By David Victor
Some sections of the population struggle to sustain themselves and provide essential resources such as shelter or even a meal for their families. However, there are others who, despite having a decent lifestyle, struggle considerably.
“I worked at CSU Stanislaus for 12 years, and unfortunately I’ve only had one raise, and it was a 15 percent raise, and forced me to have to go get a second job in mental health. I work day shift 40 hours a week, in addition to that I work 32 hours in mental health at night.”
That is Zona Zaragoza. She’s part of the staff on the CSU Stanislaus campus in Stockton, and at the same time works in mental health. Although she doesn’t have a hard time providing for her family, she works two jobs mainly to pay off mortgage.
“It was difficult to make our payment at one point, especially around the time that the city was bankrupt in 2008. That was a really really difficult time, and it’s why I took on a second job, and I’ve done two jobs for five and a half years.”
Given that Stockton was one of the foreclosure capitals in the U.S. at the time, Zaragoza had some financial issues with mortgage. Even after the economic crisis of 2008, the effects lingered into later years. ‘Reducing residential mortgage default,” is an academic journal of the Public Library of Science which states that in 2010, there were more than 1 million homes that entered foreclosure.
On her free time, Zaragoza would volunteer at events for the community and spend more time with her family. With pricey mortgage rates, she found herself working more hours and with less time to make for the Stockton community and her family.
The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration, or SEED, will provide $500 to 100 Stockton citizens for 18 months as of 2019, to see how extra money could help out a community, and those like Zona Zaragoza make more time for volunteering and their families.
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