Walking in Other peoples' shoes, or bare feet.

Walking in Other peoples' shoes, or bare feet.

I watched "Slum dog Millionaire" with my 6yr old daughter last night. My daughter has spent her entire life living in the world of the upper east side of Manhattan, she goes to the schools depicted in Gossip Girls, central park is her backyard. In summary she has it easy. One of my biggest fears is that my family and I, will lose touch with reality. The average income in my zip code is almost 10x the US average. Home prices start at $2M for a 2 bedroom apartment.

So how do you keep a child grounded and cognizant that life is more than private tennis lessons at the club? I don't have an answer. I hope that my daughter took in a little of the reality from the movie. I think it opened her mind and that Pinkberry gourmet yogurt isn't the norm after every meal.

Not unlike myself and my daughter, I think everyone should watch Slum Dog and face the reality that all the sacrifices we need to make in this new economy are do able. A few less Starbucks a week, no more vacation homes, a little less luxury and a little more savings.

The next decade in the US will be very different than the last one. Some people are making the adjustments, while others are expecting this to just blow over. What this country and its people have to go through over the next decade is going to be life changing and people can accept it or have it forced on them.

I hope that people watch Slum Dog and realize no matter how bad it gets in the US, we still live better than 99% of the world's population.

NWJ/Signature Communities started an initiative earlier this month to help house families facing homelessness. We are reaching out to neighboring churches, social organizations and other groups to offer assistance to families in need. Families cannot live on the streets and we are doing our part to make sure that they don't. We are also looking for local partners that could help get these families lives back on track so if you know any businesses or service providers that can help please let us know.

My goal is that in one years time 90% of the families that we offer this assistance to will be converted to good rent paying residents.

Let's make this happen!
Nick


--