It's An Epidemic
Filed under: PolitikWe are suffering a severe housing crisis in America.
With millions of people losing their homes and others not able to pay rent, a new wave of middle class citizens have resorted to living in their cars!
And, now, the city of Santa Barbara has set up a car park where all the new middle-class homeless can sleep at night safely.
Click here to read more on this troubling situation.
Posted: May 20, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Very sad
link doesn't work perez.
how sad! it's come to this, it's happening to everyone.
wooo
first
Sorry Sepps, looks like you bought shit you can't afford! I sure hope you have big cars to house your big asses! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
FIRST??? This is quite crazy!
first?
HAHAHAAAAAAA American are so fucking stupid as a nation. even more stupid then that terorist and monkey george bush who is their president
well fuck i wasn't first
People shouldn't live beyond their means.
awwww
oh man. this is crazy. THIRD
Page Not Found, fat ass.
I don't believe it. Santa Barbara has no middle class. Tourists will use this parking lot for their RV's.
This link is dead?
And while the whole world "celebrates" such rich douchebags like the Tomkats and the Brangelinas and the Oprahs - who have what, 5 homes each? and are worth millions? - our society is going to shred.
People, wake up! It's time to call these so-called rich bastards to task! I'm all for entertainment, but selfishness and GREED are NOT worth celebrating!!!
Especially when our very own neighbours are falling through the cracks…
Boycott the ignorant!
Boycott the greedy and self-gratifying attitudes of Hollywood!
Tell THEM, and tell your GOVERNMENT:
ENOUGH IS FUCKING ENOUGH!!!!!
I heard about that - it's so sad!
link doesn't work for me either
IT'S NOT ENTIRELY A HOUSING CRISIS YOU FUCKWIT! IT IS A CREDIT CRISIS - DUE TO PEOPLE BUYING HOUSES WHEN THEY COULDN'T AFFORD IT. GET IT RIGHT.
Due to an unforeseen tragedy in my life, I am waiting for the locks to be placed on the front doors of my pending foreclosure home. I will likely lose custody of my son as a result and frankly, there are little to no resources available. I believe this is only the very beginning of what we are about to see on a daily basis in our country. And trust me, it is the single most devasting and frightening experience to lose everything ~ and your child ~ because of something completely out of my control.
link is broken
HTML for Dummies, Perez.
homeless people are the best..
it's hardly troubling… this woman was living way beyond her means when she was working in a volatile industry. She didn't have to spend 75% of her income on housing… she chose to live an in area that was too expensive for. We all want to live oceanfront, but we don't because we cannot afford it. You should never spend more than 20%-25% of your income on housing…
very interesting concept!
should save & budget better
Re: The Warden –
predatory lenders are to blame as well. Not that who is to blame is particularly useful at this point. I hope the government can step in and do a little more to assist these people.
Well I'm sure sleeping in their cars are much better then the home they were living in before. And just think of the time they will save going to work in the morning as they will already be in their car!
A lot of these people lived far beyond their means and quite frankly, deserve whatever happens to them!
I feel sorry for those who got screwed over, but so many people got themselves into this situation and it should be up to them to get out.
This is horrifying. If gas is gonna go up, and everything else is going to go up…why are we still making the same money we were beforehand?
The Warden - this is also happening to people who are RENTING and not just people who have bought homes. My rent and utilities are now HALF of my monthly income. NOT cool.
link doesn't work
I saw this on the news. If the minimum rent on a studio is 15 hundred a month, you may consider moving to a location you can live in. With what one of those women was making between social security and her part-time job, she could easily afford an apartment in a less classy area (I'm not talking about an impoverished area, either.) Why in the HELL do they HAVE to stay in Santa Barbera!
Re: The Warden –
while with some that might have been the case of not understanding the adjustable rates and interest and things of that sort, that is not the majority of the problems for people. The economy is suffering. We are in recession. People are losing jobs because so many companies are losing revenue. Gas prices are soaring. People are not able to afford neccessities anymore. Many of these people could afford the loans before now…But obviously by your immature comments you wouldnt understand that.
If you're gonna live in your car Santa Barbara is the best place to do it.
very sad, but the link doesn't work !!!!
well if you didn't see this coming then you're an absolute idiot. or just totally ignorant.
the gap between the rich and the poor widens.
britains next.
To: The Warden,
Did you not know that people are getting laid off left and right these days? You made a stupid decision by sterotyping people and jumping to conclusions. Douche.
Well…several suggestions……first off..BUDGET YOUR MONEY!!!! While we don't have the greatest president ever (he has done some good..but take a look at the economy)..some people are at fault for buying houses too expensive, and they have ended up getting screwed. But in there defense…no one pictured gas prices going up to FUCKING $4!!!! So I am blamming it on the shitty economy we have at the current moment!!
why should the rich have to pay for the stupidty of others? that's not their problem
Deadlink.
