During December 2010, Alexandra Jarrin a unemployed Vermonter, organized a “Letters to Bernie” campaign, where she encouraged the long-term unemployed to send their unemployment stories to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Sen. Sanders had courageously filibustered President Obama’s and the Republican’s tax cut compromise as well as supported the extension of unemployment benefits to all unemployed. Ms. Jarrin's appeal was in response to the proposed extension of unemployment benefits for those who had not exhausted all unemployment benefits. The unemployment extension did not include millions of 99ers, some who have been without any financial support for up to one year and desperately need financial lifeline. Ms. Jarrin collected those letters and hand delivered them to Sen. Sanders’ Vermont office.
Her appeal received a great deal of response from the unemployed and her efforts were featured on a CNN segment highlighted on The Huffington Post. Ms. Jarrin unselfishly mounted this campaign to encourage others to share their unemployment experiences with a senator sympathetic to their plight, hoping to convince Congress to extend unemployment beneifits to all unemployed..
During that December 2010 campaign, Ms. Jarrin’s life was stressful, but she had a place to live and was hoping for better days ahead. Unfortunately, those better days have yet to materialize in 2011. She is still unemployed, although she has applied for more than 3000 jobs. A friend of Ms. Jarrin contacted me and relayed that Ms. Jarrin was nearly homeless. I contacted Ms. Jarrin and asked how she was holding up and she replied:
I am sorry that I didn’t get a chance to get back to you when you emailed me last week; things have just been blowing up all over the place in my life. That whole issue was I just had knee surgery, and fell right afterwards which caused issues. The surgery was not successful really and I am still recovering from it. I have several health issues that I was aware of before but not to the degree that I am finding out, that is what happens when you go years without health insurance.
So on the heels of all this, my friend - the place I was staying - told me that I had to leave immediately because her landlord would not allow her to have someone live there any longer. On Wednesday he threatened her with eviction if I didn’t leave that day. So I am homeless again. I am so stressed out and I came down with some version of the flu even after getting a flu shot this past fall. UGH, just miserable.
Ms. Jarrin received some much needed assistance from a Good Samaritan and “Letters to Bernie” reader who graciously paid for a one-week hotel stay. After that paid-week Ms. Jarrin will again face the prospect of homelessness during a brutal Vermont winter. Ms. Jarrin’s car will likely be repossessed, which will put her in an even more precarious situation; unable to visit a doctor, unable to look for work properly, and unable to live in the car in the event she can no longer pay for her hotel room.
What makes Ms. Jarrin’s situation even more troubling is that she is one of millions of long-term unemployed who have been abandoned by a disconnected and near inhumane Congress and executive branch and left stranded without any means of support. Even Vice President Joe Biden quipped clueless to the unemployed, “Hang in there.” How can someone “hang in there” who has nothing?
Many people doubt that the long-term unemployed are anxious to get back to work and simply want to collect benefits. The job openings data show that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. The latest BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary showed “3.1 million job openings on the last business day of December.” When considering that there are nearly 26.5 million unemployed and underemployed who want full-time work, 3.1 million job openings is not nearly enough to make a significant dent in the unemployed/underemployed population. That’s more than 8 people seeking each available job. And many of those job openings are part-time, seasonal, or temporary, which puts full-time jobs in even greater demand. The bottom line is that there are not enough jobs to meet the demand for jobs and until that situation improves, the unemployed, such as Ms. Jarrin, cannot simply “hang in there” without some assistance.
With the backing of a compliant Congress, corrupt bankers and failed corporate executives now are receiving record compensation after robbing the American Treasury of trillions of dollars, but that same Congress can’t see fit to help those most in need. This American tragedy won’t improve unless Americans demand more accountability from their government. Unfortunately, even if the American public finally opens its eyes fully to the fact that the middle class and poor are being financially disadvantaged and hustled for the benefit of the most well-to-do, change will take more time than people in Ms. Jarrin’s position can wait.
Since Congress currently seems incapable of acting responsibly for those most harmed financially during this Great Recession, the American people will have to step forward and take up the slack. One person cannot help everyone, but everyone can help one person.
If any Good Samaritans would like step forward to assist Ms. Jarrin during this very difficult period, please send me a note at mike@layofflist.org and I’ll put you in contact with her.
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." Franklin D. Roosevelt
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http://www.house.gov/ PLEASE EMAIL your representatives in the House to ask them to support this legislation. The more of us they hear from, the more seriously they will take this matter. ALSO, email John Boehner (http://www.speaker.gov/Contact/ Phone: (202) 225-0600 Fax: (202) 225-5117) and Eric Cantor. Thanks! http://www.house.gov/
H.R.589 Latest Title: To amend title IV of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to provide for additional weeks of first-tier emergency unemployment compensation, and for other purposes. 2/9/2011: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Committee on Ways and Means - Dave Camp, MI, Chairman
Can anyone give her a place to stay? She is an invalid now!! Can't Sanders help her directly? I thought during the winter months no one gets evicted. Can NELP help her?
