Florida seniors face ‘devastating’ impacts of housing crisis
America’s Impending Moral Failure
Introduction
It Is not the drug addicted tucked and hiding in the doorway frightening the business owners anymore
It is not the crazy cat lady mumbling to herself in the alleyway, caring for all the strays anymore
It is not the veteran in the wheelchair in the middle of the road begging for change and hoping anymore
It is the most frightening picture one can imagine; it is granny or grandpa’s, and they are dying on the streets
But our nation has turned its back on our most vulnerable to care for the illegal, fund wars, promote a false climate agenda, and enforce wicked policies while the elderly die on the streets
Our nation has repeatedly chosen the wrong agenda, the wrong side of right, the wrong side of a moral obligation, and have not accepted responsibility for the decisions made, but now with the elderly becoming homeless and criminals, will that change?
Let’s look at His word as we start today
1 John 3: 16 to 18(Amplified)
By this we know (and have come to understand the depth and the essence of His precious) love; that He (willingly) laid down His life for us (because He loved us). And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers. But whoever has the world’s goods (adequate resources), and sees his brother in need, but has no compassion for him, how does the love of God live in Him?
What say you…
Did you ever slow down to wonder where your elderly church friend disappeared to? Did you ever wonder when the disabled veteran neighbor went to in the past few months? Oh, yes, I know you have been busy, they are old, so it is no concern of yours, right?
Rents, food, medications, Social Security is not enough anymore, what is one to do, family is broken and scattered, so how is one to embrace old age, it ain’t for chickens anymore, but what does that matter, it does not impact you right, or will it?
Let’s Meet Three Lady’s on the Verge
This is a limited look at a small window of the elderly and nearly homeless, but I want you to answer a question or two for me. Where did they commit an error, make bad decisions, fail here or there, or choose the wrong path? Because these are the accusations that we use to refuse care and compassion to the homeless in general, but will it stand for the new, elderly homeless? Remember the Pandemic and the housing Affordability Crisis, remember.
Ms. Pankert aged 76 and a widow.
Husband died from COVID-19 in 2019, and she struggled to find a place to rent. She is receiving county assistance, and she had to go back to work at her age, just to survive. Why is she fighting for survival all alone? First question, where is her family, or is she hiding the problems to protect them?
Ms. Warkins, also 76 and a retired nurse
This lady is one of many who is getting hard hit by maintenance fees and HOA alongside inflation and the ends are no longer meeting. She is facing tough choices, food, and medications or paying all the bills, how soon will she be on the streets, suffering and struggling?
Andrecozzi a 69-year-old, struggling
She is the youngest interviewed, she must work 40 hours per week. For that, she returns ‘home’ to a rented room and bathroom, which she rents from her 33-year-old co-worker, not what she planned. Again, where is her family, or is there shame and fear and estrangement involved, why is she all alone?
Real Numbers, Real Fear
I am not one to quote and use a lot of numbers when I write, they often are stiff and not engaging, but here we need to have a strong expresso style wake-up call to realize how serious this impending crisis is for our seniors. Numbers will tell a story in this case that words cannot, so bear with me as I give you just a few for the reality check we all need.
>Seniors 65 years old and up are 32% are more to think that they are somewhat likely to be evicted in the NEXT 2 months, in Florida that number rises to 80%
>Jewish Help Network states that 5 to 7 members are calling weekly for help because they cannot make work anymore
>16.75% of renters are paying more than they should be
>100,000 of the approximate 650,000 homeless in America are over 55 years of age
>40% percentage of the elderly homeless have never been homeless before
Okay, enough numbers, but we must learn that this new reality is here to stay, and as stated in the article, “Now is the time to create an America that does not abandon its elders.” The old and broken mindsets and misconceptions must be dealt with and thrown away and collaboration put in its place.
There is another group that is not mentioned in the article, but are struggling alongside the elderly, they are the disabled and unable to work group. This group lives on a very tight and fixed income no matter the age that they become disabled and the income changes very slowly. Only a percentage of those in the disabled category qualify for medical coverage and the others have to struggle to cover on their own. They also are on the verge of landing on the streets as well.
America is Abandoning to Many of Its Elderly to the Streets (by-line of the article)
That statement should stop our blood cold in its veins, that statement is a moral indictment against us, the nation of the brace and home of the free. That line of text is not mine, but I stand with 100% and believe that America must make a change soon, the elderly on the streets is unacceptable.
I am going to say this again, as I have in many articles, we do not even abandon dogs and cats to the streets without thousands being spent every year to care for them. What is up with that?
Look let’s speak the truth, and embrace the truth, and quit hiding it solves nothing. America has allowed a minority with a false, alternate agenda to come in and work to try and move the country off her given and assigned course.
If you speak the truth now, it is nearly hate speech, if you stand up against the false agendas of DEI, woke, the pride flag, and the illegals, you are immediately railed against as wicked and anti-this or that. In this embracing of the false and alternate, the unborn, the elderly, and the disabled and veterans have been allowed to go to the streets without much regard of their needs.
The Affordable and Building Gap, Crisis
7, 400 housing units are needed every year to meet the current needs of the incoming population. And only 3,100 are able to be built, does any know how to do math? This housing crisis cannot be solved by traditional building and land grab means. Yet the hunger for building, and money and the stiff backbone of NIMBY still rules and thwarts alternate building ideas. How will this be solved without radical change, or do they not want change?
NIMBY still rules the ‘affordable’ building arena and prevents many of the needed units from being built. That gap just mentioned will never be closed, it cannot be with the mindsets and the greed remaining in place. Until Communities, cities and building embrace alternate building as sites for converting into housing, we are stuck with a building versus need crisis and more elderly ending up on the streets. What about empty warehouses, empty movie theaters, empty malls, manufacturing sites, there are all right there ready for a second life, why not?
Our country is large, plenteous, and filled with wild places, but not near enough buildable spaces, we have wasted much of that buildable space. It is time to bring in new people, new thinking, and new ideas. When money is made, it is not the driving factor. Where out-of-the-box ideas are welcomed, and housing is considered from unusual sources and places. This is the only way to end he affordability crisis and to prevent the homelessness numbers from spiraling beyond recovery across the board, unless that is what is wanted.
Conclusion
By willful neglect local, state and federal governmental agencies have allowed this problem to grow and become a crisis in the lives of seniors and allowed it to become nearly acceptable. I mean what else can be said when the elderly are being abandoned to the streets, the old tried and true blame game statements do not apply, what can be said for this failure?
With the no sleeping, no camping bans sweeping across the nation, the elderly will be caught up in the branding and making of the largest criminal group in America in the next few years. They will be, “I am a criminal simply because I am homeless,” is that the legacy we want for America in 10 or 15 years? While we house, feed and pamper the illegals sent to destroy this nation?
CTA…
Answer this,
What has been allowed to enter into America that elderly homelessness could even be considered as something possible or probable? Are you okay with that?
What about the millions wasted or false climate change, millions spent to save a fish in a river no one has heard of, or financing the remodel of a public building that no one is using, money is a great evil or a great tool, which for you?
Remember also when you are reading this, as the American senior is suffering and struggling to decide if they will buy food, or medication, pay rent or their HOA, or land on the streets, the illegals are living in total comfort
