I know we have all seen the headlines and statistics regarding the foreclosure fallout. Foreclosures have been rising steadily over the last year or so, short sale and REO inventories are at their highest point in over a decade, but what we all fail to see and remember is that those just aren't statistics, these are people who are losing their homes. Not everyone is trying to just unload their homes as a bad investment. Some of these owners have lost their jobs, been in car accidents, or worse.

I have a client, "Berta" who bought a home back in 2004 and had to re-finance it in 2006. Shortly after the re-finance her husband was killed walking home from a job interview not five blocks from his home. He was killed by a 17 year old driver. He left behind his wife of 19+ years, 3 children and 2 grandchildren. Somehow she was lucky enough to pickup a second job and was able to keep her home and still raise her children.

But unlike "Berta", some are not as fortunate. There is a place not far from where I live in Ontario (California, not Canada) that is called Tent City. These are the people who have lost their homes or have become homeless for various reasons and had nowhere to go. They tried asking for help from their city, state and federal government agencies to no avail. There is not enough government housing available. Section 8 housing, which is completely government paid housing, has about a 5 YEAR waiting list.

They sleep outside in sleeping bags or in tents if they are lucky enough to have them. Some are lucky enough to have a job and contribute to the well being of their family, with some going as far as providing food for other families as well. Everyone in Tent City tries to help each other as much as possible.

Luckily, the City of Ontario has welcomed them with open arms, providing them the space (about 3 to 4 city blocks) and also went as far as providing water and bathrooms for the residents. Police don't harass them. In just a few short months "Tent City" has grown from a few dozen to over 400 people and the city is starting to worry about the health and safety of these residents.

So my question is this: Why is it that we as a country can afford to bail out the banks and investment firms, who still have billion of dollars, but can't find any funding to help these people and the thousands more who have lost it all, get back on their feet? Why can't we stop spending money on useless projects both inside and outside of this country and invest it into our own people? Wy can't politicians understand this basic concept? In fact, I would love to debate them on this issue.

Remember, these are not bad people, they are simply people who have had bad luck recently. I don't think it is too much to ask to help them get back on their feet, help them find a place to live, find a job and become successful again. I don't believe in kicking people when they are down. We need to take a pro-active response, not a reactive response. Therfore, I am dedicating Saturday, March 22nd, as "Pick'em Up Day".

I am going to go through my closets and gather up all of my clothes I don't wear anymore and donate them to these people. I am also going to start my own fund from now on and donate 10% of my commission checks to the City of Ontario, to help get these people back on their feet. I will also volunteer my help in anyway that I can. Maybe if I step-up to the challenge, others will join me, including the politicians. If we put enough pressure on them, maybe we can get something done that is useful, rather than shoving billion of dollars into the abyss.