(no subject)

[drewbear]

I have Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on in the background (damn you, trollprincess! Damn you for addicting me!) and while I think that they're doing wonderful things for these two families, I find the shock that the cast/staff is displaying to be mildly offensive. Every week, they help families that are only marginally better off than these two families. In fact, the only thing qualitatively different is that they don't have to demolish a house before beginning. I especially find ABC's gimmick advertising of the episode as "OMGHomelessness!!" to be very bothersome. Again, what they're doing for these families is wonderful, but how the situation is being presented bothers me.

Aside from the approximately 3 million homeless in this country (of whom about 20% are working) there are an additional 5 million who spend more than half their income on housing, which means that virtually any unexpected monetary setback can easily push them into homelessness. Thankfully, there are organizations such as Habitat for Humanity that help these working homeless construct and own their own houses. I've helped to raise money for HoH, and both of my sisters and my mother have donated time and labor.

Luckily, although I'm poor, I'm not that bad off. Close, but not quite. But I am distinctly and constantly aware of how easy it would be for me to end up with nothing. And especially in this economic depression "jobless recovery", I don't understand how people aren't aware of just how tenuous the positions of literally millions of people are.

Comments

I wish they would plug Habitat for Humanity

[disgruntledgrrl.livejournal.com]

They would inspire so many people to try to help. I've been interested in doing so since I heard about it and watching Extreme Make Over has often come close to clenching it. Remember the one where the guy had his family and then his mother's family when she was shot thru the wall of his house? He had an autistic boy and when the boy looked happy with his room - the tough guy of the crew was actually crying.
Wow.

I'll admit, there are 2 things keeping me from joining HFH:
1. Time. I have one day out of the week I could dedicate.
2. Selfishness. I doubt I will ever qualify for my own house which sours my wanting to help anyone. I will never afford one, I will never have the credit for one, I will never inherit one, and I doubt I will ever qualify for a HfH one. I know it's mean, but frankly I'm just being honest (more than most). Who knows. I've never looked into getting one.
Maybe after the wedding. Which I'm paying for out of pocket with no credit or family aid.

Ya know what I want to see EMO-House do? (Holy shit, it's emo!) An aparment building. Just find a trashed out apartment building and bring it up to specs, lay down fresh tile, carpet, insulation, paint, and plumbing. Hell - they don't even have to do that much. That way they cheer up bunch of people.
That is - until the absentee landlord shows up and raises the rent.