Oct 3, 2008 8:03 pm US/Eastern
What's Worrying You: 'I'm Broke & Facing Eviction'
BAYONNE, N.J. (CBS) ―
CBS 2 has been prompting viewers to write in and tell us how the financial crisis has affected them. Doreen Arcaro from Bayonne wrote: "I haven't been able to get a job in over two years. I'm 50-years-old … I'm broke with no job, no bank account and [I'm] being evicted with no where to go. … What's sad is that I raised two children by myself from age 21. Now I can't take care of me, who would have thought, huh!"
We decided to tell her story.
As she spends another day at home, Arcaro wonders how much more time she has here.
"I'm at wits end and I don't know what to do," she tells CBS 2.
Two years of job hunting has led to a dead end and a depletion of her bank account, which now sits at zero.
"I hate to say this because it's so not like me, but I'm scared, I am. I'm scared," she admits.
And she should be, given the pile of nasty notes that continues to grow. One letter tells her that gas and electric will be shut off next week unless $500 is paid, another warning the overdue rent means her days here are numbered.
"I have a letter from the landlord. Eviction will start if I don't pay," she says.
Legal experts say the number of cases like Arcaro's, where someone might be evicted, continues to rise as the economy continues to fall.
"Overall it's a very gloomy picture," says attorney Charlie Kahwaty.
Kahwaty says people like Arcaro should seek free legal aid and apply for government housing authority programs. But he says it's not so easy because government money is tight.
"They're looking for reasons to throw you out of the game, so to speak, and so if you omit any information or provide partial information they'll seize upon that to deny you benefits," he says.
Which is what happened to Arcaro, who says she was denied because of an incomplete application. She's now trying to clean homes and sell possessions just to make a buck. After caring for her two children who are now grown, Arcaro is on food stamps, having a tough time caring for herself.
"Bottom line is I want a job," she says. "I want to work, I want to earn my living. I want my pride back."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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