How COVID-19 pushed Americans to the brink of homelessness
Barbara Nelson likes to watch the neighborhood from her south-facing window, where grayish stucco and sturdy tile roofs give the buildings a clean facade.
But after living here for a year, the view behind the walls is much less tidy. She is one of a number of residents at the complex who have risked losing their homes during the pandemic.
“The gentleman across the way, he works and he takes care of his daughter. He’s a single dad,” Nelson said, looking out at the block. “And my neighbors that have the twins and their other daughter, that’s the same thing … They pay as much as they can, but they’re facing eviction, too.”
Nelson lost her job when her 11-year-old son contracted COVID-19 in March, and while she got her real estate license to make ends meet, she was unable to show clients any new homes after her truck broke down on June 11.
At one point Nelson owed more than $5,000 in back rent, and she said she was almost out of options to pay it.
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Yes COVID19 has made things worse but the main problem is that banks are making more money off of our homes than we are. Also, the people that are hovering over people that are suffering financial difficulties are there for a reason. The money to be made by scooping up properties for 1/10 to 1/100 of the actual value is at such a high profit margin it is difficult for them to even think about passing them up. Maybe we should have a law that only financially disadvantaged persons that do not already own a home would be allowed to get these fantastic deals on foreclosed properties, No, this is not socialism, it is a path to getting our people up and on their feet. We need to strengthen our foundation and we need to do it now.