Episode 101: September 2008 Archives

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 the full episode:

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In honor of Black History Month, the web-team wants you to watch our short video profiling a local hero fighting to keep her home.

Millicent Hill, better known as Mama Hill, runs an afterschool program in Watts for at-risk youth. Hill developed a “Safe Passage,” program to help 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!

Patt Morrison, columnist for the LA Times and radio host on KPCC, looks at one of California's favorite "blood sports" -- real estate -- and how hard times have affected it.

California's unemployment rate hit a 12-year high this year putting a lot of people out of work who didn't expect to lose their jobs - people who had never been without work before. This is Roslyn Lee's story.

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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.

More