The unintentional starter house - 750-1000 sq. feet, 2 BR, 1 Bath - can also be an ender house - as in some subsidized apartment complexes for the over-50. There's not much room for storage in such a place. These might still offer more space than in most assisted living places, however, which also are very expensive.
I hate to think that we are moving closer towards that 2013 dystopian film "Elysium," starring Matt Damon, but it seems we are headed towards a scenario like that. Those extremes may be off in the distant future, but what's happening now is nuts. My husband and I just barely covered the mortgage when we sold our house and are now renting. We won't ever be able to buy another house and on a fixed income, worry about rent going sky high. We may never be able to afford full retirement. Both of us work part-time. But beyond that, I experienced homelessness at age sixteen for three weeks. Ended up trafficked for four nights. It's an experience no one should have to claim, but tragically, every year thousands of youth do. I wonder whether awareness of this horror would make a difference? Would the public demand more appropriations towards ending youth homelessness, which is a pipeline to adult homelessness and drug use? People often end up homeless and then start drugs because being homeless is unbearable straight.
Thank you for being so candid in your response. I have met people who have experienced periods of homelessness and it seems to result in an understandable fairly permanent state of hypervigilance.
For those who have no framework, my guess is the most relatable experience they might be able to conceive is behaviors of feral cats that they have taken in. I lived with a cat who spend the first couple years of his life on the streets and behaviors we're notably different from the frankly posh cat behaviors many will associate with our feline friends. For example, he never seemed to conceive of when a next meal might arrive and so would clear a whole bowl of food at once (more of a dog thing, typically) and would also guard the food bowl in a way that is not particularly cat-like. His aggression never really calmed down even with age. Strong personality, that's for sure... but not necessarily related to an early scrapping life in an urban environment.
To be clear, I'm not really drawing an actual comparison of human and cat experiences. That would be reductive.
Let's talk about awareness. My sense is that people don't want to look directly at this level of horror. It's not unlike the way people handle those who are dealing with grief. They often think to put "sad and sad" together and encourage them to go stand in the corner. Americans haven't established proper rituals surrounding mortality and death, grief and loss, trauma, and myriad other issues... and so we look away until we cannot do so any longer because it's affecting us personally.
Noting what you said about the inability to handle homelessness while sober. That's an important point that I don't think people understand. It's not a chicken/egg paradox. When I was a rideshare driver (Uber/Lyft), I drove quite a few dancers and had some informative conversations. Basically, I was told that strippers are typically high in part because it's difficult to do the work while sober. This is understandable, right? Instead though, people think to blame the victim here. They think that someone decided to take the job because they were already an addict. My suspicion is that we make this sort of error constantly in many facets of life.
Important point about "full retirement". I don't think younger people spend much time worrying about this but it's... disturbing. My sense is that certain groups (not all) among the younger cohorts don't see retirement in the same way as The Greatest Generations (aka. Builders), The Silent Generation, Boomers, or even Gen X.
It's notable that France rioted in response to attempts to raise the retirement age (although... this is a very French reaction). Taking retirement early is, generally speaking, based on what I've seen, only something that those who are not rather wealthy should do unless absolutely necessary as the system punishes you to an unfair extent.
As retirement age increases... this is going to become normative. I suspect this will be, in part, a tactical maneuver by the government to avoid having to pay out full benefits to most, in part, because Social Security (if it even exists in any recognizable form in 25 years or so) may well still be struggling with solvency.
So many are homeless, too, because of addiction. They “choose” to live on the streets because they cannot abide by rules of the household. Families can’t offer support to an addict if that person presents a danger to the rest of the family. Truly sad.
The median home prices are insane. I paid off my house but my property taxes are the same as a modest mortgage. When my air conditioner goes out, that will be 20k. Maintenance on a home is insane.
I really don’t know how young families get started without extreme risk of falling behind. Plus, 30 year mortgages that make it “possible” to buy a home are just awful for earning any equity. At three years, you’re at a break-even.
Where I live, it’s impossible to get a small home (1,000-1,700 sq ft.) Everything is 2,400 and up. The smaller homes are all gentrified and $1M for 1,000 sq. ft. (I wrote a poem about this.)
I wanted a small home for my mother, a widow, in a quiet/fairly low-traffic neighborhood. I could only find new builds, and they were ~$350k. (And the quality certainly did not match the price tag.)
The unintentional starter house - 750-1000 sq. feet, 2 BR, 1 Bath - can also be an ender house - as in some subsidized apartment complexes for the over-50. There's not much room for storage in such a place. These might still offer more space than in most assisted living places, however, which also are very expensive.
A good point, Catherine. Assisted living is a fortune.
