When you lose your house, where do you go?

[upi402]

I'm not so arrogant that I think it could never happen to me.
But for the grace of god, there go I.

But I'm wondering lately, where do all those who've had their houses foreclosed on go?
Are homeless ranks swelling? Or does family take them in?

This has to be a new social phenomenon that I imagine the traitorous corporate TV News would never report.

[evlbstrd]

1. I can only speak for myself.

Knowing I was going to lose my home anyway, I scraped together deposit and rent money rather than sink what little I had into a lost cause. I moved.

[upi402]

3. Around here, rent is more than my mortgage!

I live in a tiny old house now, sold my rentals. But I could live in a tiny old apartment happily to come out the other side of this crap to see a more socialist democratic government in America.

Oops, I said the dirty 'S' word. At least I didn't say the 'L' word!

[pitohui]

37. well yeah because you have to allow for the landlord's profit

same way here, not sure why it's ever otherwise that for equivalent properties rent could possibly be lower than mortgage -- it wouldn't make sense -- landlord presumably has to pay a mortgage plus may have a higher property tax and has to maintain (can't let things slide as long as you can if you're living in your own home, altho some of them sure try!)

[roguevalley]

18. some of them are abandoning their animals in their homes and if

they aren't checked, the animals starve to death horribly.

[evlbstrd]

24. I brought mine with me.

[roguevalley]

35. I am sick for everyone. this sucks so badly. the banks should be

keeping people in their homes.

[northernlights]

60. that is what I truly do NOT understand

Animal shelters may be overcrowded, but they will take them in and find foster homes.

There is no excuse for this. NONE. It makes me totally sick to death.

[20score]

39. You know, there is a post here looking for stories like yours.

[Fridays Child]

2. Here's where some people go...

...that is, if they're lucky enough to have vehicles: http://earthhopenetwork.net/forum/showthread.php?tid=1295

[Robbien]

4. First they rely on family and move in with them

Some prepare finances ahead of time and rent
Some move into shelters (which is no longer an option because most are full)
Some move into cars
Some move into tent cities
Some disappear into the vast hoards on the street

[struggle4progress]

56. abandoned buildings. sleeping bags in the woods.

in some cities, in the underground tubes

[OhioChick]

5. With so many dirt cheap homes being foreclosed on

In Cleveland.....I have no idea where they go. Renting is much more expensive. I would assume that many go live with family. For those with no family....a shelter, perhaps?

On edit to add: On the local news, they've been showing many people sleeping on the stairs of the Justice Center and on the benches in Public Square in downtown Cleveland.

[Ichingcarpenter]

6. I have three months of cash left and no income

Close to losing my Condo

I don't know

[2hip]

27. same here but i am disabled and bed bound

it is not a situation where i can live in my car. the hemlock society may hold my only option.

[Ezlivin]

38. Let's not even go there...

I'm disabled, too, though I'm not "bed bound."

Damn. Just thinking about losing my house is scarier than hell.

And suicide is not a solution: Stay alive to fight back! Your voice is still a powerful weapon when teamed with others.

[2hip]

59. where - exactly - should the foreclosure folks

park my bed WITH ME IN IT? i am open for your suggestions.....

[Ezlivin]

69. No kidding....

People simply don't have a clue. I mean, look at the homeless: How many of them do you see that are in power wheelchairs or hospital beds?

But, hey, there's always those millionaire faith healers, right?

[TeeYiYi]

28. Have you tried . . .

. . . taking temp jobs while you look for employment?

Unless I'm not understanding your situation... A little bit of income is better than zero.

TYY

[Subdivisions]

74. Sorry to hear this, Ichingcarpenter. I wish you all the best. Do you have

any idea what you'll do if you don't find work?

I wonder how many DUers are just this close to being homeless. And, while we're on that subject, can we please take a moment to think of those DUers we know and love who are and have been homeless like bobbolink and others.

[Double T]

7. You are so right; specially in an election year with TONS of bad news.

Individuals and families are living in their cars, trucks, RVs, tents and anywhere else they can find shelter. I find it interesting that the spineless criminals on wall street and their shills are attempting to blame the borrowers when the mortgagors sold fraudulently represented loans; typical for these CON artists. The bush/cheney greatest depression will add many more victims to their homeless ranks as jobs losses mount and foreclosures sore to unbelievable, incomprehensible levels. ANYONE may become a victim; no one is immune.

