http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/19/homeless.mom/index.html

Quote :

" SANTA BARBARA, California (CNN) -- Barbara Harvey climbs into the back of her small Honda sport utility vehicle and snuggles with her two golden retrievers, her head nestled on a pillow propped against the driver's seat. art.sleeping.cnn.jpg A former loan processor, the 67-year-old mother of three grown children said she never thought she'd spend her golden years sleeping in her car in a parking lot. "This is my bed, my dogs," she said. "This is my life in this car right now." Harvey was forced into homelessness earlier this year after being laid off. She said that three-quarters of her income went to paying rent in Santa Barbara, where the median house in the scenic, oceanfront city costs more than $1 million. She lost her condo two months ago and had little savings as backup. "It went to hell in a handbasket," she said. "I didn't think this would happen to me. It's just something that I don't think that people think is going to happen to them is what it amounts to. It happens very quickly, too." Harvey now works part time for $8 an hour, and she draws Social Security to help make ends meet. But she still cannot afford an apartment, and so every night she pulls into a gated parking lot to sleep in her car, along with other women who find themselves in a similar predicament. Video Watch women who live in their cars » There are 12 parking lots across Santa Barbara that have been set up to accommodate the growing middle-class homelessness. These lots are believed to be part of the first program of its kind in the United States, according to organizers. The lots open at 7 p.m. and close at 7 a.m. and are run by New Beginnings Counseling Center, a homeless outreach organization. It is illegal for people in California to sleep in their cars on streets. New Beginnings worked with the city to allow the parking lots as a safe place for the homeless to sleep in their vehicles without being harassed by people on the streets or ticketed by police. Harvey stays at the city's only parking lot for women. "This is very safe, and that's why I feel very comfortable," she said. Nancy Kapp, the New Beginnings parking lot coordinator, said the group began seeing a need for the lots in recent months as California's foreclosure crisis hit the city hard. She said a growing number of senior citizens, women and lower- and middle-class families live on the streets. See how foreclosure filings are up 75 percent » "You look around today and there are so many," said Kapp, who was homeless with her young daughter two decades ago. "I see women sleeping on benches. It's heartbreaking." Don't Miss She added, "The way the economy is going, it's just amazing the people that are becoming homeless. It's hit the middle class." She and others with New Beginnings walk the streets looking for people and families sleeping in their cars. The workers inform them about the parking lot program. New Beginnings screens people to make sure they won't cause trouble. No alcohol or drugs are allowed in the parking lots. "What we are trying to do is we pull bad apples out, and we put good apples in the parking lots and really help people out," said Shaw Tolley, another coordinator with New Beginnings. Most of the time, the lots are transition points. New Beginnings works with each person to try to find a more permanent housing solution. "It saddens me when they live in their vehicles," Tolley said. "It is not the most ideal situation for senior citizens and families, but it is reality." He added, "We need to engage this problem. This is reality." John Quigley, an economics professor at the University of California-Berkeley, said the California housing crisis has left many middle-class families temporarily homeless or forced them to go to food banks to feed their families. "Part of the reason why it's so painful in Santa Barbara is there's so little in the way of alternative housing," Quigley said. "If there were alternative low and moderate housing and rental accommodations that were reasonably close by, you can imagine it wouldn't have this desperate look to it as people living in their cars." At the only lot for women in Santa Barbara, it's a tough existence. There are no showers or running water. On the night CNN visited, a half-dozen women already were in the parking lot before nightfall. Linn Labou, 54, lives in her car with four cats. She used to be in the National Guard and is on a waiting list for government housing, but the wait is a year long. "I went looking for family, but I couldn't get them to help me," she said. As for Harvey, she begins each day by walking her two dogs before going to her part-time job. She leaves the dogs in her car with its windows cracked while she works. advertisement It's another chapter in her life that she's certain she'll get through, even though she said she knows it pains her children. Her 19-year-old daughter moved in with friends to avoid being homeless. Her other children live overseas. "My daughter especially is very unhappy. Sometimes she'll cry and she'll call and say, 'Mom, I just can't stand it that you are living in a car,' " Harvey said. "I'll say, 'You know what? This is OK for right now because I'm safe, I'm healthy, the dogs are doing OK and I have a job and things will get better.' " "

5/20/2008 3:13:13 PM

Quote :

"A former loan processor, the 67-year-old mother of three grown children said she never thought she'd spend her golden years sleeping in her car in a parking lot."

GG kids! Way to help out mom!

5/20/2008 3:29:14 PM

I was surprised at the plight of this woman, but the question begs to be asked. Why the fuck does she not just move? I mean she could move to Charleston or Wilmington or something, still live near the beach, and make enough to get an apartment.

5/20/2008 3:29:47 PM

Yeh what stupid fucking kids.

