Record Foreclosures Strain Social Services

The Associated Press reports:

• From pet rescue centers and financial counselors to homeless shelters and food banks, social service providers are feeling the weight of the U.S. foreclosure crisis on a daily basis.

• In Palatka, Fla., Mike's Dog House pet shelter turns away each week about 10 homeowners who are facing foreclosure around the U.S. because it has no more room. In Cleveland, roughly 200 beds were added in an already-strained homeless shelter system, partly because of fears that foreclosures on landlords will render renters homeless and send them to the streets. And in Orlando, Fla., staff at the Destiny Foundation in Central Florida are being approached by all kinds of people who fear foreclosure and other economic worries.

• "We've seen people coming in who were losing literally everything ... They're lost, in a daze, trying to figure out what to do," said Scott George, who heads the foundation, which provides counseling, a food bank, a free medical clinic and other social services. "We've been inundated and it's a huge concern for us because it's overwhelming. And it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon."

For more, see Record foreclosures strain social services.