[Connonym]

8. In my case, living with family

it's stressful on all of us but it's what had to be done. My major concern is that with a foreclosure on my credit report that I will have a hard time getting someone to rent to me. Plus I have 2 golden retriever mixes. I've lost so much that the thought of losing my dogs is too much to bear. I pay rent, I'm raising 2 kids and also paying an obscene amount to store my stuff -- it's hard to raise a security deposit because they charge more if you have bad credit plus extra for the dog. One place I looked at wanted $800 extra deposit for one dog plus $80 more a month and no way would they let me have both even though there is a nearby dog park where the dogs can go for their exercise. RockConnonymHardplace <--- me

[grasswire]

9. some get a camper...

...with whatever cash they have left. A camper-van or an old RV or some such thing. They park it where they can. If they have money for a RV park, great. If not, city streets beckon, despite laws against sleeping in cars.

These decisions and questions will be more and more common soon.

[mnhtnbb]

10. My friend who lived in Michigan had her house foreclosed two years ago.

Her hubby became ill and had to go on disability. She was laid off. Took her almost a year
to find another job. By that time they were behind on house payments. Bank foreclosed
and they moved into a rental.

Hubby's health improved and he found work in Las Vegas. They moved over a year ago.
She joined a union to work backstage on production of conventions.

I haven't heard from her in awhile.

[Wiley50]

11. I bought a 28 ft sailboat on ebay for $2500

It was the only home I could afford to own

but first

I lost my house in 2002 while waiting for my disability to go through

First, I moved in with my mom who had terminal cancer

It finally went through in 2005 and I got a small lump sum.

three months before Mom died.

I bought the boat with that money

[phusion]

44. neat...

how much do you pay for slip fees?

I've always thought it would be cool to retire in a boat. :)

[Wiley50]

64. Actually, I'm out of the water doing deep rebuild right now

on a friend's farm. For free

Slip fees were $250-$350/ month

[Webster Green]

12. I lived under a bridge at one time..

..Until the cops came and trashed my campsite.

Fuckers! :mad:

[murielm99]

13. Some live in motels or residential hotels.

It is horrid. There is nothing for them to do all day. Their kids get into trouble out of boredom.

Many residential hotels have closed. They used to be more available to retirees and people with limited incomes. Some of them were shabby, but not too bad. We had one in our community for years. They are closed now. At one time, they had a waiting list for homeless individuals and families. Most of the people moved on after they found work and better living situations. I don't know where those financially distressed people are going now.

[bkkyosemite]

14. I have been a renter all of my life (62) and never saw this before but I moved from one state to

another. I had been on the computer 6 months prior checking out the rentals in the new area. There were plenty up to about 3 months before I was to move. Suddenly all those houses and duplex's I had been looking at disappeared. We got here and stayed in a motel for three days. Even the house we found just before we left was rented (two days later) and there were no more houses (except for very expensive ones)no more duplex's just a few apartments. I have never seen it like this. I asked the property management people who had the scores of rentals months before and they said it was because many were losing their homes and renting so rentals were becoming very scarce. We were fortunate to find a decent place probably because it was a 55+ or I think we would have used all of our money for eats and motel expenses and not have been able to give deposits and rent. All those homes sitting there vacant and rentals becoming scarce.

[upi402]

17. They say rent is high here because there's fewer rentals

and more demand, of course. But house prices here aren't dropping much yet. The word is that rentals will be more and more in demand but like houses before.... who can pay these prices?

[Catherine Vincent]

15. I'll kick and recommend this.

Interesting reading the responses.

[JNelson6563]

16. K&R

Good discussion.

[OxQQme]

19. Used single wides are cheap.

Park space rental is usually less than to rent an apartment.

[PJPhreak]

20. Stealth Camping...

Is something that a lot of Homeless are VERY good at.I was houseless (Homeless on purpose,I'm a Deadhead) for 15-17 years on and off and learned a shitload about surviving on American Streets in the process.
I can and have slept in places that would amaze most people. Dupont Circle Wash.D.C. for example

A suggestion...Invest in some GOOD Backpacking Gear (Pack,Tent,Stove,Sleeping Bag,Proper Clothing for the area your in) It may pay you well in the next few years.For years My Friends and Family Thought I was crazy for being so anal about my Backpacking Gear/Touring Bicycle and Trailer....They also thought I was nuts for trying to tell them that maybe they ought to pay for their house before buying the Corvette!!