5/20/2008 3:30:20 PM

I sympathize somewhat, but some long term fiscal responsibility could have prevented this.

5/20/2008 3:32:05 PM

moving is not that simple, especially when you're barely making ends meet.

5/20/2008 3:34:32 PM

when its happening so frequently, at some point it's above and beyond just fiscal responsibility.

5/20/2008 3:35:11 PM

She could move two hours east and be paying 1/3 of Santa Barbara's rent. Granted, she'd be living in the desert, but that's better than living in a CRV.

An entrepreneur would be scouring the lot with a fist-full of cash and making low-ball offers on cars.

5/20/2008 3:36:56 PM

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"Why the fuck does she not just move?"

My thoughts exactly. Granted moving ain't cheap but it's a one-time expense. Surely her kids could help with that. She should've moved years ago because of this:

Quote :

"She said that three-quarters of her income went to paying rent in Santa Barbara"

Still sad though.

5/20/2008 3:37:30 PM

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"when its happening so frequently, at some point it's above and beyond just fiscal responsibility."

It is an all-to-frequent lack of common sense.

5/20/2008 3:39:04 PM

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"moving is not that simple, especially when you're barely making ends meet."

She is working part time, drawing social security, and living in her car. How long can it take to save up $1000 or so to move when you are living in a car and you have a job?

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 3:40 PM. Reason : s]

5/20/2008 3:40:08 PM

Quote :

"when its happening so frequently, at some point it's above and beyond just fiscal responsibility."

She was spending 3/4 of her money on rent. I assume that the rest went to other living expenses and nothing went to savings, as she had none. If she had a good head on her shoulders she would have moved somewhere cheaper where she would be able to spend less on housing and actually put some money into one of those "NEST EGG" things.

I'll be damned if I'm renting at 67.

5/20/2008 3:46:34 PM

nothing like this would ever happen to my parents

5/20/2008 3:47:41 PM

The key is she's barely making ends meet, so obviously moving isn't that easy, especially across the country. I know I wouldn't go moving anywhere far without a job and somewhere to live waiting for me.

5/20/2008 3:50:12 PM

What lame-ass children. Geez.

I would never let my parents become homeless. After all they've done to keep my ass afloat during my college years, shit. Giving them my bed and taking the couch for a few weeks is the LEAST I could do.

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 3:51 PM. Reason : me write good soon enough]

5/20/2008 3:50:20 PM

^^^^i'm saying its asinine to solely blame bad fiscal responsibility for all these people's troubles when it's happening all across the country on such a wide scale....although in her case it does appear she made some bad decisions over the years.

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 3:53 PM. Reason : .]

5/20/2008 3:52:52 PM

Quote :

"i'm saying its asinine to solely blame bad fiscal responsibility for all these people's troubles when it's happening all across the country on such a wide scale"

You don't think bad fiscal responsibility could be happening all across the country?

5/20/2008 3:55:43 PM

I feel like it's happening across the country because people aren't educated enough about personal finance, in which case it's more about ignorance than irresponsibility.

5/20/2008 3:56:20 PM

Quote :

"GG kids! Way to help out mom!"

you should probably READ the entire article FIRST. Because then you would have posted GG pride!

5/20/2008 3:57:19 PM

then why hasn't it been happening at this level all along?

was the poverty created during the great depression a result of fiscal irresponsibility/ignorance?

5/20/2008 3:57:47 PM

I can think of a reason she would try to stay and not move- the 19 year old daughter mentioned in the article who has apparently no way to help mom and is having to live with friends. For now- that would be hell to try and save enough to not only move but have something on the other end for you and your kid. The other thing would be trying not to rip the kid out of high school jr/sr year as a reason not to move earlier - moving then is hard and a lot of parents will go to some serious lengths to avoid it.

I'm not saying that is 100% the case, but I don't think we have all the details here to make the kind of judgement calls that people seem to be making about how irresponsible she is. If she lived further from her job you'd be telling us she was irresponsible for having that long of a commute.

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 4:01 PM. Reason : .]

5/20/2008 4:00:21 PM

Quote :

"More than half the land in huge San Mateo County, adjacent to San Francisco, is vacant and is kept that way by law. "

Yay government regulations protecting us from...having a place to live.

5/20/2008 4:01:01 PM

Even if my current situation was the best I could do as an adult, if my mom was ever in a situation like this I would go pick her up, get another job, give her my bedroom to use in my apartment, and sleep on the couch until I could find something better for us. Her kids must be up shit creek if they couldn't help her out when she started having trouble (and still aren't).

And even if it's pride, I'd drag my own mother away kicking and screaming from being homeless in a parking lot. I don't care about pride, it's your mother! We'll work on the pride thing when we find a more sustainable place for you to live.

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 4:04 PM. Reason : ^ And yeah, I tend to agree on that.]

