CARBONDALE, IL—If you’re one of countless people with no friend or family member with a basement or garage to store your stuff when you have to make an unexpected move (disaster, foreclosure, domestic violence, etc.), you might stash your stuff in one of those ubiquitous storage facilities found in almost every community.
Think again, or at least give serious thought about how you pack your most valuable, and sensitive, belongings.
If you fall behind on your monthly rent you can easily be locked out and your stuff, including documents, photos and keepsakes you value, will go to the highest bidder. Your stuff and the “junk,” including your personal documents, may be trashed or misused.
HEAR US, Inc., my national nonprofit organization working on issues facing homeless families and youth, discovered this “dirty secret” as we embarked upon the recent Babes of Wrath tour. Pat LaMarche and I interviewed Lupe, a hard-working motel housekeeper in the Los Angeles area who, with her extended family holed up in a motel suite.
Lupe shared her agonizing story of falling behind on the storage rent because their motel cost a budget-busting $410 a week, exceeding their ability to keep a roof over their heads if they paid for both. The worst part, according to this devoted mom, was losing all their personal stuff—the kids’ artwork and school photos, health and tax records, banking info, and keepsakes like an afghan made by her mother. Sure, they lost lots of valuable furnishings, but the little stuff hurt the worst.
Babes of Wrath were, well, wrathful about this. Paying rent for space is fair. Being unduly penalized, $30 a day, and locked-out without being able to get these little items of no resale value reeked of ruthlessness. What to do?
We have:
Filmed and produced a short (4-min) youtube sharing Lupe’s story. Circulate the link. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW2ATWBbbmA&feature=youtu.be)
Drafted legislation, now being reviewed by a team of lawyers and political mavens. It would provide a window of opportunity for the renter to retrieve the cash-insignificant items. Storage facilities would be required to post reminders to keep these sensitive documents in an easily retrievable spot, a reminder necessary for those in crisis mode when they’re packing.
Created a one page tip sheet on our Save Our Stuff website (www.saveourstuffnow.com) to share with anyone who is, currently or previously, utilizing storage facilities. We encourage you to download it and distribute to motels, shelters, laundromats, soup kitchens, etc.
And we’re surveying those who’ve had storage facility experiences. Our short survey is available online or in PDF (return it to HEAR US via fax (630-225-5012) or email us at diane@hearus.us.
Mary Parks, the tech guru part of the Babes of Wrath team, suggests renters prepare a “bug out bag” that will be easy to grab if you have to bug out.
Help us help those households and former households at least not lose everything. Spread the word about this project, LIKE our EPIC Journey 2010 Facebook page
Babes of Wrath, Staying one step ahead of The Man….
Diane Nilan is President of HEAR US Inc.,an organization that gives voice to families and youth experiencing homelessness. Nilan has devoted her life to advocating for and presenting the real face of homelessness in America, focussing on families and children. She has more than three decades of experience running shelters; advocating for improved state and federal policies; filming/producing award-winning documentaries. Her latest work is the book, Dismazed and Driven: My Look at Family Homelessness in America.
