From “Middle-Class” to Homeless at 65

Latest

Young people living on the streets of Berkeley, CA have no choice but to fight for their rights. PHOTO/SARAH MENEFEE
Young people living on the streets of Berkeley, CA have no choice but to fight for their rights.
PHOTO/SARAH MENEFEE

CARMEL, CA — Growing up in New York in a comfortable “middle-class” family, CeliaSue Hect says they used to walk over homeless people on the sidewalks. She never imagined in her wildest dreams that she would be homeless at 65. College educated and a skilled journalist, she has traveled the world helping other people in need. She was a full-time public-relations specialist for a nonprofit assisting Native Americans in Nevada battling the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository Project when, burned out, she left the position in 2002. Since then, she has survived on part-time jobs and freelance writing work.
Forced to take early social security retirement benefits, she cannot afford rent in the beautiful and wealthy area of the Monterey Peninsula in California, where she and her dog live out of her aging car. With only $672 monthly, a room cannot be found for less than $600/month. She has been surprised to discover that government help is essentially nonexistent. The social service agencies have no answers and even the religious leaders tell her to move someplace else.
But where is she to go? And now that she is facing some serious health issues requiring major surgery, moving to an unfamiliar area could be deadly. Instead, she is trying to raise funds via crowd-sourcing to build a tiny house but that is proving to be more difficult than she first thought.
While seeking assistance, CeliaSue discovered there are at least 350 other homeless women in the area. She estimates that the number is actually 500 to 1000 because she has seen them. Most, she thinks are over 50. They sleep on the ground or wherever they can find a place that’s safe. Other issues faced by homeless women, she has realized, include poor nutrition, stress and worry, financial upkeep of a vehicle, health concerns, weather, hygiene and loss of dignity.
CeliaSue’s case clearly exposes the lie told by our ruling class that blames the economic and social crisis on the workers of previous generations, such as the “Boomers.” As the economy continues to replace human labor with computers and robotics, the value of all labor, including mental labor, is reduced. As Guy Standing states in his lecture on “The Precariat Class,” we are all potential members of the precarious class except the tiny few who own all the means of production, the banks, corporations, the land, etc. We must unite around the program of this growing class (for food, shelter, health care, etc.) who owns no private property and are being discarded by the new labor-less economy. In the words of CeliaSue, “We must find creative, humane and compassionate solutions.”
Editor’s note: CelisSue can be contacted through her voicemail at 702-225-8206, or via e-mail at celiasue.hecht@gmail.com.
[homeless footer]

+ Articles by this author

Cathy Talbott is a former telephone operator, a job lost to automation. She was a homeless mother of two and fights for welfare rights.  A former co-host of a weekly community radio program out of Carbondale, IL, “Occupy the Airwaves,” Cathy is the Environmental Desk for the People’s Tribune.

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Pregnant Teen Died: Seeks Care in Three Texas Emergency Rooms

Nevaeh Crain cried in pain, too weak to walk, blood staining her thighs. Vomiting and feverish at her baby shower, the teen went to two different emergency rooms, returning home, worse than before. Pregnant women have become untouchables.

No, Immigration Is Not Making Housing Less Affordable

Despite politicians' claims to the contrary, immigration is not making housing unaffordable. In fact, immigration can be part of the solution.

Make Your Vote Count 

This 2024 election is gaining on us and the pressure to get to the ballot box is intense and...

Michigan’s Prescient Lesson: Vote While You Still Can!!! 

Michigan's non-elected Emergency Manager dictatorship made Flint's water crisis possible. Pay attention to the danger of losing our Democratic rights as we’ve known them in this election. Vote while you still can!

US Doctors Tell Biden, Harris They ‘Witnessed Crimes Beyond Comprehension’ in Gaza

US doctors who visited Gaza tell Biden, Harris they've never seen such horrific injuries, on such a massive scale, with so few resources, that our bombs are cutting down women and children, and that a ceasefire must be imposed.

More from the People's Tribune