I can see how it would be easy to become homeless. Imagine working a full time job $10 an hour (full time if your lucky) $400 a week before deductions, not be able to afford your $1600 rent, because you ate a meal or something. loose your apartment, now your high risk, need a big deposit and income 3x times the rent to get another roof over your head.
This is just my opinion but I believe it goes even deeper. My wife has brain cancer and we have been struggling for years. I don't know how many people are living like us but I would bet there are a lot of families that struggle and fight just to keep their heads above water.
If you make $400/week you'd qualify for many government programs that would fill in the gaps, including things like SNAP for food, housing assistance, and the EITC which makes those deductions you claim would make things worse actually negative. Not saying it's perfect and you wouldn't be living large, but there are government programs explicitly designed for people like this.
That could be. I’ve recently become sympathetic to the homeless. I have a co worker that makes about $900 a week. Land lord kicked him out so he could sell. He was basically homeless for 9 months while working full time . Him and his son moved in with his mom, his wife and daughter had to temporarily move with her mom in a different state. He kept getting denied for very modest apartments, houses and trailers for rent. If they didn’t have family willing to take them in it could have gotten really dark. I guess my point is it’s not hard to have a full time job and be homeless, then it would be near impossible to keep the job while living on the street. So how difficult would it be to reverse that position?
Oh the programs that the bill that just passed are going to cut? Those programs?
It's what the people who did and didn't (as in abstaining) vote for.
to pin a “its their fault” narrative on homeless people even though the “normal” person is like a paycheck or two away from joining the homeless
I grew up in an abusive household and spent 20 years at risk of living on the streets, even though for years I paid for almost 60% of the household income (living with and helping my parents). So I always researched the subject and meditated on homeless people almost daily.
What I learned, and this is just me, is that people who are on the streets have a few different backgrounds in Brazil. Yes, I'm from Latin America. So dynamics may change.
There are those who are temporarily on the streets because they lost their jobs, were kicked out of their homes, and so on, but they are not “homeless”. It is not their profile. They usually rely on government programs and within a few months, even weeks, they are back in the system.
There are those who are on the streets for mental health reasons. In my country, Brazil, where 90% of the population earns less than U$600.00 a month, some families abandon these people on the streets. They are usually beggars who become part of the city's landscape. They become that "beggar on the corner." These people will live and die on the streets, especially because the state is not able to reintegrate mentally ill people. The government supply medication, but not all of them take it, since there is no one looking for them.
The rest are people who are unable to maintain themselves in the system. They are depressed or people without family support. They are the “dogs” that fell off the moving truck and were left behind on the road. They are addicts, alcoholics, people who prostitute themselves for drugs, etc. These people can even be reintegrated into the system, but it is like rehab. The success rate is very low, and most of them are always on the edge of society. They are people with very low self-esteem to fight.
Because living is a fight. The day a person stops fighting, they either die or end up on the streets. It is the same as stopping swimming because they are tired or no longer see any point in continuing to swim. The person sinks and disappears.
I remember when I was working as a poller for a market research company in my 20s. One day I went to work on a slum in Rio de Janeiro. I arrived at an alley and started knocking on doors to interview the residents. Until I saw a young man start yelling at me not to knock on his door because he wouldn't answer my questionnaire. He was truly furious. The detail is that he was sitting in front of a large cardboard box. That was his house. Shocking. Which also explains why he was so defensive. But I imagine he survived in life, given the violence and determination he demonstrated to protect his home. But I’m sure he had to go through hell to survive.
A study in my country says that more than 80% of the homeless population is mentally ill, drug addicts or alcoholics. A good portion of the rest 20% is temporary homeless that the government manages to reintegrate into the system. But now we have drugs that are changing that.
I have been fighting against this for decades. I will probably keep fighting until I die, but for now I am still swimming. The system is cruel to those who did not grow up with a positive reference. These are people who did not learn the rules of the game. Naturally, they are the ones who are dealt the worst cards in general.
In my opinion, the government should gather grade A students from universities, in various sectors, to create a system to rehabilitate these people. It would be psychologists, anthropologists, philosophers, doctors, marketing people, etc. And cross-reference information with other countries that are fighting this problem, such as Portugal, Sweden, etc.
To summarize, to be really homeless is to a certain point a state of being. But I understand that modern addictive drugs are changing the social landscape.
Just my two cents.
This is saying it’s their fault btw. The point is they are too economically disabled to do anything productive
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I can understand why people believe this , but I volunteer in homeless rehousing and I think you have some misconceptions.
Sure.
There are a lot of practical reason why family can’t take you in. The presumption that they can afford to rent the space for an additional family isn’t accurate.
You presume that there is adequate space I shelters and that the shelters are safer than the street. It’s very location dependent and population dependent.
About 25% have a significant mental illness.
About 25% have some issue with addiction. Meaning 75% don’t. In most cases getting them housed is the first best step on treating the addiction as well , people living on the street have a life expectancy of 50. It is a state of continuous fight or flight. Addiction is one of the more affordable and achievable coping mechanisms for that. Sometimes it’s the chicken and sometimes it’s the egg.
The bigger factors are medical bankruptcy , housing costs rising much faster than wages , and a recession that robbed us of savings about every 10 years since the 70s. depending on location a slowness to build housing keeping costs high.
There is always a push for a personal reason to blame the individual for a problem that’s really systemic but is too hard to get your head around. It’s easier to just blame the people and brush the systemic issue aside with a little Calvinism.
Honestly while I had compassion. It didn't truly hit me how hard it is for homeless folks. Until I dated a single mother of two kids. Who had been homeless and an ex addict. Her reason for having become so. Was because her family refused to help her with depression and would actively make fun of her for cutting herself. They'd call her knick names making fun of her for cutting. They still do. They still refuse to see how much she's improved. So drugs where her relief. And things just kept getting worse. But she managed to break out, get away from her piece of shit husband who she had to fight off with a knife after finally having had enough of serious beatings. And now is stuck with a verbally abusive BF because without him she wouldn't have a home or good child care. ( Thank God it mostly comes down to her being yelled and ignored when she expresses any opinion about how she's liberal. And the pride She has for the rallies. And that she dated to say what was going on in the Middle East is fucked. That she prays for my family who are Lebanese and have relatives who are at risk of dying right now. And not beating her.) Me and her are working together to get housing to get her out and I can help watch the kids while she works and have a shift after she gets back. She is one step away from basically being homelessness for her and her two children. One who is 9 and the other 7. She relies on state benefits for food and to help her children stay healthy with medical care.
I dated someone else with similar struggles. And it was eye opening. I wish I had understood before it makes me ashamed that it took that for me to truly understand and care. I mean you know I'd give them money sometimes. But I never really thought about it. Or knew just how broken the system was. She can't even get assisted housing. And some of the programs would put her in dangerous housing. Filled with drug addicts and danger. Which could put her at risk of relapsing. Now when I see homeless folks struggling. It breaks my heart. My chest hurts. But I don't have a full time job. Infact I got laid off so I don't even have a job. I can't donate money.