[formercia]

23. Camping out in the open

I spent a Winter in the Talladega National Forest in Al. There were many free campsites and as long as I didn't stay in one site more than two weeks, there was really nothing they could do except spend a fortune running surveillance. The rangers and I were on good terms. I obeyed the rules and left the sites cleaner that I found them. They were sorry to see me go because of all the overtime they made watching me.
Surprisingly, in the South, the temperature tended to be warmer with increasing altitude. When the cold fronts moved in, the cold air tended to stay in the valleys leading to a temperature inversion.
17 deg. F was the lowest temperature I encountered. That may seem cold, but after a while your body gets used to it.

[upi402]

32. Did you use tent and backpack gear or vehicle?

Around here it gets wet and cold, even snows. A vehicle would seem necessary. I notice VW Westfalia vans are EXPENSIVE now.

[upi402]

33. Here's a good 'Homeless Parking' link...

"...RV's and campers and truckers tend to find lonely stretches of road and congregate. These can often be found near beaches, near lakes, just off the highway, and in other more or less remote places. Where you find such a congregation, you can park with safety. Watch the crowd. It knows more than individuals do. The favorite in a horse race wins about 33% of the time, but the very best handicappers in the world pick the winner 17% of the time. Crowds know. These are places that are ignored by law enforcement, yet offer no particular temptations to criminals. "


http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/2004/11/finding-parking-place.html

[formercia]

34. 72 VW Camper

I've camped out for months in a tent but when the snow gets deep, something solid works better.

If you take two tarps big enough to cover your tent, use one for a floor and the other as a second covering, I find that, even during heavy rain over extended periods, the tent will stay dry.

The biggest problem is being hassled by the authorities. Always have a good reason for being somewhere and never admit you are broke. They love to invoke vagrancy laws.

I told the rangers I was panning Gold.

I did get hassled by an ex sheriff who pulled a gun on me and threatened to suicide me.

[upi402]

51. He threatened to "suicide you"!?! My gawd

These conservatives have a prison mentality. I hope this economic crash touches them, and touches them hard. Too bad the rest of us get hit with their stupid stick too.

[formercia]

62. Lots of really mean rednecks in that area.

This is where the surveillance was to my advantage.

Having several guns and a few thousand rounds of ammunition was comforting as well.:evilgrin:

Every few weeks, I would get called to the head ranger's office for some minor infraction. It was constant harassment. The best thing is to be polite and not repeat the same mistake.

[Jed Dilligan]

68. A sleeping partner is better than a vehicle.

You can freeze to death under the illusion that a car will keep you warm. Sleep wrapped up together with your dog(s) or favorite person(s).

[SlowDownFast]

41. Yep. Been there, done that.

West Coast, mostly. Play guitar, spange for whatever you need.

Damn cops bother ya almost everywhere, too.

"...they just won't let ya be."

Learned alot of survival skills.

[tammywammy]

21. Honestly, I'd move in with my dad

It would be horrible, we're great together for 3 hr increments at most.

I have enough in savings that if I lost my job tomorrow I can make all my bills for a few months.

[remember2000forever]

22. EVERYBODY, PLEASE READ!!!!!!!

IF you do go into a Rental, or are in a Rental, make sure that it is not in pre-foreclosure by checking the County Records or Using A Realtor. AND CHECK THEM OFTEN! I had a customer yesterday who came home from the hospital with a new baby after renting for several years to find a Foreclosure Notice to the owner in her mailbox. (Yes, they did open it illegally because it looked official). They now have to find a new place to live before the end of the year with a brand new baby. MANY, MANY, (and I personally know some) homeowners are taking the Rental Mortgage Money to use for their own Mortgages and letting their rental property go into Foreclosure.

So Please, Check Your Rental Property Status Regularly, And Often!!!!!!

[Jed Dilligan]

25. Downtown, by the railroad tracks. I recommend the river if you have one.

If you're in the suburbs, the grungiest shopping center nearby. Make friends with employees and they will probably let you set up camp in the alley out back.

[Realityhack]

26. K & R. Great post and excelent responces.

I feel so fortunate to have a decent job right now. This is a very important issue.

[PassingFair]

29. I wrote to Michael Moore two years ago about a TV series I called "Foreclosure".

Maybe someone else can suggest it, too.

I think a BRIGHT spotlight should be shone
on the pain and suffering of the populace
under GWB.

