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Didn't mean to... just sort of stopped writing in my journal... Wonder why?
I remember when keeping a journal was very important to me, then life got in the way...
People died... People cried... People lost their houses and couldn't find a job. Bills got out of control...
Met a nice woman who has to live in a homeless shelter who sometimes gets to go to the NY Sports Club in the evenings to work out, shower and enjoy the air conditioning because a few lovely Jewish ladies make it their business to get her a guest pass. We had a very interesting conversation today in Duncan Donuts. She doesn't have a permanent bed. The sad thing is if you don't have a permanent bed you have to sit in a chair until 2AM when they turn in their census. When they know the official bed count then they let people sleep in the empty beds.
I have a problem with that. Curfew at the homeless shelters in the City of New York is 10PM. Why the hell do homeless women have to sit in a chair until 2AM to maybe get a damn bed? Add insult to injury, if the permanent beds are full, they tell you which shelters you can go to to get a bed. WTF? Russian roulette bus and train rides to hope another person from another shelter doesn't beat you to the hypothetical bed in the Bronx when the Brooklyn or Queens shelters tells you you need to go across a bridge to another county to seek shelter there?
At 2 friggin' AM in the morning? Is this how desperate people are living?
Ever think about how important it is to be a Realtor when people need shelter? Or are you too busy squabbling about procuring cause and I'm not paying you because you didn't accompany your buyer to my Open House bullshit?
I really need to start writing in my journal again. My journal is important... It's about my life and all those moments no one gives a crap about because we're too busy being cute for the consumer. That woman at the homeless shelter who can't get a bed used to be a consumer until the recession took everything away from her. If you don't pay buyer's brokers like me then I can't pay for a hotel room for someone like her... That whomps.
Think about that the next time you want to be cute with the Hud-1. Seriously... You have no idea what anyone else's life is like and you have no idea what people do for others. I had no idea the old folk at the gym were sponsoring other old folk. Makes me ashamed I didn't think of it... I was too busy cracking wise about wanting to lose 20 LBS in Facebook...
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Carolyn - this leaves me speechless. Have you seen 'The Pursuit of Happyness?' Your description reminds me of Will Smith and his son's time in the homeless shelter. That makes zero sense! If curfew is 10PM, let everyone claim their bed right away and then let the people have the empty beds! This is just another example of how bureaucracies just don't use common sense. No wonder it's so hard for these people to pick themselves back up - even if they're in a shelter they may be sleep deprived.
Sharon
Hi C Tann I think about situations like this a lot. How can we have so many for-closed homes...vacant houses and yet so many homeless. That just should not be in America....there is just something wrong with this picture...
When agents get excited because the market will be exploding with foreclosed business...easy sells to investors...how can a person be happy when families are forced out of their homes and become homeless...where is the joy in witnessing suffering? Stories like this break your heart..it just should not be.
Hmm. You know, you could have a personal blog with embeddable video capabilities, thus making it a blog/vlog. In a vlog, you can just say whatever you're thinking and feeling at the time. A YouTube channel might be a great move for you.
Frank and Sharon, that was a remarkable;e movie. I am with you on the making no sense issue. I had no idea it was that unreasonable... As if life wasn't hard enough...
June, I know what you mean. I am never excited over a potential loss of a home. The emotions of the sellers run high... It is hard being hopeful on a short sale while wee people are looking at you wondering why you are in their home and why Mommy is packing away so much stuff. Business shouldn't trump the dignity of people. I understand things have to be done and I am no Pollyanna (believe me - LOL). I think that's why I get angry when people are quick to do a short sale instead of fighting to sell just belong under-market so the seller has a chance to get out of debt and start over... I complained about some of that here. When you meet a homeless person because they can't re-coop from a short sale and still owe money that whomps... The death of a spouse can be hard. Having medical bills wipe out your savings even harder. Not having anywhere to go when your family and friends are supposed to love you is inconceivable to me. I am furious... If you don't have an address you can't get services. If you don't have a bank account they can't direct deposit emergency funds to give a person some sort of relief. Vicious cycle? You bet... How do you climb out of this? A permanent bed at a shelter gives a person an address to start trying to receive some sort of help and emergency benefits when there is no one to help. We need more beds and we need uneducated people in nice neighborhoods to stop screaming you can't build here because my property values may suffer... Everyone needing a bed is not a drug addict. There are people who really need help out there. Winter is coming...
Lisa, I have two channels. C Tann Starr and Little Minion TV. I was fooling in Mixpo all the time so rarely used the YouTube ad Facebook codecs. Maybe I will make better use of 'em. :-)
Carolyn, It's funny how "real life" can bring us down a notch! And it's probably a good thing it does!
