Housing depression has set in. After yet another fruitless weekend of searching I am rethinking the whole thing. Thanks to the �you get paid in sunshine� excuse for underpaying professionals in southern California and the extremely over priced housing market my income even coupled with my darling Beau�s income is insufficient to afford rental in a middle class neighborhood let alone home ownership. It is distressing to realize that if I remain in So-cal I will NEVER own a home. By standard definition this places me in the lower class as home ownership is the defining feature of middle class. In topsy-turvy So-Cal fashion if I was truly poor I could �afford� a house as I would qualify for low income home purchase assistance and/or at the very least home rental assistance. The rental home owners can�t understand why as they charge higher and higher rents to get �better� renters they are placing themselves firmly in the �assisted low income� market which doesn�t necessarily mean �lives like pigs� but after three or four �trashes� you would think they would see that they have to look closely at whether the couple is employed, length of time in previous residence, and so on. One place we viewed had been �trashed� twice in a row and the owner raised the rent considerably each time only to find no difference in the tenants. I am a employed professional (and two time home owner), my Beau is young and never owned a home but he has a spotless credit rating and impeccable renter�s record since leaving the Marines. We can not afford the rent requested on the house and I suspect the only ones who can are assisted. I am trying to convince them they will make more money in the long run if they don�t have to shell out eviction and repair money every year or so. I am certain the security deposit on that house won�t even cover the fee for the dumpster required to haul away all the garbage left behind by the evicted family.

A month ago they did a special on affordable housing in San Diego, they included apartments and condos as �Homes� which is silly at best, still I was appalled to learn that a single parent family from Ecuador (Mom and 4 kids) was renting a 4 bedroom apartment for 40$ less than I pay for my RV parking spot and 100$ less than any room for rent that I found when I first separated from my ex. They qualify to live better than me because she doesn�t work and is on assistance. I am not for putting them out on the street but why does a single parent from Ecuador rate assistance while I am forced to live in a trailer. I work every day. I have taken care of myself since I left my parents home in 1988 (and sporadically before that) and I am left to flutter in GW�s and Ahnalds �America�. I am middle class and I am struggling come up with enough money to live next to 3 or 4 families from Mexico sharing a 3 bedroom house. The nice neighborhoods like the one I grew up in are forever out of my reach and getting further all the time. I am told the secret is to find other families and �do what the Mexicans do� and live ridiculously piled on top of each other so as to afford a house.

All I want is a room somewhere far away from the cold night air�oh wouldn�t it be loverly?

No room for the homeless middle class (we serve no purpose evidently, only those in the service industry deserve any help). Forget �A day without a Mexican� how about a day without the underpaid homeless middle class. For this I went to college?

My housing whine, pay no attention, I just needed to spew and this is as good a place as any.

I wish you Peace

~alison~

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