I think it would benefit people to see their
options, and see how other families and individuals
cope with what is becoming a common occurrence.

[LWolf]

30. I often wonder that myself.

It's not easy to rent without a good credit rating, and defaulting on a mortgage is going to affect that rating, isn't it? Depending on where you live and work, rents may be more than the mortgage was.

My son pays the same amount in rent for a one bedroom apartment in studio city, near to where he works, that I do for my mortgage, including taxes and insurance, on 6 acres 1000 miles away.

My budget, with my mortgage, is too tight to be comfortable. It's always the first thing that gets paid, though, because I can't afford to move.

[uppityperson]

31. Move in with other family, preferably with a big garden and land.

You can survive there for a while, hoping that in 5-10 yrs things change. Family compounds may be common more common, or friends compounds. Living rural, I've offered space here for family and city friends.

[pitohui]

36. when my next door neighbor lost his house he died (in his mid 50s)

i was shocked, i never knew he was ill, altho i was aware he was financially stressed

apparently he just had a heart attack and went to sleep and that's the end of the story

family couldn't take him in, it was the reverse, his daughter and her baby was living w. him, no idea what happened to her, i'm sure it wasn't particularly pleasant

[SlowDownFast]

40. Bushtowns.

Tent cities.

They're already cropping up in Reno, etc.

Reminicent of the Hoovervilles that cropped up everywhere around the country in the '30's.

[handmade34]

42. Hoovervilles...

[ContinentalOp]

43. Just move into one of your other seven houses.

:shrug:

[Justpat]

45. If you have a car, you start living in the car.

When the car goes, you are on the street.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

46. Our company gives what we call relocation assistance.

Hopefully that helps people get into at least an apartment. We aren't mean to these people. We actually try to help them.
Others, I imagine, get help from their family.
Duckie

[TheKentuckian]

47. Bounce around the couches of family and friends

sleep in your car, do some camping. It sucks.
Don't trust the storage places to keep your things if things get tight and you're late on a payment, they'll sell you out of all your life for nothing and send you a bill.

Check Craig's list and the like, if you can find someone acceptable then there are people just like you trying to save their homes and you can move in for a reasonable rate. For all this crying about socialism, there are sure a lot of people have to go communal to stay off the streets. Possibly it will get much worse as the jobs all dry up and even packing a family or two extra into a single dwelling won't work and its off to the breadlines when you leave the tent.

[pitohui]

63. VERY wise advise about the storage places

i never used them myself as in my homeless days i had so little it could fit in the trunk of my car but i have known other people who did over the years and it seemed like good stuff would mysteriously disappear from their unit or, as you say, miss a payment and suddenly the stuff is sold at auction or thrown away, even stuff that benefits them not like your personal photos

have a trusted friend who can store your photos in her attic, also be aware that you can put a certain number of photos online for free at photobucket

don't lose your good memories to the storage unit scam

[cliffordu]

48. I was homeless for a while...

I keep a military bivy bag and a good sleeping bag, fire starting equipment ready to go.....

[upi402]

53. When folks have nothing to lose...

watch out!
:hide:

[cliffordu]

61. That's right. When the anesthesia of consumption wears off, the payback is hell.

[frankowen7]

49. I'm looking for people that have these types of stories.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4285102&mesg_id=4285102

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[onethatcares]

52. so what did you do when you lost your home?

btw, have a nice stay.

[upi402]

54. mau-mau defined

To attack or denounce vociferously, especially so as to intimidate: “In years past, … would mau-mau the government or the corporate sector or the white community”

further

Militant Kikuyu-led nationalist movement of the 1950s in Kenya. The Mau Mau (the name's origin is uncertain) advocated violent resistance to British domination in Kenya. In response to actions by Mau Mau rebels, the British Kenya government banned the movement in 1950 and launched a series of military operations between 1952 and 1956. Some 11,000 Kikuyu, 100 Europeans, and 2,000 African loyalists were killed in the fighting; another 20,000 Kikuyu were put into detention camps. Despite their losses, Kikuyu resistance spearheaded the independence movement, and Jomo Kenyatta, jailed as a Mau Mau leader in 1953, became prime minister of independent Kenya in 1963. In 2003 the ban on the Mau Mau was lifted.

[mdmc]

55. I will be going to emergency housing

when it is my time:(

[JBoy]

57. In Canada, the BC Supreme Court just overturned a bylaw that prohibited camping in city parks

on the basis that it violated the rights of the homeless.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=ed961911-b8cf-45ff-b087-fecd9712a298

VICTORIA - The city's homeless can now set up camp in Victoria parks, according to a B.C. Supreme Court decision Tuesday.

