Anaheim, Ontario, Irvine - may as well have been frickin’ Pluto.  (At least the trip would have been more interesting, certainly not less time or gas consuming)! I had to pay a sitter, pay for gas, eating would have been nice, but often was not possible, plus handle whatever costs may occur in that day for the $50 salary I'd make for it. Dude, I'm not kidding. And all for the sake of just having a job. Fortunately for that company, they expect the high turn over. Unfortunately for me, I needed to work so bad that I took the first hot coal on my plate...and paid for it. Literally. So please don't assume that I must be doing something wrong, or that I must somehow not be worthy of the jobs I am applying for. I think, if this is your opinion about my situation, you need to take a good hard look at some of the people around you, maybe even in your own back yard. There is a situation brewing that none of us are in control of. 
 
I'm still looking, as I will continue to do. Since I '"don't qualify" for cash aid (in my opinion, simply because I refused to lie about my situation; I think the truth is evidence enough that we need a break) I cannot get the other services I could use to help me out of my situation, like child care services while I physically look for work. But I can't give up. My Bishop at the Victory Bible Church in Pasadena instilled the word in me that God is my ultimate provider. In saying so, His will for me is not to sit back and play victim. Not at all. Not ever. So I will continue to apply, as I have for several jobs this week. The one I am most excited about is the position in Pasadena that I mentioned above as a trainer for a credit union. Wish me luck, ya'll!
 
To conclude, there needs to be an eyebrow raised with concern over the fact that so many people like you and I, and Vera's sister, that are being forced to seek aid just to have bare necessities. People think that aid is readily available, but in fact, getting it involves stepping intp a convoluted web of confusion geared towards total control of you and your situation. But that's another story.
 
What would you do if you were in my shoes? Hearing from you helps keep me grounded. Your thoughts are warmly welcomed!
 

For the past few years, the Inland Empire in Riverside County has been one of the fastest growing counties in the state, home to a major housing boom. But now the Inland Empire is pretty much the poster child for the foreclosure crisis. In the newer developments, house after house sits vacant, either up for auction, for sale by a bank or going for what’s called a “short sale” which is when the owner owes more than the house is worth.

SoCal Connected tracked down some surreal sights associated with the crisis for a segment called Foreclosure Alley--a company that specializes in removing whatever people leave behind in their foreclosed homes.  The process is called a “trashout” - a term the company came up with because it perfectly describes what happens.  Everything that’s left is dumped in a trailer and taken to the landfill. In the clip below, Arik Jensen and Gregory Fitch talk about the hardest part of their jobs.
 


Then there’s the guy who started a business to spray-paint dead lawns.  That’s right.  He paints brown lawns green. Take a look: 



I lent him a hand - all in a day's work for a field producer!
 

Over the next few weeks, Roz Lee, who you met in a SoCal Connected segment called Down But Not Out will be blogging about her search for work on SoCal Connected.

You can call me Roz. I am a thirty-two year-old, 80's-loving (because let's face it- those were the best times on Earth), movie-going, God-fearing, fun-loving, love-giving, single, professional, and happy mother of two. Originally from Asbury Park New Jersey. I've been a resident of sunny Southern Cali for 26 years now. Currently, I live with my domestic partner of 7 years (and the proud father of our children) in Monrovia, Ca.
 
I have worked all my adult life. I remember my first job. It was a blast. I was 17 years old, and I worked just blocks away from my alma mater, Hollywood High Performing Arts Magnet. (Go Sheiks!) Anyway, when I received my first paycheck, I remember exactly what I did with it: I bought an outfit, a ponytail extension (don't laugh), and a ticket for the first annual 92.3 The Beat Summer Jam--ya'll remember those? It was so much fun. I met and hung out with Tupac Shakur after the show with my friends. In hindsight, probably not so good an idea, but we were safe, respected, and had the best time of our lives. And I had made it all possible! Once I got a taste of making my own money, and being able to set the course for things I wanted to do, have, and experience, I decided that I LOVED to work. I had not been without a job since then...until now.
 
In March of 2007, almost a year after my mother's passing, I received notice that I was being laid off from my $70k+ a year job as a training manager for a major Insurance brokerage firm. It happens all the time, right? And I felt, too, that things would be okay. I mean, I received a great package. I had a couple of weeks, even, to channel my inspirations towards where I wanted to go from there. It felt like a very free time in my life, if that makes sense. I felt liberated, and inspired. I was powerful because I had the freedom of choice. I could choose to do anything I wanted to do! It's a great feeling for a time. Yet, here we are almost 2 years later, and I still have not held a solid position since. What's happening? What's going on?
 
Maybe my story sounds familiar to you. Perhaps you, too, are seeing changes in the organizational structure at your job, and are wondering what you are going to do if you should loose your job. Perhaps you are working and busting your tail everyday for a paycheck that still cannot seem to scratch the surface of all your financial needs. Whatever your story, at the center of it, mine is the same. Fortunately for me, there is such a thing as grace and mercy!
 
I have been in the process of actively seeking aid for my situation. I hope these blog postings will help keep you in the loop of my progress towards re-claiming my piece of middle class  America. I just want to work hard, make a contribution, live life, and take care of my family. We don't ask for much, do we? Journey with me, and let me hear your story, too. You never know what your words can inspire.

Related Materials

Down But Not Out - By Correspondent Judy Muller - A middle class mother of two struggles to keep her family from becoming homeless.

If you'd like to get involved with Mama Hill and her program, you can do so directly at Mama Hill's Help. Housing and community group ACORN provides a broad range of services, including frst-time home-buyer seminars in both English and Spanish. The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles has an Eviction Defense Center that helps people with Section 8 housing, habitability issues, rent control, and 30-day notices. In addition to attorneys, they need volunteers to help elderly, disabled, or single parent tenants move, participate in presentations and help in educational seminars.

Watch this week's full episode:

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Millicent Hill, better known as Mama Hill, runs an afterschool program in Watts for at-risk youth.  Hill developed a “Safe Passage” program to transport children from different gang-affiliated neighborhoods to her home, where she helps them stay on top of their school work and out of gang life.  Over one hundred children a month take part in “Mama Hill’s Help Inc.”

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Every Thursday, SoCal Connected will be featuring your reactions, thoughts and commentary on the previous week’s show. We’re calling the segment "The Water Cooler" in homage to that gathering place in every workplace, office and school where people steal a few moments out from a busy day in order to discuss the most pressing question of our time - namely, what they watched on TV (or TiVo) last night.

(Or in the case of our virtual water cooler: Discuss what they watched on SoCal Connected!)

To get things started, we thought we would ask two questions we know have been on everyone's minds the last few months:

How is the economic downturn affecting you? Are you afraid of losing your home?

Use the comments below to share your thoughts and responses to those questions, and we’ll feature some of your comments on the Thursday, October 2^nd show. Please make sure to use leave us a valid email address so that we can verify your identity. Your comment WILL NOT air if we can't comment you, so leave SUNSTUD37 in chat where he belongs and use your real email; we promise to keep it a secret!