Last night I watched "Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County" on HBO. I'm having a hard time thinking about anything else right now. It was heartbreaking hearing the kids talk about their experiences. One of the most ironic things was that they were living in a Motel across from Disneyland, "The Happiest Place on Earth" and most if not all had never been inside. This is all taking place about 15 minutes from where I live. I know this is a problem across the United States, but it sure hits home when it's happening just down the road from you.
As a parent I can't imagine anything worse than being in that situation.These are working parents, living paycheck to paycheck but not making enough to afford an apartment or house. A quote from Director Alexandra Pelosi: "What people don't realize is that the recession made a lot more people homeless in America. This film could have been made in any zip code in America. Homeless is no longer what you thought it was. It's not a mentally-ill drug addicted hobo begging for change on the street corner. It's the people working at Wal-mart, Disneyland, Home Depot-working at minimum wage jobs across America".
Very eye opening. Makes you grateful for what you have. If you feel the need to do something, you can help here and here.
4 comments:
I could not agree more! I've seen friends who had big jobs in NYC loose their home this year bc of layoffs. Fortunately they are employed again + can rent. But I know that is not ususally the case.
I cry watching the news or reading the papar when I see this... I don't think I could watch this movie bc it is just so heartbreaking, but it is good that it is out there for all of the people who might not be aware of the situation in this country + who may have stereotyped the homeless as being the way you described.
Even if people are not in a position to help finacially, we can always change our attitiudes + make a difference with our votes.
alison
I couldn't agree more. I think we, as Americans, need to look at what is causing this problem. The media and others are pointing fingers at people saying sub-prime mortgages, lay offs, and recession - but in truth it's greed.
There is always plenty to go around for everyone. What is eye opening is that in the 1950's most people were a 1 income family who could afford a car, a house, and meals for their families. They had larger families and often owned their own homes in 10 years.
Where as in today's society a 2 income family can't afford the same things. We take out 30+ year mortgages, most people never get to the point where their home is paid off, and the majority of the things are bought on credit. The reason things are bought on credit is because our income is far less than the price to live.
My mother and I have been trying to give back as much as we can in our community. We are hosting free tag sales offering things out of our gardens (we always grow more than we can eat), things we are no longer in need of, and clothes that we no longer fit into - for FREE. We count our blessing on how fortunate we are and remind ourselves that we have more chairs in our home than we can sit in at any one time.
That is so cool that you and your mother help like that.
Anything/everything helps. I've had my kids{along with me}serve food at a soup kitchen and feed the homeless on Thanksgiving, an experience all of us will never forget. I'd gladly spend our holidays serving every year. The problem is~ that's when most people feel the need to help, but help is needed all year round.
Thanks, Kristen, for sharing the trailer and getting the word out about the documentary. Our hope is that this film will help dispell myths about homelessness and encourage lawmakers to address the root causes. The solution is so simple.
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