This shit is happening and it's anger inducing to know the bullshit believe or say about those like her. How they take away the benefits and programs that have kept her and her children alive. While we dated she had days where she was barely keeping it together. She also has a disability where her skin in areas starts to show muscle and leads to days with pus and blood and intense pain. (I'm struggling to remember the name.) But she kept working labor intensive jobs that actively made it worse because she just doesn't have a choice. I would step in while we dated and still do to help when I can. Helping with food, watching her kiddos, taking her for job stuff she can't get to since she can't afford a car. She isn't even able to get a highschool degree because she would need child care and someone to drive her to it every day. (I would do so but she lives about 40 minutes away and I don't have the money for the gas for that.)
People should be forced to talk with her and others like her. To have it shoved in their face what it's like. Since clearly Americans only give a shit about others when they go through the same thing. Or have to actually talk to and have her struggles shoved into their face to give a shit. And to those of you who won't shut up about getting family to help. Some people are like her where they've basically disowned her. Live about an hour away and refuse to help for the most part. Some don't have that choice or have that ability. Or for some their family are dead. So that is not a solution for a lot of people.
She lived with a sister while we dated. Her sister would yell at her for her kids and said she was lazy. When she cooked for everyone using her food stamps. Cleaned the house, paid rent, helped with trash, watched her sisters teenager. There was a bed bug infestation. Her sister lost her shit. My mom who was never crazy about Jess. Once called me because after that while they were being taken care of. Because Jess called her crying and my mom could hear her sister screaming at her. It changed my mom's views. My mom after that had Jess move in with us for half of December while that infestation was rooted out.
Her sister wanted to kick her out. She also and her kids basically had to stay in a small room. If her kids went out her sister would yell at her. Her big sister after all that would do that. I can't even imagine. If my brother struggles like that. I would take him in and never treat him like that. Especially after doing all that to help. That's how bad her family is. Jess even in part paid for the bed bug help. And if it weren't for us she couldn't have afforded new beds or pillows. We were more her family than her own. Just to give another example of how awful her family was.
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It really is. That's when she started was at 18. It makes me so sad and infuriated that any 18 year olds or younger are put through this and judged or left homeless. They deserve help. They deserve our compassion.
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Of course not.
But still - read your post , it pretty clearly makes an assumption that your family and friends have abandoned you (for a reason ) , and that there is available shelter (which solves the problem for a day) , and all that - in essence, says they probably deserved it.
And that is the sentiment I see when it comes to homeless folks. It’s dirty. It’s ugly. It’s their fault. Sure people will kind of nod at the systemic issues, and yes we sometimes piss money away and still fail to solve it.
I’m not trying to put all that on you dude , but I see a lot of people really doing their best and struggling , a dude I work with there works full time and still lives in his car , can’t get out of debt at 22 years old. I see a lot of kids. It’s a systemic problem.
If you’re interested read about what Houston did , tldr , they got all the agencies and NGO’s working in concert instead of fighting for little slices of the pie , the massively reduced the means testing and focused on just getting people housed , and the incinerated the regulation they was slowing down construction, and they got a 70% drop in their homeless population in a decade.
There are strategies that work.
You can have some money, and family members, and access and still be homeless.
1, There are many working homeless, look up reports on how many full time employees of Disney land sleep in the parking lot.
2, Family can help you, but it doesent mean they will let you live with them permanently. Sleeping on someones couch here and there does not remove you from the homeless population.
3, Social services are almost always heavily limited. In most cities you will not get a shelter bed every night, if you line up early enough you might get one most nights but not every. If you work past the shelters lock up time you literally have no choice but to sleep on the street.
Lots of homeless that are sofa surfing between family members and friends.
And the general public doesn't see them because they're just people trying to mind their business. So people see the crazy ones yelling on street corners in the city and think "Most homeless people are crazy or addicts."
Yea exactly. In fact the majority of homeless are either sofa surfing or living in their cars.
Yep I was homeless for about seven months with a kid and a dog. We had to quickly leave a dangerous situation. I couldn't be found, if you know what I mean, so going to family was out of the question. I lived in my car, which had to have oil and water replenished every single day. I worked for the school system. I took care of children in CDC classes. I made 7.25 an hour working through a subcontractor. I stayed at that job because if you could stay a couple years the system generally hired and I wanted those good benefits and job security. I was investing in our future. But they phased out the entire department and I was suddenly out of work already living in my car. And I was so lucky I had one family member who found out and helped me get a little studio. Co-signed and everything. And that saved me. But not everyone has that. Most people probably don't have that.
There’s one homeless shelter in my town and one shelter for DV victims. You have to line up at 8 am to maybe have a chance at a bed in the one shelter. There are no churches in my town that provide shelter for the homeless, just prayers. Section 8 has a 10 year wait. Median hourly wage is 20 an hour. Median rent for a one bedroom is 1500 a month, which 20 an hour doesn’t qualify you for on rental applications. Source: work with my local homeless population.
I feel like we're negating the amount of homeless that have serious mental health issues, drug addiction, and a variety of the two.
I think that part of the discussion gets muddled as groups try to force their interpretation of that. Generally the idea that people fall into drugs and mental health problems that then cause them to become homeless is inaccurate more often then not. It goes the other way around much more often, you become homeless, then develop mental health problems due to being homeless and use drugs to cope.
That’s the vast majority of homeless in my work experience.
If you look above, somebody who actually works with the homeless population says that that comprises maybe 25% of homeless.
For sure. I agree with everything you stated. It is a possibility that all three of these things do not work out.
The point I believe they were trying to make was that people can become homeless through no fault of their own.
Their point was actually that their own choices were a contributing factor. I disagree in general as being born into poverty is no ones choice.
They can but the other poster was saying that it is highly unlikely in most circumstances to completely lack access to a friend or family members couch.
Having a couch to sleep on makes you still homeless unless said relative lets you sleep on that couch ongoing months at a time and actually move in.
This is very ignorant you would be surprised to know how many people don't have Anyone to depend on. Also homeless don't want to be in a shelter because of the type of people it attracts. You get your stuff stolen, beaten up, and abused. Speak to any homeless person, they avoid shelters because of this.
Shelters have a capacity and they are usually at 100%. They don’t just have beds waiting for anyone who comes in. If they did you might be making a valid point. But they don’t and you aren’t.
I agree with you, which is why I stated that it is a possibility that all three do not work out, and the person is on the street through no fault of their own.
Uhhh… mental and physical health issues? Folks who’ve had to sell their stuff to pay medical bills? Folks with bipolar or depression? How are they responsible directly?
Issue can be anything. Homelessness can happen on a whim to anybody.
I have no family in the US but was a honest hard-worker. Saved up my money and worked a lot, went to college. My Life path at 26 looked completely normal/good
Woke up with pain one day at this age and it never went away, chronic pain caused by infected tooth that spread throughout my body apparently. Never obtained good insurance through my job and the healthcare system in America sucks. All my money was siphoned to medical expenses and nowhere to go. I ended homeless for months.
