The Least of These

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by Chris Berthiaume
on Monday, October 26, 2009

The least of these.

In the recent parade of homes (Citizen-Times Sunday, 10/04/09) I was pleased to see that "Something for Everyone" was a theme. Being first time home buyer, I was thrilled to see I was being considered. My pleasure quickly turned to disappointment when I realized that none of the houses were in my budget. I've got a college degree and full time job. I've got a savings account and a retirement plan. And yet, I'm not included as everyone--something is not right here.

When something's not right, I rely on my good sense and my faith to guide me to a better place. While I draw on the life and teachings of Jesus, I don't presume you do and I also recognize other faith traditions are engaging in poignant commentary on our current economic crisis. As it should be, my Christian voice is one of many lamenting the hardships faced by so many. Jesus, Abraham, Lao Tzu, and Mohamed all speak to easing human suffering. My writing presumes that our faith should frame how each of us think about the current economic crisis and our role in it.

A journalist recently commenting on the Bureau of Labor Statistics admission that its unemployment rates are most likely overly optimistic used the phrase, garbage in - garbage out. His point was that in the Department of Labor continues to publish such pivotal information incorrectly the economy will continue to atrophy. The Citizen Times parade of homes illustrates a happier but equally dangerous possibility, sugarcoated in--sugarcoated out.

The lowest priced home was $200,000, well out of my price range. Before I decided to write about this, I took a moment and thought of my everyone or all the people I knew who could spend $200K on a home. Hmmmm....not many. Then I thought of all the people I knew who have lost their jobs recently, had hours cut back, can't find a job or are in active foreclosure or in danger of foreclosure. Hmmm....a lot more.

With closing costs and a 10% down payment, I'd need to have around $25,000 on hand to buy my first home. According to the Citizen Times, every budget should be able to handle that. Well I certainly don't have that kind of money. Continuing my analysis, I plugged those numbers into OnTrack's mortgage calculator (Asheville's HUD certified housing counseling agency) and I'd have monthly payments of $1,373.86. To keep my housing costs at the federally recommended level of 31% of gross income, I'd need to make $53,181.68 to afford that. I think we all know my prospects for finding a new job in Asheville at that salary are slim to none. Furthermore, according to the most recent census Asheville's per capita income was $20,024.

In Matthew 25: 35-37,40, Jesus gives us the simplest ways to serve him and do God's work on earth: offering food and drink to the hungry, clothing to the naked, hospitality to a stranger, healing to the sick and visiting the imprisoned. These are concrete actions that require us to recognize our shared humanity with the least among us. 2000 years later our brothers and sisters are losing their shelter at a rate that most of us have never lived through before. And finding reasonably priced shelter seems to be more and more unattainable for so many.

According to recent data published by the Center for Responsible Lending, based right here in NC, there are 6,600 home foreclosure filings every day with no end in sight. Many of the 17 western-most counties report double digit unemployment rates or close to it. With so much bad news perhaps its natural to try and look on the bright side. But naivety is not the best we can do, it's not what our community needs, and it's not what I feel called to do.

What is needed most for our community today and for the long term is to come back down to earth, to the roots of it. $200,000 for a single family home does not now and has not for many years met every budget in Buncombe or any surrounding counties.

We will continue to have neighbors, family and friends who lose their homes to foreclosure.

There will not be thousands of jobs that appear in WNC to provide work for all those qualified folks who are seeking it.

And this is a problem for us all. I am afraid and saddened by this grim reality. I can see fear, anger and hate rotting the hearts of good people. I can see the loss of family land to foreclosure and no strong leadership on land use leading to more destruction of our Blue Ridge Mountains.

Christ's legacy is one of relentless love, unconventional problem solving and foundation rocking people movements. Our region will need to drink from the mountain streams of justice and mercy to see us through to other side of our current crisis. But first we must recognize just how close and real and in our own community this crisis really is.

Chris Berthiaume

Chris Berthiaume is a Warren Wilson graduate, church council member of Circle of Mercy church, Treasurer of Just Economics an organization dedciated to creating sustainable livelihoods. (www.justeconomicswnc.org)

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About the Author - Chris Berthiaume

Contact Chris Berthiaume:
OnTrack--Financial Education and Counseling
sites.google.com/site/clbemail/

Learn more about Chris.