One of the differences in the job I have today versus the straight street outreach I did previously is that not everyone I have contact with is on the street. In fact, more and more I'm getting people in my office who've never before needed to ask for any assistance from any agency because they've been working at good jobs for most of their lives. Unfortunately, this economy has slapped a goodly portion of our population of middle and upper middle class with hardships previously unknown to them, especially in regards to the job market.
Yesterday for example, I spoke to a man who told me that "the day I closed on my home in Brentwood, I also received my layoff." Now granted, those of you who know Brentwood's reputation will probably have a hard time feeling sorry for someone from that city who has been laid off; the joke would be that he could probably just sell one of his houses and weather the recession just fine.
And guess what; the truth is that this particular man does indeed have another home, in Texas, and according to him, he's going to have to "rent it out instead of letting it sit vacant." Poor guy....
I tell you this only because it illustrates the level at which the economic downturn has reached; this gentleman was/is highly educated and held a job as a policy analyst for a very well known organization out of Washington DC until being given his pink slip.
Rising Unemployment Rate Affects Mid-State Residents
Posted: Nov 06, 2009 10:15 PM CST
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Numbers released from the month of October show the unemployment rate jumped almost a half point. It is at the highest level in 26 years, 10.2 percent. Middle Tennessee is feeling the affects.
When someone loses a job, he or she can only hold on to their home for so long. Eventually many end up on the street.
Terry Windham is one of the casualties of the recession. He has been to Smyrna, LaVergne, Murfreesboro and Nashville looking for work.
He's walked every mile of the journey, all in an effort to find work. Seven months ago, Terry had a job, a home and a car.
The garage door company he worked for shut down in April. Out of work, Terry was forced to spend his savings and sell his belongings to pay the rent.
"Just more or less an independent person thinking something would come up. Something never has come up, so now here I am seven months later," said Terry Windham, homeless.
On Friday, Terry decided he'd had enough for sleeping outside. The cool nights had taken their toll.
"My last resort was to come to the mission so I could lay my head, so I wouldn't freeze to death at night," said Terry.
With unemployment numbers continuing to climb, officials at the Nashville Rescue Mission said Terry wasn't alone.
"We've seen Terry's scenario play out every single day. There are companies laying off all of the time," said Ed Grimes, Nashville Rescue Mission.
Most, like Terry, stick to the streets as long as they can.
"Man I tell you what. I just, I would never dream this on nobody. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy," said Terry.
Given the state of the economy, Terry isn't sure when he'll find work.
"There's work. There's got to be work out there. I mean there's something. There's got to be something," said Terry.
People at the Nashville Rescue Mission said over the past six months, 55 percent of their new arrivals have lost a job.
On an average November night about 600 will come in from the cold. This November they are averaging between 700 and 800 people each night.
The U.S. Labor Department estimates 190,000 Americans lost their job during the month of October.
When someone loses a job, he or she can only hold on to their home for so long. Eventually many end up on the street.
Terry Windham is one of the casualties of the recession. He has been to Smyrna, LaVergne, Murfreesboro and Nashville looking for work.
He's walked every mile of the journey, all in an effort to find work. Seven months ago, Terry had a job, a home and a car.
The garage door company he worked for shut down in April. Out of work, Terry was forced to spend his savings and sell his belongings to pay the rent.
"Just more or less an independent person thinking something would come up. Something never has come up, so now here I am seven months later," said Terry Windham, homeless.
On Friday, Terry decided he'd had enough for sleeping outside. The cool nights had taken their toll.
"My last resort was to come to the mission so I could lay my head, so I wouldn't freeze to death at night," said Terry.
With unemployment numbers continuing to climb, officials at the Nashville Rescue Mission said Terry wasn't alone.
"We've seen Terry's scenario play out every single day. There are companies laying off all of the time," said Ed Grimes, Nashville Rescue Mission.
Most, like Terry, stick to the streets as long as they can.
"Man I tell you what. I just, I would never dream this on nobody. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy," said Terry.
Given the state of the economy, Terry isn't sure when he'll find work.
"There's work. There's got to be work out there. I mean there's something. There's got to be something," said Terry.
People at the Nashville Rescue Mission said over the past six months, 55 percent of their new arrivals have lost a job.
On an average November night about 600 will come in from the cold. This November they are averaging between 700 and 800 people each night.
The U.S. Labor Department estimates 190,000 Americans lost their job during the month of October.
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1 Comments:
I'm not surprised. Someone just gave me the unemployment stats collected for our neighbourhood [not including underemployed or those who don't show up on the radar such as de-housed] and it's 47%.
Michael Moore talks about Flynt Michigan where it's 50%.
I'd suggest most "poor" and working class, and lower middle class neighbourhoods are in a similar situation.
There's been uprisings with less provocation.
MetisRebel
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