This is why it’s horseshit that dental insurance is extra. Lots of stuff can be caught early by someone checking in your mouth regularly and being able to get a tooth infection addressed in a timely manner before it becomes systemic. I’m not as familiar with whether vision/ eye health being a similar canary-in-the-coal-mine. I just heard more about dental since there’s a hygenist in my family.
I hope you’re in a better position now.
Two things I see with your comment:
You think shelters are adequate mitigation for homelessness, when most of them have basically no capacity and kick people out from morning until night.
You think addiction is a "choice".
I'd love to hear why you think these things.
You think shelters are adequate mitigation for homelessness, when most of them have basically no capacity and kick people out from morning until night.
I never stated that and do not think that, which is why I explicitly stated that sometimes all these things can happen simultaneously through no fault of the homeless person, but it is not as likely as if money were the only factor.
You think addiction is a "choice".
Addiction is not a choice. It is a disease. Seeking help for addiction is a choice. (And by the way, many 12-step clubs will provide housing for people who show an honest effort to stay sober).
No, "many" do not do this. "Few" do this. There is a program where I've volunteered for years and they're definitely not providing any sort of housing, they just have a list of other organizations that might help, but shelters fill so fast and they're temporary, from a few hours to a few days unless you can get in with a "diversion" or DV program. It's great if you know of one, but that's going to be incredibly rare and likely related to whoever is hosting that program having another program, like a shelter. Some shelters have 12 step meetings.
Speaking of 12 step programs, the best outcome for overcoming addiction combines 12 step programs with other diversion programs that provide adequate shelter and access to medical care. Access to medical care in TN is very low because we didn't expand Tenncare medicaid and it's really hard to get SSI/DI for addiction. You have to have been hospitalized previously so until you hit rock bottom, no medical care for you until you turn 65 or get pregnant. Because TN pays for health care from pregnancy until your child is 18.
I’ve talked to many homeless people. The vast majority are mentally ill. There really aren’t “services” available to treat them.
And that narrative takes attention away from the systemic problems that keep people in lower positions, problems that are fueled by the ultra wealthy to benefit their control.
I was homeless for 4 years, and I overcame, but it permanently changed the way I view humans. I'm a misanthrope now more than ever before because i couldn't believe how little people value your life if you don't have a place to live. You're not even human to a lot of people, and it's infuriating because those same people could be in my situation and would want some grace.
Kudos! On the streets for a few months. Now couch surfing. About to get a car to live out of while I go to the oil field. But in those months I seen the neglect and lack of compassion front and center. Stray dogs had more help to find a home quicker than fellow brothers and sisters.
There was a study about some people seeing unhoused people as objects.
Hold on
Edit: found it https://www.vice.com/en/article/no-fixed-abode-extract-maeve-mcclenaghan-homelessness/
The only reason people "expect" homeless people to get jobs is so that the person making that statement can blame them, rather than a societal failure of which they are a part.
Add in that the “societal failure” feels out of our control. We make distantly connected political decisions (which we don’t even know if elections are real) that may or may not have some ambiguous statistical impact based on the policy changes of the current administration.
Because people don’t understand that you need a mailing address, clean clothes and shoes and decent hygiene as well as a phone to get a job.
The uncomfortable truth is that a significant amount of “homeless” people are actually employed. They just can’t afford shelter. Of course that raises the question of why can’t someone with a job afford shelter and basic necessities but then you start getting into liberal talking points about minimum wage raises and social safety nets and that’s an uncomfortable reality to acknowledge for many people with certain political leanings. I won’t name names.
homeless people are normal people just like the rest of humanity.
Honestly a lot of homeless people are just regular people in regular jobs, people picture the extremely mentally ill drug addicted person on the street they see as the picture of homelessness but those are like the absolute worst cases. My gym manager says a lot of the customers are actually homeless but they just come in workout and then shower so nobody knows.
Those are the cases you see is the big thing. Drug addicts and such walking the street, sleeping in benches, harassing people for money... those are the homeless people you see. the other side of it are people living in their car, or who are well put together enough that they actually use social services, who are not visible.
Yup nomad land is more the majority
Yes, but obtaining most things requires a physical address, and application almost exclusively requires internet access and a phone, I can continue if needed.
When I was "in between" homes I couldn't get a p.o.box unless I had a physical address
I just used the address of a motel so I could at least get mail. This was back in 2001 so at least I had my trusty Nokia
To get a PO box, which is an address, they needed you already have... an address? I may be a simple country redditor, but that's jive I tell you. Jive!!!!
That is true, but it is also true that they face more difficulties than other people when it comes to getting employment. Less likely to have good means of travel, less likely to have solid means of communication, and a lot more likely to have a hard time with the necessary hygiene.
facts. housing is a basic need, not a reward for winning capitalism. everyone deserves a shot.
People here have no idea what they are talking about. Story time - after katrina a homeless person received 10k, a car, and a trailer to live in. He was homeless again within a year. Most of the homeless in my area are mentally ill and should be in asylums. Most of these people cant take care of themselves and just giving them resources would be throwing money into the toilet. Its unfortunate, but the system needs to do something for these people but billionaires need tax reductions so forget that happening.
In the real world I do feel for these people but its easy to dehumanize them when they are yelling and screaming at people in the streets every day.
Saturday - i see a woman get chased by a homeless man who is yelling. Monday - same thing different guy. Later monday - guy trying to fight randoms and cursing them out.
My empathy is depleting.
I disagree. Many have problems that make them hard to employ. My wife tried to help this guy. He kind of lived on the corner where my wife worked. Nice kid, well spoken. But he was ADD like. Did great at a job or place to stay for a week or two, then just couldn’t. As much as we tried he just couldn’t. It was mental not lazy
Look up the 'Just World Fallacy'. Briefly, it says that 'bad things happen to bad people and good things to good people'.
We unconsciously believe this so much that we assume someone is bad if bad things are happening to them- like becoming homeless. Our belief then fills in the details- they are lazy, dumb, shifty, and so on.
It's an amazing and pervasive belief that can easily affect even people who know about it.
A common example is "YOU are driving badly because you're an inconsiderate jerk. I'M driving badly because a loved one is in trouble."
I know a guy with a master's degree who works for the local homeless coalition that lives in his car.
He did everything right, doesn't use drugs or alcohol, is homeless because his income isn't enough to afford rent and payback his student loans, which are reduced because he has a job in social services.
I had a neighbor back around 2010 who was unemployed because of the recession and crash back in 2008/2009. He told me one day he was an engineer (didnt ask what kind) but that he couldnt find a job so he's just unemployed. I literally told him maybe he wasn't an engineer anymore. I told him maybe you're a burger flipper, or a landscaper, or a laborer or any number of other things and that he just needs to start something. He said he was too good for all that like he was so important. I was looking him straight in the face and said apparently not. Everyone has to start somewhere. Sometimes more than once.
because society would rather place the blame on them. they’re still human beings at the end of the day.
It's vastly easier to write somebody off as lazy. Bad things only happen to bad people, after all.
