Homeless During the Depression

I Know What It’s Like To Be Homeless!

I was born and still reside in Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA), which has a population of about 500,000.

"The homeless population in the city, is estimated at 10,000, but a recent survey shows there’s no such thing as a typical profile. The homeless are men and women of all races and ages. Many are members of a family with at least one child."

The preceding is a quote from an article, written by Caleb Fort, a staff writer for the Albuquerque Journal, in an article published in December, 2007. The article is entitled, "The Have Nots; Faces of city’s homeless population shows problem’s complexity; need for services."

* * *

For over a decade or so, I have lost SIX jobs, due to layoffs for one reason or another; companies closing; defense cuts; out sourcing; companies moving, etc. I have never been fired from a job because of attitude or attendance or anything else, etc. I was one of the last to leave three companies that closed!

I’ve been in the humor business for over forty years, and I got a curious email from a fellow who asked: "How do you lose a job, and still keep a smile on your face?" The answer, "You Don’t!" Every job-loss is painful! With every job I’ve lost, I feel just like everybody else, who loses their source of income…AWFUL! That empty, hollow feeling in the pit of the stomach…and the helpless feeling that goes with it!

"It can’t happen to me!" Hurricane; tornado; earthquake; house fire; accident; illness; job loss; homelessness…it always happens to somebody else, right? Millions of people all across the country have lost their jobs during the past decade or so…and because of this, there’s no more job security. All of this can get a little scary, to say the least.

Alternative Treatments for Depression…

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Article: "Some of the homeless, have substance abuse problems or a mental illness, while others are running away from domestic violence, and some of the homeless simply can’t pay the rent. ‘Most of them blend into the community,’ said Lisa LaBrecque, policy and advocacy director for the New Mexico to End Homelessness. ‘They’re not just panhandlers or the people sleeping in the park. They stand in line with us at the coffee shop. Their children go to school with all the rest.’"

* * *

"Hope never abandons you…you abandon it" George Weinberg

For over ten years, I worked for a large world-wide engineering company, and something curious happened when the company started laying off employees. They laid off people starting at the top…such as department heads…and the people who made the most money, etc. And, this was in 1992, during my first job loss! There were 14 of us who got laid-off, and we had over 200 years of service with the company between us! This was the trend that was started back then, and it continues into the year 2008.

For over a decade or so, it has been a wild roller-coaster ride for me…with all the ups and downs…and the stress and depression that goes with it! Just about the time, I was recovering from one job lay-off, another would come along, throwing a monkey-wrench into what I had already accomplished, etc.

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Article: "The survey for the homeless, was done by the coalition and was conducted at various shelter and service agencies in Albuquerque. It was based on interviews and questionaires administered to 210 homeless people. In many ways, the survey contradicts the common image of the homeless as middle age, substance-abuse men, although mental illness and substance-abuse are still part of the issue, said Lee Pattison, executive director of the St. Martin’s Hospitality House.

- In fact, the survey, revealed that 27.6 percent of the homeless people were women.

- The survey showed that 8 percent said that mental health counseling could have prevented their homelessness.

- About 18 percent of those questioned, said substance abuse treatment could have kept them losing their home."

* * *

"When I started counting my blessings, my life turned around." Willie Nelson

When you add illness to a job loss…it makes for a toxic mix! After so many job losses, I was finally beat up, and I began living off a credit card, and that got me in trouble, too! I finally couldn’t pay the rent, and I was evicted! But, I thought a judge would never throw an unemployed person out in the streets! Boy, was I wrong! Take it from me…there’s not an emptier feeling, than when you have to appear before a judge to get your walking papers, etc.

Stress and depression were my constant companion for over a decade! But, I never knew how Serious depression was, until I went out on the Internet to do a little research. I was stunned at what I learned! Just about everywhere I went, there were two words that were always present…the words "depression," and the word, "suicide!" So, I was not just suffering from the "blues" during the decade…I was in a depressed state for years! Following, is a small sample of what I found:

From: National Institute of Mental Health

In any given year, 9.5% of the population or 18.8 million American adults suffer from depressive illness. The economic cost for this disorder is high, but the cost of human suffering cannot be estimated. Depression often interferes with normal functioning and causes pain, not only to those who have the disorder, but to those who care about them. Serious depression can destroy family life, as well as the life of the ill person.

From: Depression.com

Depression is a serious medical condition, which can lead to the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior. Although most people who are depressed, don’t kill themselves, untreated depression, can increase the risk of possible suicide. Severely depressed people often do not have the energy to harm themselves, but it is when the depression lifts, that they gain increased energy, and they may be more likely to attempt suicide.

