The New Breed Of Homelessness

[OneEyedDiva]

There have been so many catastrophic, devastating storms, floods and fires that many people who likely never thought they'd be homeless, now are. Maybe they even thought negatively of homeless people. Some of those who lost everything may have the means to buy someplace else or rebuild. Many probably do not. My former supervisor, his wife, another former co-worker and his S.O. went on vacation to Mexico right before superstorm Sandy was supposed to hit in October 2012. He lived in a N.J. shore town.

When a neighbor called him to warn of the monster storm, he wasn't worried. But when they got home, their house was literally flattened. Fortunately for him and his wife, they were well off and could afford to buy another house immediately. I think they moved further away from the shore. Sandy destroyed many homes, business and tore up the boardwalks at the shore. Seeing video footage of these massive tornadoes is like watching a war zone. Waterlogged homes are a nightmare. And the fires are frightening to even watch on T.V.

Seeing all this devastation on the news makes me wonder what those adversely affected do. How many have relatives or friends they can stay with or can afford to stay in hotels for months perhaps? Homeowner's insurance should pay for hotels, at least for a while but may be slow to settle claims. Years after Sandy, I saw that people still hadn't gotten their settlements from the insurance companies, same with people who live in a upper middle class town here in Jersey that has had flooding issues for decades. Finally the latter were given buyout offers, but I'm sure they didn't get what their homes were originally worth.

Some of those people lost not only their homes, but their livelihoods as well. I always say there but by the grace of God go I. And as my mother used to say..."You never know what you're coming to in this life." I frequently say prayers for those who have been adversely affected by those catastrophic events.

 

[bobcat]

There have been so many catastrophic, devastating storms, floods and fires that many people who likely never thought they'd be homeless, now are. Maybe they even thought negatively of homeless people. Some of those who lost everything may have the means to buy someplace else or rebuild. Many probably do not. My former supervisor, his wife, another former co-worker and his S.O. went on vacation to Mexico right before superstorm Sandy was supposed to hit in October 2012. He lived in a N.J. shore town.

When a neighbor called him to warn of the monster storm, he wasn't worried. But when they got home, their house was literally flattened. Fortunately for him and his wife, they were well off and could afford to buy another house immediately. I think they moved further away from the shore. Sandy destroyed many homes, business and tore up the boardwalks at the shore. Seeing video footage of these massive tornadoes is like watching a war zone. Waterlogged homes are a nightmare. And the fires are frightening to even watch on T.V.

Seeing all this devastation on the news makes me wonder what those adversely affected do. How many have relatives they can stay with or can afford to stay in hotels for months perhaps? Homeowner's insurance should pay for hotels, at least for a while and may be slow to settle claims. Years after Sandy, I saw that people still hadn't gotten their settlements from the insurance companies, same with people who live in a upper middle class town here in Jersey that has had flooding issues for decades. Finally the latter were given buyout offers, but I'm sure they didn't get what their homes were originally worth.

Some of those people lost not only their homes, but their livelihoods as well. I always say there but by the grace of God go I. And as my mother used to say..."You never know what you're coming to in this life." I frequently say prayers for those who have been adversely affected by those catastrophic events.

Yes, it's often a lot more complicated than people realize. My sister and husband lived in a location where the entire town was burned to the ground by a massive wildfire. The only thing they could do was live in a 5th wheel about 20 miles away on her daughter's property for about 2 years. It was determined that PG&E was at fault for the fire and eventually paid settlements to those impacted.

However, when there is a devastating event where homes are destroyed, the soil samples have to be inspected for contaminants and removed and replaced by new soil. All city utilities have to be replaced and often upgraded to meet new standards (Power, water, sewage, and cable lines). Then the city is inundated with building permits for new housing, and any construction crews in the area are booked up for many months. Meanwhile, periodic inspections need to be done by the county, and they are way backed up. Even finding an available generator within 100 miles is almost impossible.

I could go on, but you get the picture. It's a colossal mess, and it takes a lot of time to get resolved. The end of the story is they finally got into their new home and are now happy, even though the entire area around them will take many years to recover.

 

[Aunt Bea]

There was a similar piece on the news about people in and around Asheville N.C..

It’s hard to understand why some people get knocked down and stay down while others get knocked down and are able to slowly and systematically work to get back on their feet and start over.

None of us will ever know which group we’ll fall into until we are tested by some enormous life changing event, very scary and very sad for those that are unable to turn their lives around.

 

[Pepper]

None of us will ever know which group we’ll fall into until we are tested by some enormous life changing event, very scary and very sad for those that are unable to turn their lives around.

None of us will ever know…..,,,,this illness has tested me. It’s been my enormous life changing event. Don’t know how I can turn this around without my body’s cooperation. It’s been scary and sad.

Forgive me for wallowing. Diva your words are compassion filled and can apply to many human lives and situations.

 

[katlupe]

Another breed of homelessness can be caused by high utility bills which make it impossible for someone living on a low income (and even some not so low) to survive in their home. Where I live the rents are low based on each person's income. The rents are not causing people to be homeless here but the electric bills especially. Doubling in some months. What happens when someone cannot afford to pay it because it is too high? You have to keep your electric on to live here.

