As part of its Bearing Witness 2.0 project, the Huffington Post is rounding up a few of the best local stories of the day.
Natalia Mielczarek reports in the Tennessean that Stephanie Dick's husband recently volunteered to serve a tour of duty in Iraq so his family could move out of the 21-foot-long RV camper they have been living in, and into a home -- even if just for the winter. The couple, who have two children and three dogs, make just barely too much money to qualify for help from federal stimulus funds, and were kicked out of their home in October.
They were living full-time in a campground, but have since used a loan from Stephanie's mother to move into a trailer park. They're still trying to get something more permanent, and better suited for the upcoming cold. "We're OK on the clothes," said Stephanie, "the one thing that worries me is that even with the heaters, it's still going to be cold."
*********
Jeff and Yanthy Zerner, of Phoeniz, Ariz., came home last week to find a foreclosure notice posted on the door of their home. "I get this notice that says you have five days to vacate the property," said Jeff. "So I called the number and I say, 'Who are you?' and they say, 'We're the [new] legal owners of this house. It went up for foreclosure.'"
Technically, it did. But it shouldn't have. The Zerners had made all of their payments on the mortgage, and had just finished a trial loan modification, which they claim should have led to a permanent modification. Chase, which provided their loan, confirmed to KPHO's Sarah Buduson that the bank had, in fact, made a mistake, and had foreclosed and sold the Zerners' house in error. The company had "reached out to Ms. Zerner to discuss where we go from here," according to a statement, but had not yet given the couple their house back.
*********
Laura Byrnes, of Ocala, Fla.'s Star Banner, reports that local food pantries are running out of food as many of the people who used to donate items have started lining up to get help for themselves. "We're definitely seeing the middle class, not just the poor anymore, and we're seeing a lot more homeless, especially women, on the street," said Gary Linn, director of Interfaith Emergency Services. He said his organization has served 75 percent more families this year than last, and 400 percent more than in 2007.
A combination of more patrons and fewer donors has strained the charities. "The folks who lost their jobs... used to have food drives and toy drives for us, and now they're trying to get food for themselves," explained Linn. And as joblessness continues to rise through the holiday season, food banks see no end.
*********
Children whose parents have recently lost their jobs are starting to suffer the emotional and psychological consequences, reports Michael Luo for the New York Times. One family, the Bachmuths, of the Woodlands, Texas, said that both their daughters -- Rebecca, nine, and Hannah, 12 -- started to display behavioral difficulties when their father, Paul, lost his job about a year ago. "I'm starting to think it's all my fault," he expressed.
In families where the chief breadwinner recently lost their job, children were 15 percent more likely to repeat a grade, according to one recent academic study. "The extent that job losers are stressed and emotionally disengaged or withdrawn, this really matters for kids," said Dr. Ariel Kalil, a professor of public policy at the University of Chicago. She added that parents tend to argue more after a job loss, which also affects children's behavior.
*********
Almost half the nation's hotel owners won't be able to pay their mortgages this year, reports Steve Huettel of the St. Petersburg Times. Hotels, desperate to get tourists in the door, are cutting prices, which means their profits are slipping. That loss of cash flow does not necessarily mean that hotels will foreclose, though; instead, services have been cut back, from staff to landscaping to food preparation.
HuffPost readers: Seen a compelling local story? Have a neighbor going to bizarre lengths to get through the recession? Tell us about it! Email jmhattem@gmail.com.