C, my dear friend, life is full of sobering moments. You had a healthy dose.
It is shameful that in the 'land of plenty' that we have homeless people at all. It's shameful that we have hungry children, and it's ultimately shameful that we have a terminal case of apathy.
There is no excuse as to why the politicians are scooping up millions of our dollars that they can't turn loose of some of it to provide temporary housing to help folks get back on their feet. Talk about bailout? How about bailing out some of the social services programs that actually help people succeed instead of leaving them to beg for food and shelter?!
OK - this is raising my blood pressure so I better stop.
C ~ It is very sad to see this happen to anyone. You probably get to see this more than a lot of others. We don't even have a homeless shelter here where we live. I see it when I visit big cities and I know people who have been homeless. Its a very humbling experience.
You are journaling & journeying right here with us. Don't beat yourself up. Give me that bat, I know when to stop!
Barb, it's life's little smacks in the face that wake me up to the fact that I may have issues and flaws but there will always be someone else who has more dire issues and flaws to deal with that makes me grateful my crap isn't worse. It's so easy to get into trouble and things can change in an instant.
Carol, I didn't sleep well last night. I keep thinking there has to be something done about that. I am wondering who one has to contact to learn what questions need to be asked so that people can get the right answer. I've learned from blogging if you don't ask you wont get an answer. I'm thinking I should be writing letters so politicians can answer my questions. The Mayor is running for re-election... Someone has to be interested in this...
June, I see a lot of things, then I look at my kids and want so much more for them in life...
Hi Carolyn... I am mortified by what you have written. On some level I already knew this sort of scenario existed, but it is easy to live in denial until you are confronted with it in print on your computer screen. Something must be done for people suffering like this. I can't help thinking that this is an example of why healthcare reform is so important. I have helped many short sale sellers whose life savings was wiped out due to serious illness for which they had no insurance due to cost or insurance company exclusions. I am reminded of a quote by Ted Kennedy... "Every American should have the opportunity to receive a quality education, a job that respects their dignity and protects their safety, and health care that does not condemn those whose health is impaired to a lifetime of poverty and lost opportunity."
I'm not much of a journaler or reflective soul, but I am on the board and an active volunteer for a local family homeless shelter. It's a humbling opportunity for me - so many families are just a paycheck away from homelessness. Even on my worst days I still have a home and a bed to call my own. We are blessed beyond our comprehension!
Steve, Ted said it so very eloquently... I miss his voice very much. C-Span just isn't the same without him. The rage and debate of unknown fates is never the same when the fate is your own or someone you can place a name with a face to... I don't know if I will be investigating how shelters work but I am thinking I need to. There is a lot I do not understand and find myself wondering if I should do some investigative reporting or leave it to this simple blog post to inspire other cyber-conversations.
We are not the press and we do not have the freedom of the press protection, which is why I hesitate to investigate... Maybe there is a middle ground which will let me operate safely in this regard if I do move forward with such a project. I don't know enough about the problem but I really want to.
Margaret, I am a Realtor and I live paycheck to paycheck. If I didn't have a pension that could be me. A potential homeless person...
C - I am hearing some very hard luck stories lately and they are heartbreaking. This could very easily be any one of us at any given moment. Life can change in an instant.
Even if all you can do is offer a kind word, it usually makes a difference to the recipient. If everyone took the time to "pay it forward" imagine how many lives would be improved in a short period of time.
C,
I am happy you bring the concept of helping others up to a group of Realtors.
I have worked for two years trying to get NAR and local Real Estate Boards to pick up the cross and give some help to ALL those in need in these changing economic times.
Did you know that the Golden Rule is part of the Realtor Pledge which every Realtor says to become part of the Realtor Organization. The Golden Rule is also part of the pre-amble of the Realtor Code of Ethics.
What is the Golden Rule?...a moral principle which EVERY faith organization has some form of the philosopy of "treat others the way you would want to be treated."
I think it is time for Realtors to look at that Realtor Pledge and look at the pre-amble to the code of ethics and see how we are implementing the Golden Rule in our lives.
I set up a few Beta test web sites where people can help one another over the Internet.. the problem is getting support from the community and getting "Helpers".... in a nut shell those with needs.. REGISTER what they need on the Internet.. state agencys and shelters have Internet access an can help those in need register..libraries have access too.. then HELPERS read the needs and supply it if they can. The key to the success of the program is to have everyone sign up as a HELPER... they do not have to go to meetings or pay money.. Just read e-mails once a week of needs people in your community have. So if all the Realtors signed up as Helpers in their community and got all their friends to sign up there would be a huge data base of HELPERS ready to read the needs in the community.
