• Address: Studio City, CA 91604 (map)
• Date Posted: 09/28/09

I could be one of millions writing this story.


We all know someone like me. Someone caught in a downward spiral of bad luck and ill fate.

I'm certainly no different except I'm choosing to actually write my story on here.

When you have finished reading this you can either choose to help in someway (if you can) or just sneer.


If you choose the latter, remember …..."there but for the grace of G-d go you!"

So here goes nothing.


I'm a forty year old, white, professional male. Until fifteen months ago I was a Director of a medium sized Finance Company.


A company that I was responsible for taking from a zero revenue into a multi-million dollar thriving concern.


I built and structured. I recruited, trained and mentored an entire professional Sales Force

Around this time, life was great. Perfect.


I worked hard but earned a considerably good income. I certainly enjoyed the fruits of my labor. And I was good to my friends too. I gave them money or at least lavished considerable amounts on them. But who cared? I was living THE dream. I worked hard, was good at my job and I deserved all the rewards that life could throw at me.

Here comes the cautionary note. I'm in no way religious but as the Good Book states.."The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away". And he certainly took it all away, almost in the blink of an eye!


Not at first though. I guess like millions out there, I could not predict the fallout that the Mortgage meltdown would cause to the entire planet. My company shut its’ doors fifteen months ago but I certainly didn't panic - for two big reasons - First I had an extremely impressive skill set (who wouldn't want to hire a man that builds entire Sales forces from scratch?). Second I had savings.


I reckoned I would be back in the job market, in a comparable position within three months. In fact I was so confident I spent the first two weeks of my unemployment just lounging around the pool relaxing (who knows how much those two weeks ended up costing me??)

But three months came and went. And nothing.


Three months turned into six. Six turned into nine. Then nine turned into a year. Time literally slipped through my fingers and so did all my savings!

Which takes us to the present day: I have lost my home. I have lost most of my belongings. Virtually all my savings have gone. And I’m living out of my car.

I’m homeless.

I still can’t believe I’m homeless. “Homeless” was always a tag I associated with down at heel guys who hit skid row, through no fault of there own. I never associated it with white collar, professional, high achieving guys like me.

I always felt in my heart that with a sharp twist of fate their lives could be so different. That’s why I always went out of my way to help anyone who truly needed or asked for money. I have such faith in human nature I truly enjoyed helping less fortunate people. I never thought for one micro second there would be a time where I would need the self-same help.

As for my so called “friends” they are amazingly conspicuous in their absence when it comes to offering help.. Although many know of my plight not one single person has even offered me a bed for one solitary night. Even when I ask to use their shower on occasion I am greeted by an absurd array of excuses.

I guess it’s because they consider me somewhat of a bad luck omen. Ironically when I had money they couldn’t get close enough. Now I’ve lost it they’re trying to build an Ocean of distance.

And they are not alone. My thoughts are that LA in general has yet to grab the concept of “Pay it Forward”. Helping those less fortunate, because one day you could become one of those “less fortunate”.

This is a hard city. Few extend their hand to help. Most don’t even want to know, unless they can take advantage of the situation. But that matters little to me. Despite my current situation, as bad as it may be, I would still extend a hand to help in any way I can.

So in conclusion you may ask why am I taking the time to write this?


The answer is I’m truly not sure. Maybe I’m stupid? Maybe I’m short sighted? Maybe I’m unlucky? Maybe it’s a combination? But in my heart I know I’ve been a good guy and I truly don’t think I deserve the hand that fate has dealt me (or millions like me).

If I had three wishes in the order they were granted they would be:

a) To get a comparable job. Isn’t anyone hiring Sales Directors anymore?. Seems not. Maybe we’ve become a non-selling nation, it seems that way looking at the job section of CL and the newspapers.



b) To find someone to help me with a place to live for three to six months. I may not have money but maybe there is something (legal) I can offer in return. Something of value. Maybe house sitting or something of the like..(SFV area)



c) Because I’m not selfish, I wish that next time you see someone who needs help, regardless of their situation, PAY IT FORWARD!!