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In 2005, heart-failure came calling! I was hospitalized at the VA Medical Center for over three months! Taken by ambulance, I was not able to make arrangements to get my possessions out of my apartment, and I lost everything! Now, I know what the victims of hurricane Katrina felt like when they lost everything! During this time, I was wondering what the correlation between depression and heart-failure was, and so, again a did a little research, and here’s what I found.

From: American Psychological Association

Some people with depression try to harm themselves, in a mistaken belief that how they are feeling will never change. Research over the past two decades, has shown that depression and heart disease are common companions…and what is worse…one can lead to the other. It appears now, that depression is an important risk factor for heart disease along with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Depression is a major disability in the U.S. and world-wide.

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"Don’t complain about what you don’t have…enjoy what you have." Stanley Judd

During my long stay at the VA hospital, I applied and got a disability pension. But, $850.00 doesn’t go very far in this greedy world! I had to pay the car insurance; car registration; website (future business); and a personal loan, which ate up half of it. I had no choice, but to go to live in a homeless shelter, so I called and reserved a bed. This is one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do! I thought, after a month or so in the shelter, I would get another VA check, and I could then get a place of my own, etc.

The shelter (AOC) consisted of about 50-60 beds for men only. There was security around the clock, so I felt fairly safe. "What am I doing here?" I would say to myself! "How has my life gone so wrong!" Like anyone else, I felt embarrassed, humiliated…and the shame of it all, etc. But, I was grateful I had a roof over my head! It was getting close to October, and I could feel the chill in the air, etc.

"When asked if my cup is half full or half empty…my response is that I am thankful that I even have a cup." Sam Lefkowiz

The part I hated the most, was a couple of yellow buses would pick us up at the shelter at 6:00 in the morning, and take us downtown for breakfast. Morning after morning, I stared out the bus window, and thought to myself, "Why am I here?" And, everyday, I stood in the soup line for the first time in my life, I thought, "Where did I go wrong?" I was just grateful that I had a roof over my head and something to eat, etc.

Family Life During the Great Depression…

I had to work constantly on my self-esteem, and not let it fade or get away from me…as none of what happened to me was my fault! Millions of people lose their jobs…and I just happened to lose a few more. There was no finger-pointing on my part.

Many of these people in the shelter, didn’t look like the stereo-typical of the homeless…old, ragged clothes; beard; weathered faces! Many of them, looked like the neighbor next door; good appearance; good communications…they looked like they could put on a coat and tie and go work at the bank down the street. They seemed to be out of place, and that’s scary enough! Could more and more people be falling through the cracks, because of job losses, the nation-wide mortgage problem, and a greedy society?

In the shelter, I never saw any violence; pushing/shoving; or threats of any kind over the six weeks I was living there, etc. Everybody seemed respectful of each other, and just went about their own business, that being, in trying to get their lives together, etc.

* * *

Article: "More than a quarter of the respondents to the survey, said they had a job and 40% of those, said they worked 40 hours or more a week. The problem, LaBrecque said, is a lack of affordable housing. The disparity between real estate prices and the rise in wages often forces those at the lower end out of their homes, she said.

‘Anything you or I would want, they (homeless people) want, too,’ said Andy Najor, a case manager for Catholic Charities. ‘We can only treat the symptoms. The cause is a societal issue. It seems like there are a lot more have-nots than there used to be.’"

Homeless survey shows:

- 27.6% were female

– 59.3% were 40-59 years old

– 68.1% were single; 21% were part of a family

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In early 2006, and with heart-failure, a pace-maker was implanted. I took all the information I got from the VA and gave it to Social Security, and amazingly in just two months, I was awarded a disability pension. The rules at the VA stated, that I was to report any and all income, so when I reported the Social Security income…the VA terminated my VA pension! In 2008, the decision to terminate has been appealed and is pending.

Whether it’s a health issue…home, sweet, home, or anything else…"you don’t know what you have…until you lose it!" Isn’t that the way the saying goes?

Author: Jerry Aragon

ARTICLES PUBLISHED: (340+ websites/includes links); Direct link:

[http://humordoctormd.homestead.com/articlespublished.html] Website name; humordoctormd – Over 150 colorful pages; over 300 graphics [http://humordoctormd.homestead.com] email; humordoctormd@yahoo.com Copyright Jerry L. Aragon (The Humor Doctor) 2007

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