What?? There's no problem. People who live in their cars deserve it, because they spent too much money.
remove the end " at the end of this link to make it work,
Re: Lynn – Suffer
ok first of all it doesn't work and second of all i live in santa barbara and have not heard of this, however maybe if there was a little less illegal immigration in this area people would be able to afford their homes because they would have jobs!!!!! santa barbara is the most economically diverse county in the nation and many people are losing there jobs because illegal workers will do it for cheaper and without benifits leaving many US citizens in the area unemployed. Think about that when you're voting citizens in this country are becoming homeless because people are stealing their jobs!
Everything is in YOUR control. It's YOUR responsibility to save up. It's YOUR responsibility to plan for the worst. This country is full of people that expect other people to bail them out. What the hell happened with my generation who would rather buy buy buy rather than spend what they make? Frankly, as bad as I feel for a very small minority of people trouble by this, I have no sympathy for the majority of people who took a free ride and are now paying the consequences. Any those of you with children? SHAME ON YOU.
PAGE NOT FOUND YOU STUPID JACK ASS
Obama will stop this homeless woman from living in her car. NO ONE will be homeless with him as president. NOT ONE PERSON.
He will rescue us all from the streets.
Help him help us.
He is pure and angelic & just what this country needs NOW.
Well…several suggestions……first off..BUDGET YOUR MONEY!!!! While we don't have the greatest president ever (he has done some good..but take a look at the economy)..some people are at fault for buying houses too expensive, and they have ended up getting screwed. But in their defense…no one pictured gas prices going up to FUCKING $4!!!! So I am blamming it on the shitty economy we have at the current moment!!
I read this story this morning - it is CRAZY that the solution to the homeless problem is opening up parking lots so people can sleep safely in their cars.
Obama will stop this homeless woman from living in her car. NO ONE will be homeless with him as president. NOT ONE PERSON.
He will rescue us all from the streets.
Help him help us.
He is pure and angelic & just what this country needs NOW. i BEG YOU.
And yet, those poor Simpsons voices can't survive on $8 million for six months' work. Oh the humanity.
I don't understand people who want OBAMA for president!!
There are not "millions"of people losing their homes…
Re: Europe – almost as stupid as you and your poor grammar.
It's sad that personal responsibility is not en vogue. No one forced people to buy homes out of their price range. Why should someone who makes less than my family get to live in a nicer house bailed out by someone like my family, who choose to buy what we could afford. I will be royally pissed if there is a bailout because it will reward people for being greedy and irresponsible. Maybe next time these people will stick with what they can afford.
people buy homes with variable rates, KNOWING they won't be able to afford their over-sized home when the rate goes up. they take that chance to save face, and then they are puzzled when their ship sinks. stop living above your means
I'm sorry that people have trouble in life. But, there are some problems that can be avoided. Live somewhere that has housing you can afford. As my father used to say, "If you can't afford it, you can't have it." My husband lost his job 2 years ago and is taking odd jobs. We can't have a lot of things, but we have everything we need.
Re: Amber –
Absolutely! It's sad, but people can decide for themselves whether they want to participate in wasteful consumerism by blowing money on material luxuries, like houses way out of their price range, and driving wasteful cars, or if they want to be economical and live modestly. I'm middle class for sure, but I don't waste my money trying to one-up the Paris Hiltons, or even the Wall Street brokers, because it's not necessary! I have a comfy little home in my price range, which isn't a SoHo loft, but it's more than enough. Be smart about your money, people!
Stop spending money (credit) on things you don't need!!!
Americans are trained like puppets by their own government to be patriotic and to sing the praises of America no matter what. Even if they can't afford basic need things like healthcare and housing, they will still call America tobe the best place in the world and themselves to be the luckiest people. Why not stand up and say: "we are sick of the rich bastards running our country and screwing all the middle class and poor". Banks charge ridiculous fees… while the rich old bastards will die and rot in the ground with their money- a young mother and child have no house. It's time for a revolution!
ASHLEY is it?…..It's not simply living outside of your means - you must be like 16 years old or something - go back to your Barbie dolls and grow up and learn a few things before you start talking shit about that which you know nothing about. Perhaps if you read more actual news and less celebrity blogs, you just may learn whats really going on in the world!
it just reminds me of the hooverville camps that steinbeck wrote about in the grapes of wrath. it is a bad omen unfortunately and my heart goes out to her and her family. what strikes me about what she is saying in the article is that it all happens so fast. it seems like the situation for a growing number of people here in the united states is so fragile that before they know it, things can spiral out of control and something like this can happen. i'm glad that she is able to work and i hope that she'll be able to find housing. a different location may be an answer. it must be a horrible way to spend that time of her life.
So glad I moved to Vail, Co where none of that stuff you hear on the news even exist here.