"Yesterday it was illegal to set up my tent. Today it isn't," said David Johnston, one of the homeless activists who argued they have a right to sleep outdoors on public property.

Lawyer Catherine Boies Parker, who acted on behalf of the homeless campers in their court challenge of the city's anti-camping bylaw, confirmed the 108-page judgment upheld their argument that a City of Victoria bylaw that prohibits using "temporary abodes" like tents and large tarpaulins for shelter in parks and public spaces violates the rights of the homeless.

She said the judgment noted that in the absence of sufficient safe and secure beds for the homeless, it was unconstitutional for the city to prevent them from erecting some form of shelter to protect themselves from the elements.

----------
more

[Birthday]

58. They should check in at

at their local Republican campaign headquarters.

[scrappydo]

65. I had to move in with a friend...,

and, believe me, that was no picnic! And, no, I was not one of those folks who got sucked into a loan I could not afford. I lost my job, could not work because I became seriously ill, (probably partly as a result of the stress), and the medical bills piled up. It is a situation that can happen to anyone - no one has a free-for-life pass.

[upi402]

66. I give that scenario often. Medical or legal problems, and WHAM

you're on the bricks.

There was a Labor & Industries adjuster (injury claim denier, in reality) who got injured in a car accident. Soon after, the adjuster got hit again, bad, at the same spot. The person couldn't sit and work for a long time. Then when the adjuster returned to work, the person had to get psychiatric counseling because of the guilt from screwing other victims lives up... grew a conscience AFTER he/she got his/her own pain.

Funny how the worm turns.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

67. Go Read the ads under "Housing Wanted" on Craigslist.com

Some of them will break your heart.

[upi402]

70. Wow, you're right. The second one I read is a heartbreaker...

"Hello. I'm having a difficult time finding a place to live because of a disability and bad medical debt as a result of numerous hospital visits and surgeries. I have no idea where to turn at this point. I can't rent a room in a house, unless it's a completely separate area of the house with a private bathroom, but even then nobody wants someone in their home who has to stay there most of the time because they're ill. I really need my own place for numerous personal reasons. I receive $1740.40 month in social security disability, so I have the means to pay up to $900 month, including utilities, but I would like to find something for around $600-$700 month if at all possible.I need to be in the downtown area because all of my doctors are there and my condition is serious enough that when I have a flare-up, I need to be able to get to the hospital quickly and easily.

I'm a 44 year old, college educated female with no pets and no children. When I was able to work, I was a Project Engineer and Strategic Planning Manager for large telecommunications firms. I traveled all over the world and had a very exciting career as a senior executive. I miss working so I try to fill my spare time doing something constructive.

..."


I wonder if people ever regret supporting politicians who make life so harsh for people. I'm not implying this person was a republican but I bet it happens a lot. I know I've judged others only to find out the hard way what it's like when it happened to me. The truth set me free but the price was pain.

[Neshanic]

72. The Craigslist posts are just heartbreaking.

[arcadian]

71. Outside

:-(

[AccessGranted]

73. I Bailed Before My Ameriquest Mortgage Blew...Sold House and Became A Renter

I saw this coming a mile away and I sold my house to an investor a few years ago and my two oldest kids were moving out anyway, so I didn't need the big old house. I do miss it though - a lot. I made just enough off the sale to rent a small apartment for myself and my youngest son. I also joined the Ameriquest class action suit and got some of the over-charges on the mortgage closing costs back, which was a good thing. I didn't want to wait until the shit hit the fan. I just bailed before things got ugly. Ameriquest was the worst - lies and misrepresentations. They gave me a mortgage and the entire application was one big lie. I told the truth, they lied on the application and just created facts, so I could get the mortgage. I brought the house because it was cheap and at the time I was a single mother, divorced with three school age children back then. I knew I couldn't afford it and damn sure wouldn't be able to when the mortgage blew through the roof, but the opportunity to buy the house came unexpectedly and I needed a place to live, so I went for it, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep the house forever. I've been homeless before through no fault of my own with kids and it sucked really, really bad. Don't want to go there again, so I always try to stay one step ahead of things, maybe two steps. Now I'm in my little apartment with my son and we're okay. I truly feel for all the people losing their houses.