Friday Fresh Perspective - Middle Class Homelessness and Bag Lady Syndrome
In her post "Overcoming Bag Lady Syndrome Fears During A Recession, " she explains how she was affected by a CNN piece about middle-class homeless women in Santa Barbara - a California community where the median price of a house is over $1 million.
One story stayed with her - a former loan processor who lost her job and is now living with her two dogs in a car parked in a lot designated for homeless women. Niles saw herself in the well-groomed, well-spoken homeless woman featured on CNN:
Many American women worry about becoming a "bag lady." In other words, homeless and lacking in financial resources. This leads many women to overwork themselves out of a notion that if they just work hard enough they will not suffer the fate. Or they are timid in negotiating at work out of fear of losing their job, or they invest timidly out of fear of risking their savings for higher returns which will help support them in the future.Niles concludes with a number of quotes from - and links to - articles and posts about middle-class homelessness, the surge of middle class families using food pantries, and bag lady syndrome. She's done a great deal of legwork to support her case, and the related reading is eye-opening for anyone who might think, "It can't happen to me." Unfortunately, under a perfect storm of adverse conditions, it could happen to almost anyone.The crazy fear leads to crazy behavior which is only reinforced when we hear the constant drumbeat of bad economic news repeated in the nightly news. And when it comes up to our doorstep, happens to people who seem to share a life similar to ours, when it is no longer relegated to an "other" in the form of the abstract poor it is hard to resist the feeling of crazy.
Friday Fresh Perspective highlights lesser-known female bloggers writing about topics and issues that resonate with readers. The goal is to bring unfamiliar voices to light and to encourage every woman to start her own blog. If you'd like to be considered for a future Friday Fresh Perspective, send a link to your blog.
Comments
Linda,
Thank you so much for choosing my blog post to feature in your Friday Fresh Perspective series. I was surprised to read the comments from women expressing similar fears, though I was somewhat comforted by knowing that I am not the only one who has had those thoughts.
I saw a follow up on the woman featured in the CNN story and she seems to be positive and making progress. And my fears have passed but it can’t hurt to be aware of the problem and do what we can to make sure our houses are in order as well as help those in our community who are not as fortunate.
Maria