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Mortgage woes are taking toll on nearly 70,000 Ohio children. Landlord's foreclosure forces Akron family into uncertain future
By Kim Hone-McMahan
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Sep 07, 2008
Elissa Hines sat in her living room, petting her pooch, Caden, and chatting. Upstairs, the kids were stuffing their possessions into cardboard boxes.
Five years ago, when the young mother moved into the spacious North Hill home, she planned on remaining there. She thought someday perhaps she would buy it from the owner. Put a Jacuzzi in the sunroom and refinish the wood floors.
But none of that will be.
Hines, her daughter, Elissa, 11, and son, Jonathan, 12, have been told they must get out. A kind Akron police officer served them the notice.
She figured it was coming. The landlord had been upfront about her ailing financial condition. Now, the house, built some 88 years ago, has gone into foreclosure, sending the family packing.
Upstairs in the spacious house, little Elissa, with red hair and a blush of freckles across her cheeks, reached up to take a poster off the wall. Nick Jonas, a member of the popular boy band Jonas Brothers, would have to hang on another wall, in a different house. In the next room, her brother had already put some of his shoes
and swimming goggles into a container.
Children are the hidden victims in the nation's foreclosure crisis. According to a report by First Focus, an advocacy organization committed to making children and their families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions, nearly 2 million children, including 68,500 in Ohio, will be directly affected by foreclosures, primarily this year and next. That's nearly the combined enrollment of students in all of Medina, Portage and Wayne counties.
And that figure, which ranks Ohio the sixth highest in the nation, doesn't take into account children like Elissa and Jonathan, who are being evicted from rental homes.
From telling the kids the truth, to reassuring them that they will be well cared for, Hines has done everything right, said social worker Chris Scott with Kent's Counseling for Wellness.
''As long as they are given some information that they can understand, it helps them better deal with what is going on,'' Scott said. ''For children who are 10 or older, have a family discussion about what is happening. That will give them a chance to talk about what they are feeling.''
Not knowing for certain when and where they will be moving, Elissa and Jonathan have asked lots of questions.
''Uncertainty is never easy on children,'' said Hines, who is receiving disability after breaking her back in an accident several years ago. ''But once I was sure that we would be going, I never sugarcoated things. When they get older, life won't be sugarcoated, so why start now?''
The bottom line, Scott explained, is children simply want to know that their basic needs — things like having enough food and a place to live — are going to be met.
''Growing up for me, I always knew that our home would be there when I got home from school. That my friends would be in the same area — and I never had to worry about those types of things. But life was different then,'' Scott said. ''Nowadays, it's a big question mark. And it's scary. For a child, uncertainty equals fear.''
The Hines children are fortunate because it's not their mother who's facing bankruptcy and foreclosure. ''They know that Mama takes care of everything,'' Hines said.
For children who aren't in such a reassuring situation, there can be complications from the stress at home, including problems at school. Scott suggests that parents facing foreclosure discuss their situation with school staff so the counselors and teachers can begin to help.
And if overwhelming financial problems are bringing Mom or Dad to tears, that's not all bad.
''There are going to be times when the kids see you sad,'' Scott said. ''It's modeling behavior that it's a loss for you, too.
''Tell them that it [the foreclosure] is hard on you, too. That you've worked hard to have nice things, but you can't continue living there. But that doesn't mean you can't stay together.''
Hines told the kids she would make every effort to stay in the neighborhood, going as far as submitting a bid for a house less than a mile away. At the time she was interviewed, Hines was still waiting to hear whether her offer had been accepted, but there was something needling sixth-grader Elissa.
''We will be farther away from my friends,'' she said, stroking her favorite kitten. ''And that's bad. Very bad.''
That's what foreclosure looks like to a child.
Kim Hone-McMahan can be reached at 330-996-3742 or kmcmahan@thebeaconjournal.com.
Elissa Hines sat in her living room, petting her pooch, Caden, and chatting. Upstairs, the kids were stuffing their possessions into cardboard boxes.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 08:44 AM, 09/07/2008
any negative comments to this story yet like "when are these loosers gonna get a job and quit leaching off of us". you know, the typical comments.
Posted 09:09 AM, 09/07/2008
not yet but there will be
Akron, oh
Posted 12:01 PM, 09/07/2008
bring back topix
Posted 01:32 PM, 09/07/2008
It's a terrible sad thing for all, but worse on the helpless kids and pets.
Posted 02:31 PM, 09/07/2008
if anyone posts a comment like 'get a job, etc etc' the abj will remove it! they got rid of topix because it fostered INDEPENDENT THINKING and discussion and how dare we do that! Miss Tia North Ghetto Hill
Posted 02:40 PM, 09/07/2008
i don't understand, why didn't they find out who owned the mortgage, and work something out with them? this story could have been averted!
akron, oh
Posted 11:54 AM, 09/08/2008
Yes, doesnt this landlord have any family to take over, so the family doesnt have to leave?
Posted 01:40 PM, 09/08/2008
i agree bring back topix