If someone can get a steady source of income and a job history, it can make life a lot more calm than relying on unstable sources of goodwill and assistance. One time handouts vs a monthly paycheck, I would rather take the paycheck. I can budget for that. I like being able to say "hey I have a job I work. I contribute to society!" Stokes my ego. I assume it does for other people.
Easy to forget the complex logistics of getting into and keeping a job. But it is a nice ideal.
Also forgot, if people are working jobs that have previously been homeless, they are in a better position to help people that are in that situation. You get homelessness advocates who better understand them and are not in survival mode. Or just more people in jobs means less people using the pool of resources. In theory.
One must also assume that employers would readily hire people without permanent addresses, transportation, and maybe bad credit scores. An employer will assume the homeless person is a drug addict or has emotional problems. This is because we have this twisted view of ourselves - believing we live in a fair, honest world where people are judged as individuals and all failures to succeed are behaviorally-based.
According to a 2022 study, 40% of unhoused people in the US have full-time jobs: https://news.uchicago.edu/story/employment-alone-isnt-enough-solve-homelessness-study-suggests
The issue is, rents are too high, wages are too low, and programs and services that are already underfunded are getting cut so billionaires can have a little extra pocket money.
Because collectively people have no idea what homeless is ad the dynamics at play.
Because most people have never been homeless, nor spoken to someone who has about the experience.
Because those people who think it's simple are ignorant/have no empathy.
Edit: person who responded below is a perfect example of "I won't do it unless everyone is a perfect human being". Basically they don't want to care and they'll find any reason not to. Trying to change the reason to help people to "perfection or nothing". It's just all or nothing for these lazy people.
Sometimes it's ok to just do a bit. A bit is a million times better than nothing at all. Don't let these people stop you from just doing the bits you feel able to.
... unemployment is 4.1%......
Because then people would actually have to acknowledge that it’s a systemic problem, not an individual problem. Those are big. That shatters worldviews and ideologies. That means you have backed something that is indefensible and you have to admit you were wrong. That means you were unnecessarily cruel for no goed reason
Way easier to just say the homeless need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps (which is ironically impossible)
My personal belief is that lots of people don't want homeless people to get jobs they just want them all either locked up or just dead, otherwise they'd stop making it impossible for them to live in society. "Get a job!" Sounds nicer than "Put them all in a camp and gas them!"
Normal people was the wrong word here
Because we have been conditioned to be a punitive people always seeking to punish to ease the pain of our own punishment from in high.
Some people have a knee jersey reaction to all of lifes issues. The answer to everything is "just get job".
First of all, there is no "we". There is a owner class, and labor class, the owner class pays the politicians to keep things the way they are. No one ask me to vote on if we should tax the rich to build public housing, cause they don't want it even the possibility of it. Homelessness is a feature of capitalism, not a problem.
It's a rationalization for cruelty, or at least for refusal to think about others' misfortunes or to make even minimal sacrifices to try to mitigate them.
So that way them being homeless is their own fault, and not a flaw in the system. All of this callousness exists to turn systemic issues into individual failures
“Normal” people?
Homeless people generally can't get jobs easily because they don't have an address. It's hard for them to get clean for the interview, etc
Look up "how Finland solved homelessness" on Youtube. They saved money by providing free, secure apartments for the homeless. This allows them to shower, provide an address and work. This is far different than the shelter idea, which is usually a serires of cots in a big room or tent. The homeless don't feel safe from the "crazy ones" or the violent homeless.
The apartment buildings have services too for unemployment, social workers to help then adapt, etc. There is no question that it is working.
We're starting to recreate this kind of "housing first" approach in CA but people balk at the initial cost.
Homeless people are homeless because there's too much money in them being homeless and not enough in homeless people having homes.
Just look at all the gnashing of teeth and salivating of the maws at the openings of concentration facilities for anyone made undocumented.
"the reason anything that happened in history can be boiled down to money."
-my highschool history teacher
Here's what I want to know. Why is the expectation of society that somebody was homeless and unemployed be forced live in a home and be forced to have a job? Why do people automatically treat homeless as criminals? In America you're allowed to be whatever you want. So be homeless if you want to. I'm a paramedic and I deal with the homeless daily and I can guarantee you all the ones I deal with have Medicare or veterans benefits. So don't give me a cost to the country BS that's fed to you by the insurance companies.
I was in a homeless shelter for about 6 months from Nov 2023 to June 2024 in Louisville, KY and let me tell you what an eye opening experience that was for me in so many ways. I am 49F and I had never been homeless before. I had no idea what the hell to do, where to go or how it works. Sounds crazy, right? I'm sure you're thinking "What do you mean 'how it works'? You're homeless." Yeah, that's what I used to think too until I found myself front and center in a very brutal crash course on how homelessness works.(For this comment, I'm talking about my experience in Louisville but it is the same every where). Let's start with shelters. People who've never been homeless or don't work in the system, think that there are a lot of homeless shelters out there for people. That's what I thought. I mean that's what we hear on the news and in the media right?! Wrong. There are very very few overnight shelters and they all have different requirements. They have one that's only for women and children experiencing domestic violence (houses maybe 25-30 including kids). They have a couple for men struggling with addiction (houses maybe 25-30 total). They have one for women struggling with addiction (houses 12). They have 2 for veterans (one houses around 20, not sure on other one but probably about the same). And there are 2 other shelters for everyone else. The first one can accommodate 98 men and 34 women. The 2nd one can accommodate around 350 (this is where I ended up). There are day shelters but that is no help for people at night. So if There are around 10,640 homeless people in Louisville, how many does that leave with no place to go? A fucking lot. The only time you are guaranteed a roof over your head is during what they call White Flag, and only 2 shelters participate, and that is when the wind chill drops below 35° or heat index is above 95°. Like I said, I didn't know about any of this until I found myself in need. Another fun fact, none of the shelters are anywhere near each other. Not even close. I was one of the fortunate ones, if you will, bc I did have a car. So I was able to drive to the different shelters to see if I was able to stay there. It's very hard to secure a bed when you're a single female that's not in a DV relationship or in active addiction. Maybe you're thinking, "well why didn't you just call?" I did. There's only one number you can call for all shelters and it has to be before 2pm each day but it doesn't guarantee you a bed. Only tells you which locations may have one but you have to show up to the actual shelter and it's first come first serve. I slept in my car for 2 weeks, I was lucky. Imagine the people without cars. Trying to get all over the damn city trying to get a bed. I finally went to a church to see if they could help me bc I was freezing sleeping in my car. They got me a bed at one of the shelters. The shelter used to be a hospital years ago so the that gives you an idea on room size. There were 7 women in my room, 8 if you count me. The beds are old prison bunks and there is one bathroom. There is next to no room for a lot of personal belongings. You get to keep your bed a long as you follow the rules- no overnights out, up every day at 645 - you have to be out of room by 8 and can't come back until 430, which is also the curfew, so you can't leave the property after 430 and you have to be in your room by 9 and lights out at 10. For the people that smoke, (I don't thank goodness), they are not allowed to after 9pm. If you have a job, you are not bound by the hours as long as you produce a schedule. The shelter "employs" a lot of their clients (that's what they call the people who stay there) in what they call their "work therapy" program, where they claim to offer on the job training and valuable skills they can use in the real world. It's a load of bullshit is what it is. That's what they have to call it though to legally be able to get way with paying them $1.25/hr. 98% of the people that work there, are clients. These people work 40/hr wks and make $50. They're not learning valuable skills. They're mopping floors or desk monitors doing bed checks. You hear on TV and on social media about all of these resources that are available for homeless people if they would just take advantage of them. I'm telling you right now, from first hand experience, that is fucking bullshit. Are there resources? Sure, some, if you can find them and qualify and get to where they are being offered. The vast majority of homeless people do not have phones and the ones that do, got be able to charge them for them to be of any use. Being homeless was awful, but I am beyond grateful for the experience. I met some amazing people and I made a lot wonderful friends. I learned so much that I would've never known otherwise. Like I've said several times, I am one of the lucky ones. I had a car which provided me opportunities ones without don't have. I found myself a good job and have been able to slowly rebuild my life. It's been damn hard too. I'll let you in on a little secret. The next time you see someone asking for a $1, if you have it give it. I never once saw anyone use money they were given to buy drugs. I saw beer a few times, but mostly it's for cigarettes and food. And they really are grateful for what they are given! ❤️☺️
Normal people can find jobs, unemployment is still very low. It just takes effort, and people are pickier than they want to admit. Finding any old random job is easy, finding the job YOU want is obviously much harder
So, the people who turn in 50 different job applications for jobs they are overqualified for but can only get an interview for one or two, who are only doing so for performative reasons and have no plans on hiring them regardless because some dude from India is cheaper, are just lazy?
