The non-profits and housing agencies swing into high gear

The same agencies who decided that low income families and middle class minorities needed to build wealth through home ownership (and if you ever owned a home you know this like floating a boat with an unplugged hole in the bottom), are back at the money spigot.

These are the agencies who

1. helped the clients apply to the state housing trust fund for the down payment,
   
2. who took them to the bank or loan company for money guaranteed by the federal government for the sub-prime mortgage,
   
3. who then took fees to keep their own staff paid,
   
4. who provided them with a one hour workshop on home ownership in their native language,
   
5. who found them rehabbed or low end homes in “at risk” or “weak market” neighborhoods which this agency first purchased and rehabbed,

these same agencies are now asking for more federal and state money to run foreclosure programs and assistance for the very people they helped put in their homes; or money to bulldoze, board up or acquire them for future rehabbing (and start it all over). And if they can’t stop the “disinvestment and decline”, they propose to use the money to buy the home, and lease it back. In other words, put low income people into rentals, which might have been a better plan to begin with. Link to “Columbus and Franklin County Foreclosure Working Group, Prevention and Recovery Advisory Plan, October 2008”

There may be a combination of reasons for a person or family to be “low income.” I know it sounds mean to suggest that there are differences between rich people and poor people and the people in between, but someone needs to address the elephant in the living room if I may borrow a phrase from AA. There are some things a nice home just can't be expected to fix.

Low job skills,

low education level,

low intelligence,

poor interpersonal skills,

poor communication skills either as a native speaker of English, or English as a second language--speaking and writing,

high family disruption and dysfunction--divorced or single parent trying to compete with a 2 parent family,

high alcohol and drug use, contributing to failed drug tests, DUI, short term prison stays,

high mobility, frequent moves, grass is always greener syndrome

low mobility, refuses to leave an area of bad employment opportunities

poor health, disability

age--either too young, or too old to be useful to an employer

small ambition, not competitive, won't take in-house training or transfers

lazy or incompetent.