'Down and Out in L.A.: When the Middle Class Goes Homeless'

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"Homelessness is not a new phenomenon in California. What is new — and so alarming — is that more and more of the homeless are families that once believed they were secure members of the middle class. The number of families hosted by this Los Angeles shelter, called the Union Rescue Mission, has tripled since the economic crisis began in 2008 and has hit a record high of more than 60 in recent weeks. The growing trend is a sign that the nationwide economic slump is having a brutal impact on poverty in states that have high unemployment rates like California, and that a feared second recession could push the poor there over the edge and make a solid recovery even harder"............READ MORE