The unemployment rate is 4.1% today, which is much lower than it's been at pretty much any point in history. There may be the odd person with an anecdote similar to what you're describing, but when looking at the overall population, your anecdote simply isn't reality very often.
Unemployment rate does not actually mean the % of people who are unemployed. Which is crazy, because that's literally the word they use. 4.1% unemployment does not mean that 95.9% of people are employed, by any stretch.
It means that 95.9% of working age adults who want to be employed are.
I've literally seen dozens and dozens of similar tales over the past decade. Hell, Microsoft just laid off hundreds of workers just to hire Indian immigrants to replace them all. As I said in another reply, it just got accidentally revealed that the exact same dude was working over 10 jobs for 10 different companies all at the same time. Fucking fast food companies are filling out HB-1 Visa forms for staff. Are you seriously going to try to tell me McDonald's can't fill out one of their joints just with the surrounding neighborhood?
You're the one who's out of touch with reality.
Ah yes your dozens of dozens of takes in a decade trumps actual data collected by actual experts on the topic you're discussing. Just admit you don't understand anything about the labor market and believe conspiracy theories in your internet echo chambers are reality.
And I know plenty of people who work for Microsoft, in fact I know people who have been laid off by Microsoft in the last few years. They all had new jobs paying 6 figures (often 250k+) within a month or two.
Depending on where you are, the unemployment rate is between 4-7%. "Normal people" are getting jobs.
The unemployment rate doesn't actually tell you the percentage of people that don't have jobs. It's a very specific definition and does not mean that at all.
Because we're assholes. No able-bodied or well-minded person is flat out not working. People who can work work.
Its like you've never even spoken to homeless people. Maybe there's different types of homeless people in different areas, but around me they're all sketchball druggies or have mental illness.
I dont say that without empathy, because the mental illness is rough. The drug part doesnt move the needle for me at all. But I've quite literally never met one si hle homeless person and thought, they're a normal functioning person with a solid mind. Ever. That doesnt mean they dont exist. I've just never once met one. And I've tried to help plenty of them. Sure its arbitrary but this narrative that they're all just like us except for a circumstance is BS. Im not two weeks away from being homeless, I absolutely do not think the way they do (which IMO is the biggest difference between homelessness and not) but Im not saying everything's 100% their fault either.
Well, now you met one...hi
Its super local and varies a lot from place to place since its mainly driven by housing costs. You can have your shit together and still be homeless in California and be a marginally employed drug addict in West Virginia and still have a place to crash
I have a friend who works for a non-profit to help with homelessness. When asked for money, she typically hands them her company's one-pager that has a list of places in the city with free hot meals and open beds. She gets some positive responses from this, but the majority are not particularly happy with that, because most of those places don't allow drugs and you can't buy drugs with hot meals and a free bed.
That said, there are plenty of homeless people with jobs who sleep in their car or on couches and for whom shelters like that can help a ton. It's just that the majority of people you see on the streets and think of when someone says "homeless" are not that, they're typically making a conscious choice to live on the street due to drug usage and/or mental issues.
Why can't normal people get one? I'm normal. I have one. So are nearly everyone else.
There's a wide systemic problem where employers are basically "ghost hiring," meaning they put out a job listing, but only for PR reasons and don't actually bother filling said position.
Moreover, a lot of companies aren't hiring Americans specifically so they can go the HB-1 route and just hire immigrants for significantly cheaper. Even fast food companies and retail stores. Hell, it was recently accidentally revealed that the system has been manipulated so much that the same person got hired for and was actively working at over 10 jobs at the same time across the country.
It's ironically even harder for white men, as a lot of hiring managers actively discriminate against white men, regardless of qualifications, in order to "combat white supremacy."
Homeless people ARE normal people, normal people without a job
Some homeless people have jobs though.
I had been working the same job for several years when I became homeless. I kept working that job through my homeless period.
I would argue that it’s far more common to be employed while homeless than unemployed, but people don’t realize it because that type of homelessness is less visible.
We expect all the tax money spent on homeless to be used properly. Get them off the streets into some housing and rehab and mental health issues need to be taken care of. I am sick of all our tax money going nowhere
Companies have programs to help people who are homeless who need a job. There aren't programs that are equal for the average citizen.
It makes no sense, especially considering up to 60% of homeless in the US are already employed, just do not earn enough to pay for housing.
homeless people have jobs. They're the same people.
Your question raises a deeper question. How do we support the homeless to even have a competing chance in the job market? Most of these people hit bad luck. Rent was raised so they couldn't afford it, medical bills for a diabetic child, car repairs so high they couldn't afford it thus lost their job. It's scary how close most of us are to this reality. Now if your homeless compound the difficulty finding a job by a factor of 10. You have no physical address, maybe a car maybe not, clothes might get cleaned once every week or so, no interview clothes. You probably look worse for wear as well. Plus your motivation is at rock bottom. We have shelters and job fairs, temp agencies, etc. Not for everyone and they operate barebones at best. Solve the inequality, raise the minimum wage, start pulling people out of poverty. That's a start.
So, I’ve worked with the less fortunate in a previous job while I was still attending university. Sad to say that many of the homeless people I came across had mental issues and were battling addiction.