Awful.
Ellen
Of course people get evicted in the winter and they turn off peoples power in the winter with kids or without!!
I am from Phila. Pa. who has been a 99er since Oct .2010. I would give you my street address, but thanks to this Gov't, I NO LONGER HAVE ONE! I was evicted two days ago & I am at wits end with what to do next.
I am from Phila, PA also. In PA, after you have exhausted all tiers of federal benefits, there are 20 weeks of state benefits for which you qualify. Call the unemployment office and they will initiate the process. Hope you see this and apply. You said you were evicted, but is it possible to use a friend or family member's address?
This is really heartbreaking. Didn't Bernie Sanders respond at all to Alexandria's efforts to contact him. It is so important that we get this current bill passed without delay as many are facing the very same situations here. By the way - I loved your quote from FDR. I just wish we had him in office now.
Very sad news - this just keeps coming and I wish I knew what to say. i sent Alex a FB message earlier this week to see how she was doing but she didn't respond. I was worried - thanks for letting us know her situation. Alex - if you red this, please know I'm thinking of you. God knows that if I was near you and able to help, I would do so.
Mike -
"Since Congress currently seems incapable of acting responsibly for those most harmed financially during this Great Recession, the American people will have to step forward and take up the slack. One person cannot help everyone, but everyone can help one person.
If any Good Samaritans would like step forward to assist Ms. Jarrin during this very difficult period, please send me a note at mike@layofflist.org and I’ll put you in contact with her"
Mike - this is eloquent and heartwarming - it states so much with so few words.
Mike,
Here are some places that maybe able to help Alexandra Jarrin.
Read below.
===============================================
Homeless Shelters
www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/
========================================
Volunteers of America - Homeless Assistance
Volunteers of America works to prevent and end homelessness for individuals and families. As one of the largest recipients of federal homeless assistance grants, Volunteers of America reaches out to homeless individuals through street outreach and mobile outreach services. Once Volunteers of America engages homeless individuals, youth and families with children, we stay with them for as long as it takes to return them to self-sufficiency — providing assistance that ranges from paying a first month’s rent to offering permanent supportive housing so that people with disabilities can become stable and productive members of their communities.
Inside This Section
Emergency Shelter
Outreach
Drop-In Centers
Permanent Supportive Housing
Eviction Prevention
Transitional Housing
Supportive Services
Click on Link below for help.
http://www.voa.org/Get-Help/National-Network-of-Services/Homelessness.aspx
Yes, it's a sad story. Some people do sit around watching cable TV and don't start looking for a job until their benefits expire. Two of my friends are personnel directors, and when I have told unemployed acquaintances about job openings, they admit they won't take jobs that pay less than their unemployment checks. I've known others who lost their jobs, and they made some fast changes. They cut services, reduced cell phone coverage, turned down the heat, did odd jobs like mowing lawns, and quit going out to eat. They treated looking for a job like a job itself. They got up early every week day and hunted for jobs. All of them found work withing months. Two of them worked two jobs until they found something better. We can't pay unemployment forever to those who say they can't find work.
What are you talking about?
This article is about someone who tried very hard to get a job but was unsuccessful. It seems you may find that impossible to believe but it's true: the lack of jobs means that there are millions of great workers who can't find a job these days.
And if you know about job openings, why not share your knowledge? Frankly though I find you tales of everybody you know who tried hard to find work found it -- sometimes they found two jobs! Sounds like the fantasies of the employed who resent the unemployed to me.
Really-we cant pay unemployment forever? But we CAN fund two wars that cost billions each friggin week! We can send billions to other countries so when they lose power they can scoot off to a resort with 40 billion dollars in their pocket. We didn't cause this recession , The govt did, Bush to be more exact. Wallstreet did. Unemployment is 10.6% in Oregon and 15% + where I live. I have always found a job in a week. So has my 27 yr old son. We are not having that experience now.She sent out 3000 resumes and aplications, she did not wait til she lost benefits then suddenly look for jobs. She lost her unemployment months ago. I lost mine in May last year. So there goes your theory that we sit on A** til the money stops then we look for job, cant find and oh whoops we are homeless.
I would guess that depends on where you live because there are some of us who cut services, turned down the heat, did odd jobs and weren't going out to eat before we were unemployed. . . who treated looking for a job like a job itself but still couldn't/can't find work. And mind you, had long since given up hope of ever finding a position in the industry for which we were educated and spent many years. Any type of work would suffice, making less wages, but even that isn't attainable.
