Home Matters–To All of Us

by | Mar, 27, 2013 | Default

We’ve recently come across a nifty idea that’s become an entire movement. Called “Home Matters,” it stresses the idea that home isn’t just four walls and a roof. A home gives self-worth and health, protection to families, security to communities, and ultimately makes America itself more formidable and stronger.

To us here at MortgageKeeper, Home Matters underscores why we work so hard to keep people in their homes. By providing local resources to help out, we hope to mend family budgets so that mortgage payments are more easily met. The folks at Home Matters (who find support from sponsors like Citi Community Development, NeighborWorks America, and Wells Fargo), are working together to think more about this concept, and make homeownership not just the “American Dream” but a reality.

What do you think of Home Matters? Let us know in the comments below.

Out of Control Homelessness

by | Mar, 7, 2013 | Default

According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, more than 50,000 homeless people are in NYC shelters on any given night. But rather than fitting the stereotype of older men, nearly half of these are children (1% of the city’s youth). For the first time since 1987, the average homeless family is staying in a shelter for more than a year.

Now homelessness in New York is, sadly, nothing new. But in the words of the article, ” it has become an escalating crisis in recent years amid a chronic shortage of affordable housing and an unemployment rate higher than state and national levels.” And New York is not alone. Other U.S. cities have seen their homeless numbers increase, creating a national trend.

Here at MortgageKeeper, we’ve seen a gradual uptick in the searches for “basic need” services. Counselors and individuals have made food assistance and affordable housing very popular in our list of 20+ categories.

It’s not a trend we love to see.

As the economic stall in the United States continue, those hardest hit will need more and more of the basics until they can get back on their feet. Here at MK, we continue to make sure that our data provides the best information possible to those who desperately need it.