I am certainly not advocating that people move into the projects nor am I saying that we aren't having a real economic crisis. The only point I was trying to make is that during the Great Depression there were not even projects to move into. People were homeless. There was no Medicare or low income housing. There were soup kitchens but I don't think you received much food from them. Fortunately since that time the government has developed a safety net for low income people, especially elderly people.
People
were homeless, except for those whose families took them in or helped them. My folks were children growing up during the Depression. I heard the stories first hand. My dad's people lived on a farm; they ate but not bountifully. He never wanted to eat much soup or stew for dinner because he'd had to eat so much of it as a child. My mom's folks relied upon her aunt and uncle for help who both had "good" jobs in Pittsburgh; neither suffered unemployment.
I'm always taken by those who feel burdened by today's cost of attending college, as though it's some kind of entitlement. Both of my folks wanted to go to college after they finished high school. Neither did because they couldn't afford to, although my mother attained her BS in Elementary Ed. later in life. It was a reality they had to accept. My mom walked 5 miles from her home to the nearest city every day, literally knocking on doors seeking work. That was FIVE miles ONE way.
It was my understanding (because my grandfather ended up in a low income elderly housing complex) that the rent is based on a percentage of income. So if you only have Social Security you would pay 30% or something like that. That includes rent and all utilities except for your phone and TV. The rest is left for food. Maybe that isn't a lot but it should be enough for one person to eat on. These elderly people are not going to be homeless or starving.
Actually, electricity is NOT included in my cousin's rent. She said it averaged $80 a month during the summer. If the Social Security check
averaged $1000 a month--and quite a few Americans receive far less than that--the 30% calculation leaves $700 for other expenses. I can assure you that people need more than food and a phone. Now, drop the SS income down to $750 a month and you spend roughtly $250 on rent and $500 left for other expenses. Narrows the quality of life down considerably.
I recently drove down and took her to Kohl's. She bought two bras, a bath mat (so she wouldn't fall in the shower), and some other incidental item. Even with discounts, she paid $74. We
both choked. She has a supplemental medicial insurance premium. A long-term care policy to pay. She sometimes has to pay for a transport service if her nephew who lives in Pittsburgh can't take her to the grocery or doctor. Those transport services aren't cheap. I think the bus service is limited. She has to pay some portion of her medications and her Medicare 20% co-pay. And then she has the building management combing through her bank statements to see what she's spending money on and what deposits go into her account. After all, we can't have these old folks mooching off the government.
Those "little expenses" all add up. And yes, she has to eat. So, I guess if all older folks need is a roof over their head, can sit in the dark, without air conditioning in the heat of summer, go naked, forgo trips to the doctor or hospital, they're doing all right. (She said tongue in cheek.)
One thing about the elderly: They'll seldom (in my experience anyhow) ask for financial assistance. My cousin didn't; I just knew from her letters she was struggling.