Unfortunately I can relate a similar story- a UI call center rep buddy in Colorado got a call from a person who wanted to reopen their claim to collect the 6 additional weeks of Tier 4 that CO just qualified for. That person actually STATED that she only looks for work when she's receiving unemployment benefits because then it's a requirement. The more people are allowed to get away w/ taking advantage of the system the less appealing the argument to give them more time to do so becomes.
I can see why you don't believe that people could be legitimately long term unemployed. I f anyone would have told me three years ago that I would soon be unemployed for 2 years and becoming unemployable, I would have said you were crazy. There will always be the career unemployed- but myself and my compatriots are educated,dedicated, loyal, and commanded decent salaries. We are being left out to dry. The great American dream was a ruse.
Let me see.
I think the latest statistics for December 2010 were something like this:
3 million job openings
15 million unemployed
25 million unemployed or underemployed (involuntarily working part time or fewer hours)
Net new jobs less than 100,000. (There are around 125,000 new people added to the labor force every month),
In other words, we have a ignored crisis. It's going to be around for another 4-5 years at least. 99 weeks is not enough.
Mike,
I posted the info about your story about Alexandra Jarrin on both the AFLTU tier 5 webs Forum and the UWAG Unemployed Workers Action Group Forum, in hopes that someone who lives in or near Alexandra Jarrin's area can offer her some help. We do not want to see this lady wind up homeless, especially after all the hard work she did to help the 99ers.
And thank you Mike for writing this story.
And trying to help her.
AFLTU tier5.webs.com/apps/forums/
Take Action To Create Change!
http://www.UnemployedWorkersActionGroup.com
Creating One Voice For 16 Million Unemployed Workers
- One Member At A Time
I will pray for Alexandra and so many other 99ers suffering in this economic sinkhole. IF I could help financially I would in a heartbeat but I can't. Please keep us posted Michael and let her know she is in my prayers. This is SO wrong what is happening in this country and the media focuses on Egypt! Well I sure wish the $2 Billion the USA gives that country would sure help Alexandra and SO many others.
Does the "LORD" of that property have a legal right to evict Alexandria's friend just because Alexandria became a member of the household?
If Alexandria's friend gave birth to a child, or fostered/adopted a child, would the "LORD" have a legal right to evict her?
If her friend's boyfriend or fiance moved in, would the "LORD" have a legal right to evict her?
If her friend married, and her husband moved in, would the "LORD" have a legal right to evict her?
Sounds as though that "LORD" is trying to control what he or she has no business controlling.
The person who owns that property must be taking the title "LORD" literally; as though he or she has the power to reign over WHO may belong to a household.
Alexandria, I wish your friend would have stood up to the "LORD" and refused to you, a member of her household.
Alexandria, I meant to type "I wish your friend would have stood up to the "LORD" and refused to evict you, a member of her household.
Neither the "LORD" or your friend could legally evict you in my state of Pennsylvania, as long as you could prove that you lived at that residence.
What is the law in your state?
Alexandria's friend gives money to the "LORD" in exchange for ownership of the property for a period of time. The number of people in the household should be of NO business to the "LORD".
Sheesh - the banning of household pets is bad enough, but the "LORD" of that property bans people.
Hey Val, wish you wouldn't use the "LORD" like that!
BTW, I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings but maybe this is just an excuse by the friend to evict Mrs Jarrin without "befriending" her! I have a hard time being with myself, let alone others that have to deal with me! We know its hard to be joyous in these time and its really hard not to spread the misery..........unfortunately its very infectious!
Sorry Alex may GOD provide comfort for you and convict the hearts of those that are hardened!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I don't know about Alexandra's situation, but I do know about my brother. He lost his job and stayed with us. He had to put in a couple of applications per week to draw unemployment. The rest of the time, he played my son's videogames or watched tv. It really strained my marriage. Finally my husband made him move out. Maybe Anon above has it right and the friend just wanted her place back. It sounds mean, but how many of you are willing to take someone in for several months?
i am a single woman that was earning $43k when the company closed and i got laid off. after looking for a job like i'd had for 4 months and not finding anything, i applied to walmart. they hired me for 12 hours per week, and i asked if they would leave a block of time open so i could find another job. they gave me mostly early mornings and i got another job at burger king mostly late afternoons. in three months i was promoted to evening shift manager and given 32 hours a week. i took a course as a nurse's aid and then got a job that pays 11.51 per hour. I had to quit at walmart, but i still work at burger king in the evenings and every other weekend. my check used to be about 2300 a month. now i get 1300 on one job and $700 on the other. i make less, but if i had maxed out on ui, i'd have nothing now. i never miss a day of work, no matter how bad i feel. its hard, but its worth it.
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