Oregon is one of several states that provides funding for so-called indigent burials. Historically, this money pays for a final service for people with no home or relatives. But in 2009, Gunson says, an unprecedented number of bodies went unclaimed ”” some for a month or more ”” not because family couldn’t be found, but because the economy has left families unable to pay for even the most basic $500 cremation.
“We don’t really want to become a storage place,” she says.
The trend is elusive to track. In Oregon, demand on the indigent burial fund was so high last year, the Legislature had to nearly triple fees on death certificates to keep the fund solvent. Illinois received so many requests for burial help that its fund was temporarily shut down over the summer. And in Michigan, where the economy hemorrhaged 300,000 jobs last year, indigent burials nearly doubled, from 2008’s 603 to more than 1,100.
When my mom passed away late last month, the funeral home expenses + casket and church services came up to $6,900.00. Fortunately, my parents had put aside the money for this, so even though it was a shock, it was not unexpected. The gravesite was provided through the VA, as my dad is a veteran.
Still, it was quite an eye-opener.
Jim Elliott <><