Recession leaving couples without work

READ MORE: Reinventing America- msnbc.com: "Eleanora and Francis Scully didn’t live a lavish life, but it was a life they loved.

The Scullys shared the same apartment in the New York borough of Brooklyn for 32 years, raising two sons before settling into a comfortable existence on their own again.

In the evenings after work, they would sometimes meet in front of the building and head out for a slice of pizza or a cup of coffee. On the weekends, they might go hiking in Pennsylvania or spend the day at the beach. Every once in a while, they went to Illinois or Florida to visit their grown sons.
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“Life was just — you couldn’t ask for more,” remembered Eleanora Scully, 53.

But now that life has unraveled due to job losses that eventually left the Scullys unable to pay their bills and stay in the apartment they rented for decades.

The lengthy recession is delivering a double blow to some American families, leaving both spouses without a job at the same time. The dual loss of income — and the difficult prospect of finding two new jobs — has some facing deep financial fears, including losing their homes and taking on expensive health care costs without the safety net of an employer’s insurance plan. It also is threatening the stability of some families, who are looking at a future very unlike the one they planned for."