A Guide For the Nouveau Poor

You know there is something wrong in our society when a national newspaper is publishing “A Guide For the Newly Poor.” The article is geared toward people (mostly working families and adults) who are at risk of being homeless.

The Los Angeles Times just published this guide yesterday. It shows people how to navigate the world of social services. How to get food from a food bank, how to find an emergency shelter or long-term rental housing. How to get medical care, etc.

It’s for people that we would never imagine becoming homeless. But in this scary economy, more people are losing jobs, being evicted from apartments, losing their homes, or falling into debt.

It’s scary when one in ten people who are paying a home mortgage are two months behind in payments. Or when 1.25 million jobs have been lost in the last three months.

You know there is something wrong… when we are preparing folks who are currently housed to access homeless services. From Starbucks-sipping Latte drinks to foodlines at the local soup kitchen--something has got to change.

(Pic from http://blogs.denverpost.com)