Society can’t differentiate between the different reasons why people are homeless the ones who are homeless because they earn little compared to drug addicts are totally different. One can be helped rather quickly, drug addicts on the other hand have no easy fix (you can’t force people) and will continue to decline.
Didn’t you know children, the elderly, and the homeless are going to be picking crops!!!
Because red cult say if you aren't rich it's cuz your lazy. If the homeless stopped buying iced coffee and pulled themselves up by the bootstrap maybe they wouldn't be homeless.
Yeah so have I having a job doesn’t guarantee a home
I think it probably stems societally from older generations. The thing is some decades back you could walk in off the street to get a job, one that paid alright probably too. Then times changed, the bar moved and suddenly to get a job is a string of hurdles, pain points, delays and disappointments. It has been getting more difficult.
Yet those people who were raised by those older generations had that 'they should get a job' ingrained into them and to an extent they carried that forward. It was something familiar to them and others, so it stuck.
The reality is, no one is really incentivised or passionate enough to figure out what to do with the homeless and make that a sustainable process. One that doesn't cause other issues. They are seen as a dirty and dangerous inconvenience in a general sense.
Unfortunately, as a society we have not grasped the idea that we can prevent crime and increase public safety by giving people opportunities to be self sufficient with financial stability, education and support for various ailments/conditions.
it’s also worth mentioning that homelessness is much more complex than just not having somewhere to live, fix homelessness you need to reinforce that with mental health support, drug programs etc on top of just building houses (if you’re interested, norway has a house-first policy)
We are going to place them in a situation where they have to work at whatever job they are told to work. Wage slavery.
It's not even just about finding a job, it’s all the little things leading up to it. You need an address, a phone number, access to a shower and transportation. A way to print resume and even the proper clothes for interviews. That stuff adds up fast. The job market is hard enough with support. Expecting someone who’s already in survival mode to just get a job but that’s just not living in reality.
Earlier today articles described the agricultural workers will be replaced by Medicaid recipients, lol
It’s an excuse not to fund social safety nets and retain the concept of housing as an investment rather than a human right and necessity, as well as to encourage people to view labor as critical to human dignity when most labor really just enriches the wealthy and doesn’t benefit society or your neighbor all that much.
Like let’s be honest your neighbor doesn’t need you working as at a customer service call center or as a sales rep for high end jewelry or as a greeter at Walmart. The millionaire and billionaire owners of those places need you working there to sell more stuff to people so they can keep making more money in their wealth competition with other wealthy people who don’t need to work for a living in the system they created and benefit from.
We say that to them so we feel good about ourselves for giving them advice. "I've given this homeless person advice, I feel better now. I did a good thing today."
Man, this hits hard. I've been job hunting for months with a decent resume and references and I'm still getting ghosted by employers. Can't imagine trying to do that without a stable address or phone number.
Because it's easier to shit on people than it is to help them.
Are homeless people not normal people as well?
I don't expect people who are severely mentally ill or addicted to hard drugs (i.e., most people who are living on the street) to get jobs. I expect them to be removed from the street and put in facilities where they can be helped.
Unemployment is very low all things considered. Most “normal” people haven’t found much difficulty in finding a job it appears.
The "get a job" is a manifestation of frustration by the average taxpayer. We pour billions into homelessness and see very little return. The harsh reality is that the vast majority of the homeless are mentally ill and/or substance abusers. The mainstreaming of the mentally ill combined with a effort to get rid of flop houses have led directly to the current situation.
The only practical solution is containment and treatment. This would greatly reduce the more outstanding issues. So instead of telling an urban outdoorsmen to "get a job" the citizens should be yelling at the government to do their job. Enforce vagrant laws, identify the mentally ill and get them in to facilities, partner with non profits that have a better record on transitory housing.
Most homelessness is caused by wealth inequity, not substance abuse or disability. Wealth inequity tends to hit vulnerable people first and hardest, and people are vulnerable when they're already poor, disabled, or have other issues. Secondly, many homeless don't become drug addicts until they become homeless, because it's an incredibly traumatizing experience. While containment and treatment is PART of a temporary solution, the real solution is making housing affordable for everyone regardless of income. I'd recommend you check out the book Homelessness is a Housing Problem by Gregg Colburn. He still takes a market based approach to housing, while I personally think housing shouldn't necessarily operate through a market based system. But it's still a good breakdown - when you look at the places that have the worst homelessness problems, it is wealthy big cities across the board. Basically when your rent is $700 you can probably make that happen. When your rent is $2000 because richer people can pay that to make the landlord more money or because other housing makes employment inaccessible, etc, it gets a helluvalot harder to make ends meet and more people end up on the streets.
You always can go and pick a job, the ones that immigrants do
Unemployment is low and people can and do obtain jobs. This premise is weird.
US unemployment rate is about 4%.
If you got a good survey of everyone in the country you would find many more people wanting to work, who can’t get a survivable job. A job needs to make you enough to get back and forth to it and to have a life style that the job requires. Someone living in a tent in the forest preserve may not be able to get a bartending job if they can’t shower daily or get to the bar every shift.
The unemployment rate is a BS rating system because it only measures the percentage of unemployed people who are actively looking for a job. It doesn’t take into account the people who have stopped looking due to weariness of the process, people who work part time and actually want to be full time, or people who want to change jobs for whatever reason. It has nothing to do with homelessness.
What point are you trying to make?
I think he's saying that OP's assertion that people can't get jobs is not true.
Normal people can get jobs.
and a majority of the homeless are not normal. Most are drug addicts, alcoholics, or have severe mental issues. They are still human and deserve help, but I'm explaining why they are homeless. YEARS before tiktok and in the early, EARLY days of YT, I recall a channel of a guy who just filmed life, his business, etc. He said he kept seeing this one homeless guy, dude seemed all there, they chatted a couple times, and he wanted to see if he could save this man. I think they went out to eat a couple times, homeless dude seemed all there, could carry on a conversation, make jokes, was friendly, etc. The YT guy decided to buy this man an apartment for 3 months, clothes, groceries, a burner cell phone, got him a haircut, bathroom products, and a job. Yes, a job. EVERYTHING dude needed to not be homeless. It was a "shit" job at a call center, but it's money. It's a stepping stone off the streets. The outcome? Dude worked like 2 weeks before simply not working/making call, got written up for not working, and then quit. He then sold his dress clothes, pawned his cell phone and was spotted out begging before the 2 month window. YT guy bought him lunch and talked with him and his response was to apologize, but he simply couldn't do some boring job for 8 hours a day, he didn't want to be held down and forced into their rules and time limits for breaks and such. Even the best looking/appearing/sounding homeless person and dude was still mentally fucked.
If illegal immigrants who can't even understand English come to America and get a job within days, there is no excuse for anyone else.
Those illegal immigrants are willing to work for below minimum wage. Many also tend to live with 6+ people under one small roof.
Many illegals are outright given jobs by cartels. How many legal people do you know that got a job through the mafia?
Those people probably aren't on drugs, and people seem to discriminate against people who are obviously tweaked out of their minds and not want to hire them.
Unemployment's at like 4%...
