Terry Hammack, outreach coordinator for the Whittier Area First Day Coalition, knew it was coming.
The day when he would encounter what he calls, "a new breed of homeless people" due to the miserable economy and housing collapse.
"We were predicting it, but we didn't know it was going to hit this fast and this hard," said Hammack, 59.
In the past week, he has been notified by First Day board members and the business community about previously unseen couples - some with children - panhandling in front of local shops and in grocery store parking lots.
"To hear about more than one incident like this in less than a week is unusual," Hammack said.
He knows the "emotional shock" of suddenly being on the streets because of hard financial times.
In 1997, Hammack lost his job with the phone company and all his medical benefits. He gradually used up all his savings.
"All of a sudden, everything was gone and I was on the streets of Whittier," he said.
While living at Central Park in Uptown, Hammack met community volunteers working to create First Day. They helped him find work at another homeless outreach program, then at First Day.
"When I met them, I had been on the streets for 2 years, and I was very depressed and feeling like I would never get anywhere ever again because of my age," he said. "They gave me the incentive to restart my life.
A little bit of assistance can really go a long way."
So when Hammack met a woman and her teenage son earlier this week asking for money outside a local grocery store, he knew to approach with a gentle touch.
"I could see she was uncertain, and the young man was angry, defensive even," he said.
Hammack said her story of being on the brink of losing her home and having to panhandle to buy food is increasingly common in today's economic climate.
The National Coalition for the Homeless called the individuals, families, homeowners and renters of the housing crisis the "invisible victims."
The group's data, based on information from 2007, said that more than 41 percent of individuals and families who lost their homes nationwide were living on the streets.
More than 2 million foreclosures took place in 2007, with at least as many projected for this year and the next, according to the NCH report, which came out in April.
The group hopes the report will sound an alarm to prevent more Americans from foreclosure to homelessness.
One Whittier couple - Randy and Monica - have been homeless for the past two years.
"I lost my job, and couldn't pay the rent," said Randy, 50.
He and Monica, 47, spend their days at Central Park, especially when the weather is good.
"It's hard to get back on our feet because rent is so unaffordable," said Randy, who finds work as a handyman at Uptown businesses.
The difficult part, said Hammack, is to get information out to those in need.
"People aren't sure how to handle it when they lose their home," he said. "It's a shock."
Although the 42-bed First Day facility is full and there's a three-page waiting list, contacting the group is a step in the right direction.
"We can refer people to organizations and programs that can help them before they get too deep into homelessness," Hammack said.
The city of Whittier also offers referral services, said Ruri Pierre, community services supervisor.
"We've had a few calls in the last month asking for information, but nothing alarming," she said.
For information, call First Day at (562) 693-4097 or the city of Whittier social services at (562) 464-3368.
FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material the use of which may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Tenants Together is making this article available on our website in an effort to advance the understanding of tenant rights issues in California. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.