5/20/2008 4:03:08 PM

Quote :

"GG kids! Way to help out mom!"

One of the kids is 19 you fucking retard.

Who knows what the others are doing or how old they are, but I doubt too many of them are of the age where they could take care of a cat, much less a 67-year old woman.

5/20/2008 4:03:43 PM

Also, I'll be damned if I'm still working at 67.

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 4:06 PM. Reason : I admit that's easy to say now]

5/20/2008 4:05:57 PM

5/20/2008 4:06:42 PM

Quote :

"then why hasn't it been happening at this level all along? was the poverty created during the great depression a result of fiscal irresponsibility/ignorance?"

Because the "buy now-pay later" mentality has become ubiquitous over the past decade. The credit crunch has made cheap money less accessible and people who used credit to pay for everything are feeling the heat. Personally, I feel that anything aside from an 80% mortgage is irresponsible.

5/20/2008 4:09:05 PM

Other kids are overseas...yeah, they should probably find a way to get her across the ocean or something, but it's a bit more difficult to make things work when you live on the other side of the world.

Either way, ol lady just needs to move over to Arizona or something.

5/20/2008 4:09:17 PM

that article was sad. especially with the pictures of the dogs with her

5/20/2008 4:12:52 PM

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"One of the kids is 19 you fucking retard."

Little angry, fella? She's an adult, not a toddler. I doubt she's in college, either. She could probably find a way to make a couple hundred bucks a week to help out the woman who supported her for 19 years...

5/20/2008 4:13:24 PM

Quote :

"nothing like this would ever happen to my parents"

5/20/2008 4:15:08 PM

^x5 I agree to a point, but even if you have a managable mortgage, when the value of your house takes a plunge and some unforseen event occurs, it'd be fairly easy to find yourself in that position.

Imo, saying all these problems are solely caused by irresponsibility/ignorance is a gross over-generalization.

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 4:16 PM. Reason : .]

5/20/2008 4:15:50 PM

If the value of your house takes a plunge it doesn't really matter unless you were planning on selling it, your mortgage will stay the same. Hell, my float-down mortgage has gotten better with all of the rate cuts lately.

As far as unforseen events go, a cardinal rule is to have enough money set aside in savings to pay your bills for 6 months should you lose your job. This woman had no savings and was spending 75% of her income on rent in one the most expensive places in the country.

I'm not saying that all of these problems were caused by women with credit cards irresponsibility/ignorance, but I feel as though a majority are.

5/20/2008 4:21:37 PM

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"If the value of your house takes a plunge it doesn't really matter unless you were planning on selling it, your mortgage will stay the same."

it does, however, affect your ability to use equity in your home or refinance. Many of the subprime loans were given with the expectation that rising home prices would allow buyers to refinance before the rates got too high, and protect lenders in the event of foreclosure.

Quote :

"I'm not saying that all of these problems were caused by women with credit cards irresponsibility/ignorance, but I feel as though a majority are."

agreed...On the same token, lender irresponsibility seems to have run rampant in the past 10 years as well.

5/20/2008 4:31:52 PM

Agreed. We're cool now.

Thunderdome will not be necessary.

5/20/2008 4:33:19 PM

Well, it doesn't mention that she was actually a homeowner, just that she lost her condo.

She was probably spending at least $1,200 for a cheap place near the city. I looked at getting a place near UCSB about 5 years back and there wasn't even a studio under $1,000.

5/20/2008 4:33:53 PM

moving HAS to be [more] simple for her now. she has nothing besides a car and two dogs. drive to another, smaller town with a lower costofliving, and get a new $8/hr job. i mean it sucks but i think there's more she could be doing.

5/20/2008 4:34:28 PM

Quote :

"Thunderdome will not be necessary."

5/20/2008 4:37:13 PM

Quote :

"Her 19-year-old daughter moved in with friends to avoid being homeless. Her other children live overseas, and she didn't want to tell them about her living status."

1. Her 19-year-old daughter is a good ol' Generation Y kid. Avoid the negative stigma behind being homeless at all costs, even if it means leaving your mother to fend for herself? Yep, sounds like Generation Y to me.

2. Her children overseas are smart. Get out while you can. Must have been Generation X'ers.

5/20/2008 4:39:34 PM

Here's the first couple Craigslist Santa Barbara apartment ads..... Bolded a couple random ones


$2800 Spacious three-bedroom condo - (Santa Barbara)

$1770 / 2br - Spacious Apartment in Great Complex! - (Goleta) pic

$2400 / 2br - Artist/Writers Paradise - ((HWY 101 N /One mile south of El Capitan)

$2000 Single story two bedroom condo - (Santa Barbara)

$1665 / 4br - 2Bth Value Spacious Living Home @ 2100sf - (Lompoc-North'End)