Unemployment numbers have always been manipulated. For instance if you've been unemployed for a while and have given up on looking for work, you're not counted in the unemployment figures.
The" TRU" statistic is much more manipulated. It counts everyone who makes less than $25K a year as "unemployed", even if they're part time workers not seeking full time work. Even if this statistic was valuable, it's nowhere near any normal definition of unemployment and should not be compared to normal unemployment rates as if they're similar metrics. Nor should it be used to deny the normal unemployment rates, since the difference is only because LISEP uses a different definition, one never used by any country.
U4 includes discouraged workers (people who haven't looked for work in up to a year because they don't think work is available) and is under 5%. U6 includes people who haven't looked for work in up to a year for any reason, as well as people working part time who want full-time work. It's under 8%. The only difference between LISEP's 24% and U6's 8% is from people making less than $25k a year. So the LISEP rate is entirely dominated by a group that isn't unemployed at all.
Unemployment is just one factor. People with jobs are also trying to get different jobs.
I don’t expect anyone to do anything, BUT, if you don’t want to sleep in a used regenerator box, a job is a good place to start.
While I would never say to a homeless person "get a job", at the same time most people in society have a job.
There’s supposed to be outreach for the homeless that have programs to get them employed with at least basic service and labor jobs and potential education paths if I’m not mistaken.
Though I can’t vouch for the coverage and effectiveness of any specific programs. It’s just what I’ve heard in passing and is often area specific as well.
Normal people have jobs, though.
The vast majority of “normal” people have jobs. A significant number of homeless people have jobs too
People have already pointed out the numerous hurdles to finding employment while homeless, so I'll just point out that roughly half of unhoused people have part of full time employment
Normal people get jobs all the time, homie.
Not when they dont leave mommies basement and apply for one.
Not sure where you live, but around me jobs are a plenty. You can walk in a gas station and make around 20 bucks an hour.
Pure ignorance
What's ignorant?
It is normal to have a job. The unemployment rate is somewhere below 5%. So 95% got a job.
I don't expect anyone to get a job. They can do what they choose. I should not be forced to support them, that's my choice.
Doesn't make sense does it
Even the homeless don't expect to get jobs
Being homeless is a job - an average homeless person in LA makes an average of 30 - 50k per year asking for donations i.e. 100% non-taxable. This is still higher than the nation minimum wage, pre-tax. Now you know how fucked up the scale is in reality.
Everyone needs dishwashers and laborers.
"Normal" people can get one, easily, but it might not be exactly the one they want.
A lot of homeless people already have jobs. Last time I checked, about 60% of homeless people have jobs. It is not like all jobs pay enough for people to afford rent and utilities. We expect them to get jobs in order to feel superior to them. Either that or we want to feel like the world is just and that we deserve our homes. There is a lot of propaganda that uses the "just world" fallacy. Ronald Reagan left a huge legacy in a lot of people's mentality.
A lot of homeless people do have jobs, and it's not enough to afford rent much less a house. They sleep in their cars, if they have one.
A lot of people see poverty as evidence of moral failure - laziness, vice, etc.
We don't, it's just political lip service. The homeless play a crucial role in a capitalist society - to motivate the shit out of average people to get them to work hard(er)
Normal people can get jobs, maybe just not the ones they want or think they deserve.
Most haven't experienced homelessness, and think it would never happen to them all the while living paycheck to paycheck. 🤷
So that they're not homeless or normal i guess.
Normal people do have jobs.
I also think people who haven’t been homeless don’t realize that working at McDonalds or some such place is not actually going to give you enough money to not be homeless. (I have met homeless people with jobs…)
And they also don’t realize how expensive it is to have a job. How are you going to get there without a car? How long are you going to keep your job if you can’t shower and/or do laundry regularly? Who is going to hire you if you can’t show up to an interview not looking homeless? How are they going to pay you if you don’t have an address or a bank account? (And how are you going to get a bank account if you don’t have money?)
And, still, it makes people feel better if it is the homeless person’s fault they are homeless. Having this (false) believe gives the believer security in knowing that they won’t be homeless since they are in control and won’t make bad choices. And having this (false) believe also reduces any feelings of responsibility you might have to a homeless person. (Why should I spend my hard earned money when they are lazy and deserve to be homeless since they are choosing to be lazy?)
Not to mention is difficult to even get a job without an address.
Or an ID.
My dad is a social worker who works with the homeless and to hear stories from work it seems like half of what he does is help people get IDs. Most of them are missing crucial documents and no longer live in the state they were born in, so they can’t go in person to request new ones. They can’t get one mailed to them without a notorized sworn statement, which they can’t get because they don’t have any ID, and they don’t have an address to mail to anyway. It seems like an absolute bureaucratic nightmare.
And a lot of times when cities do “homeless sweeps” they just dump all of their belongings into the trash, oftentimes they end up throwing away what little documents people DO have. It’s really heartbreaking to read stories of things people have lost in these “homeless sweeps”
Absolutely! And homeless people are frequently victims of theft, plus it’s hard to keep documents safe and dry while you are sleeping outdoors. There’s many ways to lose all your documentation and it’s very difficult to get new ones totally from scratch.
I've always thought one of the best cheap things you could do to help the homeless would just be to allow them storage for their stuff at shelters. Right now, most shelters won't keep your stuff while you're out during the day. Hence the shopping carts and whatnot. fucking lockers could be the difference between somebody being able to get a job or not. Shelters and the people who run them are a huge fucking part of the problem.