I am always aware that I could end up homeless if my apartment building was closed down. Or my electric bill was more than I could handle. So I try to take it one day at a time. Unable to plan for any emergency.

 

[IrishEyes]

I look up current reports of this from time to time (not an AI readout but from Agencies)
and out of all the many causes for it destruction of a home is never mentioned in the reasons
or added to percentages. That is just wrong.
I have to admit I am more interested in the numbers in California due to my son navigating around
homeless camps trying to accomplish his work on a daily basis. Overdosed bodies in bushes stripped
of anything of value, feces thrown at him and his crew, objects raised at them in aggression.
Once in a great while he will run into a individual or family truly trying to rise above it and scared out
of their wits.
If you are interested in seeing how they "categorize" the causes of homelessness here is a link. It has
maps of the US and percentages of homeless population in each. There are other causes that are not dare mentioned of course.
https://shou.senate.ca.gov/system/files/2025-01/homelessness-in-ca-january-2025.pdf

 

[Messy]

Another breed of homelessness can be caused by high utility bills which make it impossible for someone living on a low income (and even some not so low) to survive in their home. Where I live the rents are low based on each person's income. The rents are not causing people to be homeless here but the electric bills especially. Doubling in some months. What happens when someone cannot afford to pay it because it is too high? You have to keep your electric on to live here.

I am always aware that I could end up homeless if my apartment building was closed down. Or my electric bill was more than I could handle. So I try to take it one day at a time. Unable to plan for any emergency.

There was a couple in the Newspaper. The gas prices had gone up insane because of Russia. They were a bit ashamed to admit that they went to the foodbank. You may go there if you have less than 500 or so a month to spend.

They just bought a gigantic expensive house, super nice furniture, money enough and then the gas prices went up. I went from 65 to 150 cause I live small, but some with bigger flats or houses had to all of a sudden pay 800 a month or more. The neighbour from upstairs who had 3 bedrooms said it was now 800 a month. She now found a smaller, cheaper apartment nearby. They can keep it cold though and live in a bedroom and only warm that.

Lol that reminds me. A guy moved from Russia to Holland. He lived with a Dutch roommate and complained on reddit that he was so stingy and wanted to let him sit in the cold. All the Dutch comments: That's normal. The money doesn't grow on my back. Hahahaha but he wanted him to pay half. Bye. You want it warm. Pay it yourself. The Dutch guy refused.

 

[old medic]

There was a similar piece on the news about people in and around Asheville N.C..

Its still a mess around here. I'm not sure it will fully recover in my lifetime.

 

[MACKTEXAS]

If a storm or fire destroyed my home I could not take on starting over. That has happened not to just one family I know, but two. In both cases, rebuilding, refurnishing and starting again took almost 2 years, filled with a lot of sorrow and setbacks. I no longer have that kind of stamina. I would take whatever I could get from insurance as a loss and find a place to rent; furnish it with necessities, and be done with it. My heart goes out to those who have been through this. Some had no insurance and ended up with a life in shambles.

 

[Aunt Bea]

If a storm or fire destroyed my home I could not take on starting over. That has happened not to just one family I know, but two. In both cases, rebuilding, refurnishing and starting again took almost 2 years, filled with a lot of sorrow and setbacks. I no longer have that kind of stamina. I would take whatever I could get from insurance as a loss and find a place to rent; furnish it with necessities, and be done with it. My heart goes out to those who have been through this. Some had no insurance and ended up with a life in shambles.

Me too!

At this point in my life I wouldn’t be able to do much more than write a check or pull out a credit card.

 

[officerripley]

Yes, it's often a lot more complicated than people realize. My sister and husband lived in a location where the entire town was burned to the ground by a massive wildfire. The only thing they could do was live in a 5th wheel about 20 miles away on her daughter's property for about 2 years. It was determined that PG&E was at fault for the fire and eventually paid settlements to those impacted.

I live near where that fire I think you're referring to happened; I had 6 family members (and 4 dogs) move in with me because they lost their homes after that. And some friends of ours lost their home in the first fire, moved to a different town and they had a fire there & they lost their home there too! They are now back in the first town that burned but seem to feel safe since there isn't much left to burn.

 

[Rakaia]

Homelessness goes way beyond those who are down on their luck and sleeping rough.
Homelessness is about those who have accommodation insecurity, couch surfers, car dwellers, itinerants etc..
With all the turmoil in the world it's more significant than ever.

 

[jujube]

A lot of homeowners have given up on home insurance, since the prices have risen so much.

My brother-in-law's late father lived near the beach in a hurricane-prone area and hadn't had any insurance for three years. While the sons were trying to sell the house, they didn't carry insurance on it either. The opinion was that since the house was old and the true value was in the lot, and since the insurance cost was prohibitive since the house was vacant, they'd just take their chances. Luckily, it worked out and the house sold before a hurricane came by.