Ah…house & home. Yet, (and not off topic) Madonna is building a $$$ school in Malawi. I love/respect other countries (and kids) that need help, absolutely, and that's what the US is known for, but what about America's kids, homes, schools, etc.? For the amount of money that celeb's spend overseas on that type of thing, they could have rebuilt one of America's poor inner cities, or an entire community, built a few schools, homes here. Is anybody talking about this?
You people who are saying you should not live beyond your means OBVIOUSLY don't live in California. This shit is expensive whether you want it to be or not it is more than likely that you will spend the majority of your income on your home. In SF for a shitty studio with NO KITCHEN it is about 1200.00 a month.
That's HORRIBLE! I read the whole article (*smh*). Poverty is a way of life for a certain sector of society (which doesn't make it right or normal) but when it starts creeping up on the middle class…scary. Because America is middle class (minus the top 10%)!
The mortgage "crisis" is less than 1% of homes in the US. People should have been realistic about what they can and can't afford. Bet like most folks in this fair country are waiting for good old uncle Sam to step in and take over. Just like Katrina, lived in government housing before and now want a 200k hose and car too!
re: ObamaRule
YOU ARE PAINTING HIM OUT TO BE A SAVIOUR EVEN MORE SO THAN JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF. NOTHING IS GONNA CHANGE WITH ANY OF OUR CANDIDATES. START WITH YOURSELF AND THOSE AROUND YOU FIRST. IGNORANT FOOL.
To the Obama pusher - He is first and foremost a politician, therefore he is a liar. Also, he is a politician from Chicago and as I am from there, they are all liars and crooks. I don't care what his intentions are but he will never, ever live up to the fantasy you have envisioned he is. To say not one person will live on the streets if he's president is moronic. You need mental help.
It is from all the greedy builders, lenders and homebuyers that wanted more more more than somehow justified turning around and selling the same house they bought 6 months prior for $200k more money and people stupid enough to pay $200k more for the same house only 6 months later. Up until then it took 30-40 years for a home to appreciate that much if that much! A lot of stupid people and realtors are to blame as well.
I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY - WE NEED A REVOLUTION, BUT WE ARE NOT THERE YET. THE GOVERNING CLASS IS STILL ABLE TO GOVERN (THOUGH THAT IS DETERIORATING) AND THE LOWER CLASSES CAN STILL EAT (THOUGH IT IS GETTING MORE DIFFICULT). when these two oppositions reach exaggerated proportions, we will have our revolution. but not yet.
A car park? What, Perez, are you British all the sudden?
To all those idiots who say this is aout not living beyond your means- get educated on the issue nd stop spreading bullshit. It's obvious that you don't know much. RENTS are also going up. It's not a matter of people not bein able to afford luxuries anymore….middle class couples are now having trouble buying a small basic house. Really basic, ugly, old houses eith nothing more than a few walls and doors are now so high priced that people simply cannot afford. It al comes to the greed of he filthy rich who now have us on a tigh leash.
I've been living in santa Barbara for 20 years….Its on the ocean retards…Of course it's expensive!! Move one hour North or South and it's half the price! You don't HAVE to live in SB!!!!!!! Homeless come here because the city GIVES THEM EVERYTHING.. I HATE THIS FUCKING DIRTY ASS HIPPIE TOWN and will finally be moving this year. That's like saying you can't belevie MIAMI is expensive….What about the Hamptons??!!! Retards!!!
Re: Laura – what a bitch you are laura. i hope if this ever happens to you, you will be shown the compasion that you are so lacking. then maybe your eyes will be open. SB is a tourist haven - only jobs there are minimum wage hotel positions and rent of places even 1 hr out of SB is still too high. this is very sad
THANK BUSH REDNECK I CANT DO MY JOB AS PRESIDENT AZZ FOR THIS, HE FUCKED THE ECONOMY UP, PEOPLE ARE LOSING THERE JOBS, HAVE NO MONEY, GAS IS EXPENSIVE AS HELL, PEOPLE CAN AFFORD THE NECESSARY THINGS ANYMORE! IF THE ECONOMY WAS IN GREAT SHAPE AND PEOPLE HAD JOBS AND GAS WASNT SO DAMN EXPENSIVE PEOPLE WOULD BE FINE.
NO WORK NO MONEY. FUCKED UP ECONOMY THE HOUSING MARKET EQUALS SHIT !!!!!!!!!
Actually, Not So Much, there really are millions of people losing their homes. Latest statistics (I got these from RealtyTrac, March 2008) has over one million houses in foreclosure across the US. You have to figure there's usually at least 2 people per house so….that's a lot of people potentially being homeless.
The national average for March 2008 was 1 in every 542 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing during the month.
It's not a pretty picture.
It would help if the link worked Perez!
if they are homeless they are no longer "middle class". the middle class is disappearing. the rich get richer, the poor get poorer.
ps: the link to the article is broken.