I was in a homeless shelter for about 6 months from Nov 2023 to June 2024 in Louisville, KY and let me tell you what an eye opening experience that was for me in so many ways. I am 49F and I had never been homeless before. I had no idea what the hell to do, where to go or how it works. Sounds crazy, right? I'm sure you're thinking "What do you mean 'how it works'? You're homeless." Yeah, that's what I used to think too until I found myself front and center in a very brutal crash course on how homelessness works.(For this comment, I'm talking about my experience in Louisville but it is the same every where). Let's start with shelters. People who've never been homeless or don't work in the system, think that there are a lot of homeless shelters out there for people. That's what I thought. I mean that's what we hear on the news and in the media right?! Wrong. There are very very few overnight shelters and they all have different requirements. They have one that's only for women and children experiencing domestic violence (houses maybe 25-30 including kids). They have a couple for men struggling with addiction (houses maybe 25-30 total). They have one for women struggling with addiction (houses 12). They have 2 for veterans (one houses around 20, not sure on other one but probably about the same). And there are 2 other shelters for everyone else. The first one can accommodate 98 men and 34 women. The 2nd one can accommodate around 350 (this is where I ended up). There are day shelters but that is no help for people at night. So if There are around 10,640 homeless people in Louisville, how many does that leave with no place to go? A fucking lot. The only time you are guaranteed a roof over your head is during what they call White Flag, and only 2 shelters participate, and that is when the wind chill drops below 35° or heat index is above 95°. Like I said, I didn't know about any of this until I found myself in need. Another fun fact, none of the shelters are anywhere near each other. Not even close. I was one of the fortunate ones, if you will, bc I did have a car. So I was able to drive to the different shelters to see if I was able to stay there. It's very hard to secure a bed when you're a single female that's not in a DV relationship or in active addiction. Maybe you're thinking, "well why didn't you just call?" I did. There's only one number you can call for all shelters and it has to be before 2pm each day but it doesn't guarantee you a bed. Only tells you which locations may have one but you have to show up to the actual shelter and it's first come first serve. I slept in my car for 2 weeks, I was lucky. Imagine the people without cars. Trying to get all over the damn city trying to get a bed. I finally went to a church to see if they could help me bc I was freezing sleeping in my car. They got me a bed at one of the shelters. The shelter used to be a hospital years ago so the that gives you an idea on room size. There were 7 women in my room, 8 if you count me. The beds are old prison bunks and there is one bathroom. There is next to no room for a lot of personal belongings. You get to keep your bed a long as you follow the rules- no overnights out, up every day at 645 - you have to be out of room by 8 and can't come back until 430, which is also the curfew, so you can't leave the property after 430 and you have to be in your room by 9 and lights out at 10. For the people that smoke, (I don't thank goodness), they are not allowed to after 9pm. If you have a job, you are not bound by the hours as long as you produce a schedule. The shelter "employs" a lot of their clients (that's what they call the people who stay there) in what they call their "work therapy" program, where they claim to offer on the job training and valuable skills they can use in the real world. It's a load of bullshit is what it is. That's what they have to call it though to legally be able to get way with paying them $1.25/hr. 98% of the people that work there, are clients. These people work 40/hr wks and make $50. They're not learning valuable skills. They're mopping floors or desk monitors doing bed checks. You hear on TV and on social media about all of these resources that are available for homeless people if they would just take advantage of them. I'm telling you right now, from first hand experience, that is fucking bullshit. Are there resources? Sure, some, if you can find them and qualify and get to where they are being offered. The vast majority of homeless people do not have phones and the ones that do, got be able to charge them for them to be of any use. Being homeless was awful, but I am beyond grateful for the experience. I met some amazing people and I made a lot wonderful friends. I learned so much that I would've never known otherwise. Like I've said several times, I am one of the lucky ones. I had a car which provided me opportunities ones without don't have. I found myself a good job and have been able to slowly rebuild my life. It's been damn hard too. I'll let you in on a little secret. The next time you see someone asking for a $1, if you have it give it. I never once saw anyone use money they were given to buy drugs. I saw beer a few times, but mostly it's for cigarettes and food. And they really are grateful for what they are given! ❤️☺️
One of the things that happened a lot in the shelter I worked was a client would lose their bed. Policy is that their items are packed from the locker and placed in storage. They have up to 7 days to pick them up or it will be tossed out (unless we knew they were in jail or in the hospital, then it held for 7 days after their release date). Many of those that loss their bed were either at a friend/family/partner place or on a drug binge. And what happened was they lose a lot of their documents when it get tossed out n
100%
Ive spent almost a year of my life on the street. Another year couch surfing.
It's so absolutely cruel.. I mean, i try and stay level, but truly its WILD. cops wake you up in the middle of the night at 2am, tell you "go somewhere else" -- you reply "literally where? like im not being an ass. where? ill go there now" -- they reply "thats a good question. we dont know. but you have to move, we got a call." -- you reply "okay." (and lose a bit more faith in humanity-- because while they werent total assholes-- you kinda think hey.. if I was in a meeting and someone directed me to clean up the homeless.. the number one most effective thing you might be able to do is tell them a fucking place to go.)
sidenote, 0 interviews over 6 months homeless with no address. 7 so far in a month now that a friend let me crash on his couch/use address, and shower, lmfao.
its kinda a joke ngl
jaded? we need a whole new word. edit: like, im tired boss. and I'm 21. id call myself a weak person but afaik ive endured more than 90% ..
I used to be a case worker at a homeless shelter and that was the bane of my job to get documentation for those guys. Some didnt even know where they were born. Had to play detective to find the information. Good thing the company had petty cash to request the documents. Getting a birth certificate from Puerto Rico and Florida were the worst
It's truly is a buteaucratic nightmare. Though I've never been homeless, I recently had to get a replacement birth certificate. It was a nightmare of paperwork. I have no idea how a homeless person could even do it. I had to handle tons of paperwork, show my ids, confirm my address, pay over houndred dollars, and then wait months just to get a replacement.
This! All of this! I work with homeless folks regularly (nonprofit hospital) and MOST of them have jobs!!
Yeah, the homelessness rate by state is basically a map of the housing shortage.
It explodes all the myths. People say it's poverty and addiction, or it's not having freezing winters. Which is why, of course, Alaska and Vermont are so much worse than West Virginia.
Cheap housing means poorer people can afford rent, means it's much cheaper to provide social housing, and it means more people have spare rooms. Couch surfing or sleeping in your friend's guest room isn't having your own place, but it beats the street.
The most frustrating thing is that the housing shortage is a policy choice. Homeowners were given the power to block apartments near them, but we also got freeways, so cities could sprawl out. Which meant homes were cheap for a while, but now the land in commuting range is used up. Can't build out, illegal to build up.
People act like you just roll out of a tent and straight into a 9-to-5 with benefits. Like, sorry I didn’t pack my resume and dress shoes in my shopping cart. It’s wild how much we underestimate the sheer logistics of surviving, let alone trying to get employed. You really laid it out perfectly
Exactly. I worked 72 hours a week and still ended up homeless. I lost 1 job and only had the part-time second job.
I was evicted and with that on my record and not making 3x the rental amount.
It screwed me. I was homeless for 1.5 years with the side job where I could shower and do laundry.
So I always looked clean and housed while living off of .30 ramen in a tent in the middle of the desert.
I'm disabled, so I can't get another 72 hour a week job.
I even lost my tent a month ago to arson. It's only by sheer, stupid luck that I am currently housed.
I am sorry to hear that you've been going through all of this dude. What those people did to your tent is just pure evil. I hope life improves and becomes easier for you in the near future.
Excellent point!
All of this 100%. This is why the housing 1st model has been successful in reducing homelessness.
Yep. Shelter comes immediately after water and food. Doing anything else puts your progress out of order. You can’t really do anything else until you’re out of the elements. Getting a good night’s rest is essential for functioning normally. Then once you have that, you can proceed to upkeep of your hygiene or clothing, and safe storage of your personal effects like documents.
Im an attorney that has worked with indigent clients and I’ve found that if they can get to that point (assuming they don’t have a physical/mental health issue or addiction) they can stay off the streets for a while. The ones that permanently turn it around, have gainful employment and shift the people they used to hang around.
I recommend most homeless people start out at their local community mental health (CMH) office.
If you know anyone homeless, that's the place to bring them. They will get a social worker for sure, psychiatric care as needed, and therapy as needed at no charge. They are excellent at knowing about and linking to local resources, and developing comprehensive plans to assist people solving problems.
Of course, many homeless may have mental illness that precludes them from seeking that type of help.