Mental Health Recession 

Houses of blues: The extreme stress of Merced's foreclosure epidemic

Partner: 
Merced Sun-Star
Summary: 

The foreclosure of a home is more than a financial transaction. It also is a hidden human drama. Merced County ranked first in California for foreclosure filings in 2009, and sixth among counties nationwide. With one in seven county homes foreclosed on since September 2006, we examine the psychological problems, including anxiety, sleeplessness and depression, wreaked by the local foreclosure crisis, which shows no sign of abating.

Impact Summary: 

The foreclosure of a home is more than a financial transaction. It also is a hidden human drama. Merced County ranked first in California for foreclosure filings in 2009, and sixth among counties nationwide. With one in seven county homes foreclosed on since September 2006, we examine the psychological problems, including anxiety, sleeplessness and depression, wreaked by the local foreclosure crisis, which shows no sign of abating.

Results
Foreclosures take heavy toll on hearts and minds
Danielle Gaines and Deborah Schoch | January 28, 2010
Two weeks ago, a retired telephone company worker named Ethelda Lopez watched as her dream retirement home was auctioned off on the lawn outside a county courthouse in downtown Merced. “When I heard my address, it was so disheartening,” she said. “It’s amazing how it all works.” For six months, she had made hundreds of calls to her mortgage company, federal officials, local political leaders — begging them all for lower payments or more time. No one paid heed. Wracked with depression and anxiety, she was too ashamed to tell her friends that she was losing her sprawling stucco-and-stone ranch home in the Atwater countryside. “I couldn’t stop crying myself to sleep,” said Lopez, 51.
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Results
From courthouse steps, woman sees dream dissolve
Danielle Gaines | January 28, 2010
ATWATER -- Ethelda Lopez, her husband, teenage daughter and two dogs still live in their four-bedroom, three-bath brown ranch home in Atwater's countryside -- but much has changed. For one, it's freezing; they simply can't afford to run the heat full blast. And the cupboards hold little food. Their meals now consist of potatoes, rice and pasta when fruit, vegetables and organics used to round out their diet. Often, a single apple rests on the breakfast bar. Christina, 17, has saved it from her school lunch and left it for Ethelda.
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Results
Falling Down: Woman, 66, faces fears day and night as foreclosure looms
Danielle Gaines | January 28, 2010
It became clear when the fall from her bed left a gaping hole in her mouth: the stress from imminent foreclosure had taken over her thoughts -- day and night. This 66-year-old woman bought her house for $250,000 in an established North Merced neighborhood two-and-a-half years ago. She had retired from county government one year earlier, but her relentless energy had driven her to take on two part-time jobs: one with the county government and one in health care.
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Results
Renters, beware of trapdoor
Danielle Gaines | January 28, 2010
For the Matthews family, it's already a tight fit. But it promises to get tighter -- and more stressful. Sam Matthews, 28, his wife, three children, brother and mother share a five-bedroom, two-story home they've rented in a pleasant, new North Merced development. "That's the only way to really survive right now -- banding together with family," Matthews said. "Everyone in the country, in Merced at least, is living paycheck to paycheck. We banded together for reasons of survival."
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Results
Out of job, out of home?
Danielle Gaines | January 28, 2010
"I knew just looking around my neighborhood that a lot of people would be losing their homes. I never thought I'd be one of them." Then, the unimaginable happened: she lost her job. The middle-aged Merced woman knows her 12-month loan modification will be ending soon. Her credit union told her it will start foreclosure paperwork the day she misses a payment. The woman's modified mortgage payment is $1,118 each month, but her monthly unemployment income is less than that.
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Results
Champagne to crowbars: Realtor Krotik shifts from selling dreams to tending empty homes
Danielle Gaines | January 28, 2010
Wedding dresses, baby pictures, drapes, puppies and live pigs. A short list of some of the items Atwater Realtor Andy Krotik has found in the lifeless rooms of foreclosed homes. Ovens, dishwashers, ceiling fans and light switch covers are what he often doesn't find at the homes he visits. Those are items taken by angry, dispossessed families that show the range of emotions they feel while losing their homes.
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Results
Clinging to hope and home
Danielle Gaines and Deborah Schoch | January 30, 2010
Elected and appointed officials said the psychological trauma spawned by home foreclosures in Merced County poses a serious challenge, but that recent cuts to state mental health funding makes treatment hard to get. Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston), who represents Merced County, said she planned to call State Sen. Leader Darryl Steinberg Friday afternoon to ask if any emergency funds are available to help homeowners struggling with mental health problems. She plans to ask Steinberg "if there is an emergency fund so that we can do something in the near term to have enough counselors available," Galgiani said. She also urged residents struggling with stress, anxiety and depression to reach out for help:
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Results
Problems can start small and pile on quickly
Staff | January 30, 2010
Elizabeth Morrison, clinical director of behavioral health at Golden Valley Health Centers, sat down to answer a few questions about our community's foreclosure and mental health crises: What are the warning signs of stress that deserve to be checked out by a professional?
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Where to find help
Staff | January 30, 2010
For health issues: If you are in crisis, or worried about a relative or friend, please seek help immediately: - Call 911 - National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides trained counselors at (800) 273-8255, (800) 273-8255, TTY: (800) 799-4889. - Merced County crisis hotline: (209) 381-6800, (209) 381-6800. - Valley Crisis Center: (209) 722-4357, (209) 722-4357 (emergency shelter and transportation for victims of domestic violence). For housing issues:
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Results
Know the signs
Staff | January 30, 2010
Someone who is depressed has feelings of sadness or anxiety that last for weeks at a time, according to the Centers for Disease Control. He or she may also experience: - Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism - Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness - Irritability, restlessness - Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable - Fatigue and decreased energy - Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions - Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
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Results
Foreclosures by the numbers
Danielle Gaines | January 30, 2010
Barely a block in Merced is without a For Sale or For Rent sign, or an empty home or two with the tell-tale signs of foreclosure. The visual cues reflect a tsunami of statistics that show a county where many homeowners are suffering: From September 2006 to December 2009, 9,561 homes in Merced County -- or one in every seven -- were returned to banks; more than $3.6 billion worth of mortgage payments went unpaid.
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Results
U.S. senators say they're focused on foreclosures
Deborah Schoch, CHCF Center for Health Reporting | January 30, 2010
In Washington, the state's two U.S. senators issued statements in response to the Sun-Star series. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said that she and her staff are working hard to provide as much assistance as possible to Californians facing foreclosure. "We have connected constituents with housing counseling agencies, and forwarded complaints to state and federal regulators. We have helped struggling homeowners get in touch with unresponsive lenders. And we have sent hundreds of letters to bank CEOs and state regulatory agencies requesting help for constituents facing foreclosure...
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Results
Impact of "Houses of Blues"
Staff | October 26, 2010
“Houses of Blues,” a two-part series running in the Merced Sun-Star Jan. 28 and 30, 2010, provided one of the first in-depth portrayals of the mental health effects of the California foreclosure crisis.  The 12-story project delved into how homeowners fearful of losing their homes were suffering depression, anxiety and sleeplessness in a county ranked first in foreclosures in California and sixth nationwide.  Few people sought professional help, and the series chronicled how the county’s mental health safety net had been crippled by state funding cuts.  The project provided a Q&A and an on-line chat with a respected Merced therapist to demystify depression and help troubled residents find care.
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