$1100 / 1br - Beautiful, quiet, furnished, upstairs guesthouse - (Ojai) pic

$2600 / 2br - CAPE COD CUTIE - (Hope School District) pic

$6000 / 5br - Large Family House in Cold Spring School - (Montecito) pic

$2895 / 3br - Great duplex near UCSB /calle real marketplace!!! - (Goleta) pic

$2200 / 4br - House in Ojai - (Ojai/Miramonte)

$1200 / 1br - Mission/De La Vina Apartment - (1923 De La Vina Street #8)

$2000 / 3br - Great Downtown Location! - (2021 State Street) pic

$2000 / 2br - SB Highlands Condo - (1074 Miramonte Drive)

$2500 / 3br - Turnpike Area Home - (Chandler Drive)

$2100 / 2br - 2BD Goleta townhouse - (Goleta/UCSB)

$2500 / 2br - Quality Downtown Craftsman - (DT/Mission) pic

$1495 / 1br - 601 East Anapamu *** Move In Special *** - (Santa Barbara) pic

$1775 WANTED - HIGHLANDS CONDO OR SIMILAR - (MESA)

$2800 / 2br - 1 Bath Cottage - (Montecito)

5/20/2008 4:40:58 PM

Quote :

"moving HAS to be [more] simple for her now. she has nothing besides a car and two dogs. drive to another, smaller town with a lower costofliving, and get a new $8/hr job. i mean it sucks but i think there's more she could be doing."

well i'm pretty sure her credit score will ensure she remains homeless any where she goes.

5/20/2008 4:50:27 PM

Quote :

"Quote : "More than half the land in huge San Mateo County, adjacent to San Francisco, is vacant and is kept that way by law. " Yay government regulations protecting us from...having a place to live. "

I don't get it... do you want them to build tenements in a upper class area? There is plenty of housing available in the Bay Area... they restrict the number of new developments that can be made to keep pollution down and keep "green space" up... that's why the air is so much better up here than in SoCal... plus a large portion of that can't really be built up anyway since it's rugged mountains..

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 4:55 PM. Reason : x]

5/20/2008 4:53:56 PM

Quote :

"1. Her 19-year-old daughter is a good ol' Generation Y kid. Avoid the negative stigma behind being homeless at all costs, even if it means leaving your mother to fend for herself? Yep, sounds like Generation Y to me."

What is she going to do...live in the car with her fucking mom?? Her mom can't get better than an $8 an hour job, which can't afford rent anywhere...yet the daughter is suppose to get an even better job to support both her and her mom??

You guys are being ridiculous. My roommate is 28 with a law degree and a decent job and is talking about getting a bartending gig on the weekends to support his mom who has now run out of money...and that's with the help of his other lawyer brother who is making 80K straight out of law school (with school debt to pay off).

5/20/2008 4:58:39 PM

^^Yeah, there's a place where people that can't afford to live near CA's coast live. It's called East.

Wild guess, but I'd say at least 80% of California is open space. Ever driven from San Diego to Las Vegas? Las Vegas to anywhere in CA?

^She's on SS as well. $8.00 is minimum wage in CA btw. She isn't going to be able to afford anything within 50 miles of Santa Barbara working full-time at $12.00 an hour. She needs to gtfo.




[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 5:05 PM. Reason : a]

5/20/2008 5:00:55 PM

Quote :

"well i'm pretty sure her credit score will ensure she remains homeless any where she goes."

true but she will have a better chance somewhere that's cheaper

5/20/2008 5:09:40 PM

^^Seriously.

I have ZERO sympathy for her. Live within your means or move. Who gives a fuck if it's hard, or she's used to the area. THAT IS LIFE.

I am very glad to hear that these parking lots are locally funded and not pulling from state or federal funds.

5/20/2008 5:28:48 PM

What will she do if her car breaks down? She needs to quit waiting for the government to put her in some ghetto housing project and drive somewhere that $8 an hour matters. I suggest Nashville, NC although there is probably somewhere 2000 miles closer that will do just as well.

She is making matters worse than they have to be.

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 5:49 PM. Reason : l]

5/20/2008 5:44:30 PM

Didn't see there was a video, may be more to the story but I have no sound

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/19/homeless.mom/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

5/20/2008 5:48:10 PM

Quote :

"Wild guess, but I'd say at least 80% of California is open space. Ever driven from San Diego to Las Vegas? Las Vegas to anywhere in CA?"

no, but i've driven from reno to san francisco. once you're through the mountains, there's a lot of nothing in between. that doesn't necessarily mean there's a cheap place between the two.

my question is why can she only get a minimum wage part time job at 67 years old? i feel bad for her, but if that's the best she can do, she really does need to move to an area with a more reasonable cost of living.

5/20/2008 5:55:49 PM

I feel bad for the dogs -- sitting in the car all day, probably gets really hot.

5/20/2008 5:56:49 PM