sign of the times

A story that caught my eye on cnn.....
A story that moved my heart.........
A story that saw the word *ok*
A story thats not *ok* what a tough lady
A story to show you how strong ppl are
muffy

By Thelma Gutierrez and Wayne Drash
CNN

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.

Harvey walks her two golden retrievers during the day before going to a Santa Barbara parking lot at night.
2 of 3 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. 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."

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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.

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.

"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.' "

(((((((((((((Muffy))))))))))))

((((((((((((((the homeless)))))))))))))))))

It saddens me so much that this happens in this day and age. An age where footballers wives amd other celebs wouldn't blink at spending thousands of pounds/dollars on one item of clothing just because of its name. People have 2 or 3 or more houses in different parts of the world just because 'they can.' Then the homeless and the fire/police/nurses get paid a pittance for doing 'real' work and saving lives, which is off topic but it just makes me so sad and angry. Sorry to rant.

sometimes i wish i had a magic wand.

Jinny

ive met a lot of homeless people, its amazing the survivor and community spirit they encourage amongst themselves, helping each other when there is no other help around.. i applaud the men and women who made this area available for these women, the streets can be very heartless at times

Thank you for sharing this article with us, I was unaware that they had parking lots for people who live in their cars. This story makes me very sad but I am glad that someone is trying to help people in that situation.

the video that goes with it
hope its ok to post
I really think its great ppl are trying to help these woman
and homeless

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayof...ml#cnnSTCVideo

What an incredibly sad story. It's tragic that there is so much homelessness. It's really pathetic too, when someone can be working and still not afford a place to live. I'm glad the community is doing something to provide safe places, but in my opinion, more social / rent geared to income housing is needed. It's a huge problem up here in Toronto too.

splitimage

(((spilitimage)))))))
Its a very sad story, but at least ppl are trying to help.
We have all changed so much . cost of living fuel
everything............
The only thing I can say there is alot of ppl who care and are willing to help'
That part does not always make the news
We all matter
SO sad here are some #s I came up with

As many as 3.5 million people experience homelessness in a given year (1% of the entire U.S. population or 10% of its poor), and about 842,000 people in any given week

there but for the grace of god. we lost our house first of april. we had been trying to work something out with the bank, and had been promised by numerous people that we would have 30 days notice before we might be evicted. we got a 72 hour notice on a thursday. luckily we had a weekend in there giving us 5 days to find a place, get it rented and move all our stuff. we ended up losing quite a bit of our things. the bank people showed up and made us stop moving things so they could put it all out at the curb for the garbage man. we waited for them to leave and went to see what we could salvage, but it was like a garage sale. everything that was worth saving had already been stolen.

the middle class is no longer safe from such horrors.

lost

((lost))))
I am so sory you were one of them
I am grateful your family found a place to live
Middle class, lower, wealthy, its happening everywhere
no one i wish would ever see such things
know you matter here
muffy

i think it is great that they allow the homeless something for once.

yeah this is sad i have many homeless friends and try to help them out when i can my mom dont like the fact that i invite them into our house but she doesnt understand why i do this i love helping others in bad positions

crazybones
you are a kind person to help anyone
we all matter
no matter who we are
you have done good

I goofed I posted a poem that was copyrighted sorry
was about homeless
Read guide lines after
some mod i am

So I will try it this way
my own story

years ago,,,not homeless but close enough
I got food out of dumpsters to feed my family
We ate road kill....not a pretty thing to do...
Did what I had to do to feed my family
Life is better now
But i will never ever forget those times
To anyone who has a chance to help anyone
homeless or in need I pray you can
Life is pretty hard on ppl right now
sorry for the goof
muffy

if more areas did this, more outreach could affect more lives for the better.

imagine people with finished garages, or empty small cottages or unused mobile homes, who could put these homeless folks up for a time, while they save money for a place of their own... fill the frig, stock the cabinets, and give them three months... oh, I wish i had that kind of room. I'd do it in a heartbeat.

it broke my heart about the seperated mom and daughter - this stuff happens in the usa all the time... we have to change some laws regarding eviction, etc., in order to protect people from homelessness. what that is, we need to find out.

((((((nightbird )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
((((pachyderm )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
The key is for all of us to remember
we all matter everyone , every person

your right homes could be used and i know of a few good ppl
who have done this
Given thier cottages to homeless for the winter
Given them food
love, cloths, safty

There are so many good ppl out there helping those are the silent ones............
((((((((((( everyone matters))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
your hearts in the right place
muffy