White Collar Homelessness Proves No One is Immune

When I started working with the homeless, I never expected to encounter how widely this social violence is distributed. Anyone can be homeless.

I met a software technician who consulted for companies in France and South Korea, an environmental engineer once employed by the EPA, and a business woman who formerly owned 12 franchise restaurants. Startling. I've got dozens more stories like those. There are few things that can make you more grateful for your own personal support network than talking to the homeless about how they arrived at the shelter. Yes, homelessness is a reality that disproportionately affects the poor, disabled, people of color, and veterans. But without a robust social safety net, we're all vulnerable to hitting bottom.

This is a reality increasingly covered by the media as the effects of this recession impact more than the usual suspects. White collar homelessness is on the rise. A story out of Morris County, New Jersey validates a national trend revealing that widespread job loss is contributing to a spike in homelessness. In Morris, this means a 20% increase in service requests at many shelters and service centers. Many who once made a salary of $60,000 or more in traditionally stable industries are learning that there are no guarantees in this economy.

Take a look at Michael Lyng of Morristown. He had a great job working with computers at more than $30 an hour. Then Google bought his company's primary client. The contract wasn't renewed. Layoffs followed and Lyng got dropped. Four months later and Lyng's got no home. Keep in mind that Lyng has no other vulnerabilities other than absent income. He has no addictions. No criminal record that the story revealed, or any chronic medical conditions. He just lost his job. That's not what I'd call falling through the cracks- it's an effortless swan dive to the murky bottoms. Says Lyng, "We have a lot of people in this country that are about one paycheck away from being in the same boat I am, and don't realize how tenuous things are."

Not even a job secures protection from homelessness these days. What broke my heart in this story is reading about how many in Morris did their best only to wind up at a shelter in months feeling nearly hopeless. According to Star-Ledger story, "Betsey Hall, president of Homeless Solutions in Morris County, said 54 percent of people coming into the program are fully employed when they become homeless." More than half. That's stunning. So it's not only unemployment that contributes to homelessness, but also your standard American underemployment. If you're holding down 2 jobs at minimum wage and maybe have a kid to support then you know what I'm talking about.

Maybe I'm being a little paranoid about thinking everyone is at risk. Maybe not. Either way, I'm not trying to pull any Fox News style fear mongering. Honest. What interests me about the widening impact of economic struggle is the hope that it might sow the seeds of a new social empathy in this country.

Every few months, it seems, the media cover with surprising naivete and shock a "new homelessness." There seem to be three so far. Homelessness due to foreclosures is a "new homelessness." Economic insecurity among families and children as the fastest growing segment among the homeless is "new." White collar homelessness, a specious trend or not, is yet another sign that the recession continues to widen its hold. Where once it was predominantly the marginalized who experienced homelessness, now it's those with voices and connections to the mainstream who can share the dangers of an unsustainable system of mutual support.

In a world where anyone can be homeless, and we've seen this, it's harder to pretend innocence.

Image courtesy of the Star-Ledger.