I hate to think that we are moving closer towards that 2013 dystopian film "Elysium," starring Matt Damon, but it seems we are headed towards a scenario like that. Those extremes may be off in the distant future, but what's happening now is nuts. My husband and I just barely covered the mortgage when we sold our house and are now renting. We won't ever be able to buy another house and on a fixed income, worry about rent going sky high. We may never be able to afford full retirement. Both of us work part-time. But beyond that, I experienced homelessness at age sixteen for three weeks. Ended up trafficked for four nights. It's an experience no one should have to claim, but tragically, every year thousands of youth do. I wonder whether awareness of this horror would make a difference? Would the public demand more appropriations towards ending youth homelessness, which is a pipeline to adult homelessness and drug use? People often end up homeless and then start drugs because being homeless is unbearable straight.
Thank you for being so candid in your response. I have met people who have experienced periods of homelessness and it seems to result in an understandable fairly permanent state of hypervigilance.
For those who have no framework, my guess is the most relatable experience they might be able to conceive is behaviors of feral cats that they have taken in. I lived with a cat who spend the first couple years of his life on the streets and behaviors we're notably different from the frankly posh cat behaviors many will associate with our feline friends. For example, he never seemed to conceive of when a next meal might arrive and so would clear a whole bowl of food at once (more of a dog thing, typically) and would also guard the food bowl in a way that is not particularly cat-like. His aggression never really calmed down even with age. Strong personality, that's for sure... but not necessarily related to an early scrapping life in an urban environment.
To be clear, I'm not really drawing an actual comparison of human and cat experiences. That would be reductive.
Let's talk about awareness. My sense is that people don't want to look directly at this level of horror. It's not unlike the way people handle those who are dealing with grief. They often think to put "sad and sad" together and encourage them to go stand in the corner. Americans haven't established proper rituals surrounding mortality and death, grief and loss, trauma, and myriad other issues... and so we look away until we cannot do so any longer because it's affecting us personally.
Noting what you said about the inability to handle homelessness while sober. That's an important point that I don't think people understand. It's not a chicken/egg paradox. When I was a rideshare driver (Uber/Lyft), I drove quite a few dancers and had some informative conversations. Basically, I was told that strippers are typically high in part because it's difficult to do the work while sober. This is understandable, right? Instead though, people think to blame the victim here. They think that someone decided to take the job because they were already an addict. My suspicion is that we make this sort of error constantly in many facets of life.
Important point about "full retirement". I don't think younger people spend much time worrying about this but it's... disturbing. My sense is that certain groups (not all) among the younger cohorts don't see retirement in the same way as The Greatest Generations (aka. Builders), The Silent Generation, Boomers, or even Gen X.
It's notable that France rioted in response to attempts to raise the retirement age (although... this is a very French reaction). Taking retirement early is, generally speaking, based on what I've seen, only something that those who are not rather wealthy should do unless absolutely necessary as the system punishes you to an unfair extent.
As retirement age increases... this is going to become normative. I suspect this will be, in part, a tactical maneuver by the government to avoid having to pay out full benefits to most, in part, because Social Security (if it even exists in any recognizable form in 25 years or so) may well still be struggling with solvency.
So many are homeless, too, because of addiction. They “choose” to live on the streets because they cannot abide by rules of the household. Families can’t offer support to an addict if that person presents a danger to the rest of the family. Truly sad.
Too true. I should have included addiction as a factor. A more in-depth conversation about this aspect is needed, in general, in public discourse.
The median home prices are insane. I paid off my house but my property taxes are the same as a modest mortgage. When my air conditioner goes out, that will be 20k. Maintenance on a home is insane.
I really don’t know how young families get started without extreme risk of falling behind. Plus, 30 year mortgages that make it “possible” to buy a home are just awful for earning any equity. At three years, you’re at a break-even.
Where I live, it’s impossible to get a small home (1,000-1,700 sq ft.) Everything is 2,400 and up. The smaller homes are all gentrified and $1M for 1,000 sq. ft. (I wrote a poem about this.)
I wanted a small home for my mother, a widow, in a quiet/fairly low-traffic neighborhood. I could only find new builds, and they were ~$350k. (And the quality certainly did not match the price tag.)
Save us, Mark! 😊
I really appreciate your insights, Crystal! This sounds right on the money (I guess pun intended?)
I LOVE that you wrote a poem on the subject (!!). Respect! And that's wild... $1M (!!) for 1000 sq. ft. !? Insane.
Sorry to hear this hit home first-hand with regards to trying to find appropriate housing for your mother. Sad and frustrating world we live in.
I definitely know the property taxes are a killer.
I suspect the vast majority of homeowners live in fear of the next big expense due to something breaking. Not fun.