Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 By: Jennifer C. Kerr, Associated Press
WASHINGTON - (AP) Nearly a third of Americans have at one point worried about becoming homeless and many more are taking in friends and relatives needing a home, a survey found.
The homelessness issue has touched more than those who are living on the streets, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.
"People are worried even though it might not ever happen to them," said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the Washington-based National Coalition for the Homeless. "When people read the news and read about bankruptcies, home foreclosures and auto plants being closed, they worry that they may be next."
Overwhelmingly, those polled -- 92 percent -- said more effort is needed across the nation to address the issue of homelessness. Thirty-five percent said the federal government should take a lead role fighting homelessness, while 25 percent identified state governments as most responsible for addressing the issue.
Being homeless is a fear of mine. A lot of it is based on today's economic status. Just as the article states, we have more foreclosures going on out here than anything. I think I heard this morning that the number is now over 100,000. That's is a LOT! Then, you worry about whether or not you have job security. Now me personally, I think I'm pretty safe being that I'm a Federal Government worker, and it's much harder to get released from a position in the public sector than the private, but I never rule it out completely. It's hard to not think about it because the economy is so horrible. But this is why I try to never live beyond my means because one false move could change your life in a heartbeat.
