I live in Toledo, just south of Detroit. Down here it's almost just as bad as far as jobs (22.4% aggragate unemployment, counting underemployed and
those who have been unemployed for 6 months or more...which is the majority of the unemployed here), foreclosures, and housing vacancies.
Some of the more disturbing statistics from our area:
Population: 463,493 (2009 revised estimate)
quickfacts.census.gov...
Official Unemployment as of June, 2009: 14.6%
abclocal.go.com...
It is estimated that total aggregate unemployment is as high as 22.5% but those numbers are closely guarded around here. It seems like most people
around me have been unemployed for more than 6 months, and I've been officially unemployed for over 2 years.
Number of housing units: Source 1 - US Census: 203,815
Source 2 - Aug 5, 2008 - Toledo Blade 139,880
Source 1:
quickfacts.census.gov...)
Source 2:
toledoblade.com...
Percentage of habitable units lying vacant in the city: 7% sources from the above Blade article.
Thats 9,791 vacant houses.
Number of Homeless in 2008: 2,400 (Toledo Street Count, BladeArticle)
www.toledoblade.com.../20081102/NEWS16/811020314
When those numbers are put together....4 vacant houses for every one homeless person, and we are by FAR not the worst off....Can you imagine what
Detroit's statistics are like?!
This is a nightmare. Numbers like these, and what's going on in Detroit. These are not indicators of recovery...jobless or otherwise Really makes
me sick. This thread hits really close to home for me. I participated in this years street count...The numbers aren't ready yet, but it's really
lookin a lot worse,