http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-967394.mp3
Albany, NY – Since the country's foreclosure crisis began in 2007, at least two million people have lost their homes. In the Bay Area of California, more than 70,000 homes are currently in some stage of foreclosure. And even though the economy might be getting better, they're still happening.
All over the country, these foreclosures are disproportionately affecting low-income and minority communities. These are the communities less likely to have a financial safety net, which are more likely to have been targeted by predatory lenders. Half of all foreclosures in California are among Latino borrowers, two-thirds among communities of color.
But the loss isn't just economic the stress it creates is equally devastating. The average foreclosure takes about 400 days. That's more than a year of worry, of struggle, of trying to hang on. Research has begun to show the potentially devastating effects of foreclosure on the health of homeowners and their families. KALW's Casey Miner went to San Jose to see how one family is recovering from foreclosure stress.
8:03 Foreclosure Stress Casey Miner
That story comes to us from KALW's Casey Miner.
Stress may actually be the one thing we can all relate to these days. Feminist.com's Marianne Schnall's been thinking about that lately.
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Marianne Schnall is the founder of feminist.com and ecomall.com - and the author of "Daring to Be Ourselves." Find out more at Marianneschnall.com.
Wairimu Gitahi is an African woman and a journalist. She believed she understood her continent until she moved to South Africa last year. There, she found all of her previous assumptions about race and about identity were challenged. And any journalist will tell you that's a story - even if it's a very personal one. Here's her reporter's notebook
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Wairimu Gitahi's notebook comes to us courtesy the World Vision Report.
And finally, Gilles Malkine has a profile this week of the woman who was Hollywood's first sex goddess. No, it wasn't Marilyn Monroe. Her name was Clara Bow - and in the days of silent film, she was the "it" girl.
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Gilles Malkine is a writer and musician. He's filing a series of profiles of fascinating women throughout history that we're featuring here on 51%.