We did a test program at a food center in Flagstaff,AZ and had 27 homeless in need write down simple needs and we met everyone of them... the needs were simple: light for a bike, Several needed tents.. so they could sleep outside and NOT be homeless; one single parent needed a shower curtain, someone needed a bed frame, another needed a 1st aid kit... so you see those are things people might have around their homes. So all the Helper has to do is read the need then take the item to a community area where the item will be given to the person in need.... Simple and easy to implement in any area.
So maybe Ms C your blog is the answer to getting this program up and running to do SOMETHING to help people in need by living the Golden Rule.
Below are the beta test web sites
www.GoldenRuleFlagstaff.com
www.GoldenRuleHavasu.com
www.GoldenRulePhoenix.com
www.GoldenRuleMaui.com
www.GoldenRuleAZ.com
Your fan,
Carra Riley aka Cosmic Cow Pie
That's an insane story C, I sure wouldn't want to be on a bed scavenger hunt at 2 a.m. As for a journal, with the exception of my blog that I have now, I have never kept one. I was always a poet and a song writer which I guess served as my diary.
Judy, a kind word can be a lifeline to someone in need. It brings them hope. Hope makes people not be ashamed...
Carra, I am looking forward to working with you. :-)
JL, it is indeed insane. Sad but true... Illness, death and/or divorce can destroy people in so many little ways while they are trying to survive. You think you're recovering from the big problem but the little things constantly adding up create stress, the silent killer...
I am certain she was happy to spend time with you. It appears you both got a lot out of the visit.
Melodious! Good morning love of my life. I did indeed get a lot out of the visit. BTW, I am about to send you some very interesting e-mail with some nice eye candy. I wish you were here. I wish I were there (LOL). Will call you later. I have training today. :-)
Hi C Tann Just wanted to check back to see what other comments were made.. C Tann your blogs are always interesting and usually light hearted but your response to my comment made me cry. Bless you for writing this blog, bringing awareness to
the plight of innocent people who have fallen into bad times. Those that fluff this off as a problem that happens to some one else should remember " there but the grace of God go I " Homelessness has always bothered me. My daughter was a teacher in a public school and told a story of a young student who kept a secret that he was living with his mom and brother out of a car.
The little boy struck up a school chum and soon the secret was out. The parents of the chum ( new found friend ) found out from their son. Do you know what happened? This amazing family invited the mom and two children to stay with them until she got on her feet.........It restores faith in people..huh? Just need more people who care about others. Again THANKS
June, you have just made my day. I didn't mean to make you cry sweetie and I understand how you feel. Homelessness can happen in the blink of an eye with a fire or any type of major property damage beyond a person's control. The loss of a job, illness, there are just too many factors...
A lot of good people are leaving our industry because it has really become hard to make a living. Perfect example: my buyer gave a full price offer on a Bank REO and we are still waiting for them to make a decision. So much time has passed from binder to now chicka is on vacation because we thought we would be signing a contract, closing escrow, painting and moving in (LOL). What the hell are they waiting for??? It's a full price offer. Take the damn money! WTF???
Ever have one of those days you'd wish someone at the bank would pick up the phone and make a decision? I could have sold her another house, but noooooooooo I had to find one with over $100K in equity to push down her throat because I am anal retentive about equity and going upside down in a mortgage (LOL). That's what I do. Hunt for equity. I routinely go shopping with other's people's money as if I am spending my own. Now I have to grow gray hairs because I am fighting to get her a great investment for a first time buy. She loves the home. Why is my buyer being tortured like this? Why are we still waiting? I am tired of banks dragging their marbles a$$es when people need to make living arrangements. Do we sign a lease renewal? Do we give them notice and lose both spots if it doesn't work out? I am not even going to talk about rental drama...
C Tann Starr you are a one in a million kind of agent...your clients have to love you......ypou go over and above caring........
I had to find one with over $100K in equity to push down her throat because I am anal retentive about equity and going upside down in a mortgage (LOL). That's what I do. Hunt for equity. I routinely go shopping with other's people's money as if I am spending my own
June, I realized early on that I like shopping with other peoples money (LOL). It's fun being in real estate. You get to visit such interesting places and get paid to run around with people and haggle, haggle, haggle (LMAO). Wordy C enjoys being wordy and the art of the deal can be very fascinating. There are a lot of smart, shrewd people to learn from in our industry. I even learn from the dumb dumbs too. There is a lesson to be had everywhere... :-)