Merry Christmas -- No New Posts Until 2012

This blog will take a short break to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. I will resume regular posts in January 2012. Merry Christmas and Have a Happy New Year!

In the meantime, you may listen to this lovely song by the late Karen Carpenter.



Remember: Please pray for those who are not as fortunate this Christmas weekend. Whether they need money or a home, let's hope their wishes are granted.

Job loss and foreclosure crisis takes toll on 31,000 kids in Michigan

This is very sad news and shows much the foreclosure crisis has inflicted families. It is no longer a racial or low-income problem. The bad economy is targeting middle-class families too. In Michigan, the number of homeless students in Michigan has jumped more than 300% in the last four years.

In the 2010-11 school year, more than 31,000 homeless students attended school -- 8,500 more than in the previous school year, a 37% spike attributed to the weak economy, loss of jobs and the foreclosure crisis. Overall, the number of homeless students in Michigan has jumped more than 300% in the last four years. Most experts say those numbers are low because many parents are embarrassed to admit they are homeless. And many school districts lack the resources to identify these kids, as required by federal law.

You can read more about the homeless student population below:

• Number of homeless students database
  
• Life in a shelter: 'Everything is going to work out'
  
• Who is homeless?
  
• Costs spike to transport homeless students to school
  
• Links to more help for the homeless in Michigan
  
• For Michigan's homeless students, a storage room of backpacks shows community support (December 19, 2011)
  
• Covenant House offers homeless kids a high school education (December 20, 2011)
  
• Adrian and Traverse City open their arms to homeless kids who need to finish school (December 21, 2011)
  
• Family in Detroit receives home: 'We feel so blessed'
  

Census Update: 1 in 2 Americans Are Poor or Low-Income

More bad news for Americans. The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a report that states more Americans are falling into poverty.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans - nearly 1 in 2 - have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.

The latest census data depict a middle class that's shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government's safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of workers and families.

"Safety net programs such as food stamps and tax credits kept poverty from rising even higher in 2010, but for many low-income families with work-related and medical expenses, they are considered too 'rich' to qualify," said Sheldon Danziger, a University of Michigan public policy professor who specializes in poverty.

"The reality is that prospects for the poor and the near poor are dismal," he said. "If Congress and the states make further cuts, we can expect the number of poor and low-income families to rise for the next several years."