In OHIO - Foreclosure affects 177,000 children
Nationwide 2.3 million children lost their homes due to foreclosure while another 3 million are - at risk - while their homes are in some stage of foreclosure. Additionally some 3 million children had to relocate due to rental evictions. In Ohio an estimated 79,000 children have lost their homes to foreclosure and 98,000 more are at risk of eviction because their families’ mortgage payments are at least 60 days delinquent, according to a report released earlier this month by First Focus, a Washington D.C. based family advocacy-group.
Family destruction by foreclosure - painting at Youngstown Butler Art Museum
“It is a huge, traumatic issue for families, and the implications for kids’ long-term well-being is really poor,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus.
“The financial pressure on parents tends to affect interactions with each other and with their children, and a less supportive parenting style caused by stress can have negative consequences on children’s behavior and their overall development,” said Julia Isaacs, senior research fellow at the Urban Institute and author of the report.
The school performance of children who are forced to move out of their homes often suffers, as a move has the same effect of missing one month of school, the report said. Some health issues have been linked to housing changes as families with housing problems also postpone important medical visits and they skip buying necessary medications.
“Many of these families are living in a state of limbo for a very long period of time, and being in that limbo state and trying to fight to avoid losing your house is very tough on these families” said Cyleste Collins, research assistant professor with the Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Collins said parents try to limit the disruption the foreclosures cause in their children’s lives by doing things like keeping them in the same schools or holding onto their home until the school year ends. But it is very difficult to shield children from the hardships involved in losing a home, she said.
Across the country, millions of children have lost their homes while millions more are at risk of joining them. Families that are evicted from their homes often must double up with other relatives or rely on friends for a place to stay, according to First Focus. Unstable housing situations commonly lead to emotional and psychological hardships that negatively affect family relationships
Read about this terrible crisis & problem as reported by Cornelius Frolik (HERE)
In Ohio: contact Voices for Ohio’s Children
Voices for Ohio's Children is a non-partisan collaborative of private, public, and not-for-profit sector organizations and individuals who advocate for public policy that improves the well-being of Ohio's children and their families. Voices for Ohio's Children will be a leader in children's advocacy efforts in Ohio. Our work results in public policy ensuring our children are well-educated, healthy and safe.
In Utah: Homeless Families found living in storage units (KSL-TV-VIDEO).....
Storage manager Christie Andrews said that a family of three, including a 3-month-old child, was staying in one of the storage sheds. She said sometimes families can't keep up with traditional rent. "They're homeless and they don't have anywhere to go, I was getting a lot of complaints that people were leaving their doors a half a foot up. ... I would kick them out and then an hour later they were there."
Authored by Brookings Institution scholar Julia Isaacs, the report (Download-Read report HERE) provides a comprehensive look at the impact of the mortgage foreclosure crisis on America's children. It finds that one-in-ten children has been or is at risk to be affected by foreclosures, that the rate approaches one-in-five in some states, and that the upheaval resulting from foreclosure can have harmful and lasting consequences on a child's development.
A companion paper released by the First Focus Campaign for Children recommends specific actions Congress and the Administration can take to help families avoid foreclosure, find quality, affordable homes quickly when foreclosures happen, and deliver the help children need to blunt the harms resulting from foreclosure.
The First Focus Campaign for Children places a priority on supporting legislators who stand by our nation's children. Our Champions and Defenders of Children awards recognize the top 100 Members of Congress (HERE) working to make children and families a national priority in federal policy and budget decisions. Congratulations to OHIO's only recognized leader - SHERROD BROWN
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