Are children the real victims of foreclosure?
When we think of housing foreclosures, it’s easy to think of families scrambling to avoid losing their homes, or, when they do lose it, struggling to find somewhere else to live. This is hard on everyone, but can be especially difficult for children.
A new study by Washington, D.C.-based First Focus, a children’s advocacy group, puts some frightening numbers to the foreclosure and subprime mortgage-lending crises. According to the study, which you can read about here, an estimated 2 million U.S. children will be directly impacted as their families lose their homes to foreclosure.
The report says that foreclosures can have a signifcant impact on children’s lives. Foreclosure often disrupts their education, in addition to having a negative impact on children emotionally and physically.
Maybe a report such as this can convince people that the government does have an obligation to help families avoid foreclosure.
I’m a Realtor in So. Cal. and I’ve been saying this for months now. So far, nobody on all our “bubble” blogs here wants to acknowledge this. But most of the bad foreclosure news here is in the newer developments in outlying areas — places where people moved for new, good (rare in So. Cal.) public schools and less expensive homes. Families are hurt by foreclosures in many ways, and this aspect needs to be front and center when talking about this problem.