Let's thank all the people who voted for Bush during the last two elections - you fucking idiots!
He's made the already wealthy people in America rich beyond their wildest dreams, and left the rest of us homeless, in debt, paying $4.00 a gallon for gas and completely destitute! THE WORST PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY - BUSH SUCKS ASS!!!!
You know, what I find fucking hilarious is that this country was built on the middle classes ass…
It's coperate America for you… moving its manufacturing to other countries because of less FDA/EU regulations/standards… producing cheaper, faster products. tThen you wonder why we get lead in our childrens toys and rat poison in our family pet's food. MADE IN AMERICA used to mean something….It meant quality products that we know are safe due to our high standard regs. (And before you bitches comment on that!!I work for pharma's as a validation consultant.. So, I know our countries regs for medication, my name goes on the paperwork that says we make our meds to the highest standards) So, before you start pointing the finger at the middle class and laughing like its funny for finally thinking that they had their dream of owning their own home and giving thier children a safe place to lay their head…. and then laugh because they are having it stripped away….Your country will be next!!! Once we get rid of this sorry ass excuse of a fucking president…. watch how the tables will turn and your ass will be sleeping in you fuckin car!! Be quick to judge and it too shall reign down on you!!!
Re: Europe – EUROPE - YOU SMELL. PLEASE SHOWER. THANKS
there is such thing as middle class in sb i should know i live there and i am one of them.. at least i know now if i become homless i can sleep "safe" in my car
HATE TO TELL YOU FUCKTARDS, BUT SANTA BARBARA WAS EXPENSIVE AND UNAFFORDABLE LOOOOOOOONG BEFORE BUSH!! RESEARCH IT LAME ASSES!!
Perez,
I know you're totally obsessed with the Brits but we call it a PARKING LOT in America… NOT a "car park"
It doesn't make you seem cool when you use british language.
obama gonna raise the shit up on your taxes
well we should keep going to the cinemas/sporting events and donate the money that we shouldn't to the people who make more than enough.
life is a rip off. a big FAT rip off..
and what do we get back?
whiny celebrities who need endless attention and more money.
Guess she should've been saving her money…
If you can't afford to live in Santa Barbara, Move to WA State!! Even oceanside property here is cheap!!!
That is such garbage!!! Things are NOT that bad…California just loves to put on a show. If you are having those kind of issues in California then it's California…not the economy. We've had the best economy in the past decade than we've had in HISTORY you idiots! A couple of months we have a slow down…and not a recession mind you…and Hollywood tries to exploit it to elect a liberal president. What a joke! It's the horrors of the 70s Peace people all over again…BLECH!
These people are the only ones to blame. They purchased homes they couldn't afford or bought homes requiring two incomes. If you purchased the home as part of a couple your mortgage should be an amount that only one salary alone can cover - just in case the other loses their job. I can't tell you how many times I heard my friends saying real estate is a great investment. . sure but it's not always due to market fluctuations. . never bite off more than you can chew! DOn't blame Bush or the goverment, mortgage companies, banks, etc. They were only supplying loans based on peoples DEMANDS.
WELCOME TO GEORGE BUSH'S AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Re: susie – "Susie"? Is that YOU??? Unfortunately, you're on a celebrity blog website yourself, so that jab wasn't quite effective. Yes, I played with Barbie dolls as a child (I'm sorry if you were into Transformers..) People get in over their heads every day. That IS what's going on in the world. There are ALWAYS exceptions, but this epidemic is due largely to American's living above their means. If you think the problem is way more complicated than that, I'd argue that in a majority of instances it's not. IF you'd like to go into more of who I am as a person, and what my accomplishments and credentials are, we can go there. However, there are no pre-requisites for posting a comment on PerezHilton.com, so get over it. Write back soon Suz.
And the WORST part is….it's all a lie. We, Americans are spoiled rotten and Hollywood (including Perez) are trying to paint this picture of our country on the verge of famine so they can elect a Liberal to office. IT IS NOT TRUE!! The very sad part is people in other countries are going to read this Hollywood garbage and believe it. What a horrible way to represent the U.S. To trash it's government and spread lies about the economy. We've had the best economy in history and you act as though we're falling apart. It makes me SO ANGRY when I hear these liberal lies. You people have no clue…none whatsoever.
Re: Barbara Bush – NICE!
This sucks, we can't bail out of the companies since they are at fault for basically using fraud to get people of their money. Housing prices went up so high and quickly people weren't being responsible. The thing to do now is to demand that housing becomes more affordable for all people.
You are such an idiot. 96% of mortgages are being paid ON TIME!!!!
Re: Amber – You're ignorant.
My family isn't suffering at all and we're pretty much on the lower end of the middle class spectrum. It all depends on how well you manage your money.