If getting a job was easy as people make it sound, then a lot of people would be off the streets. There isn’t a homeless person who wants to be homeless. Nobody wants to be on the streets. Therefore, if they could get a job and get themselves off the streets, they would.
Let’s start this conversation with some job talk…
Every job has their expectations and requirements. Most jobs ask for work experience and so if someone doesn’t have experience they don’t get the job. Jobs ask for transportation access, driver’s license or a cell phone number so they can contact you. A person needs money to get these things. Someone who is homeless doesn’t even have money to buy themselves some nice clothes for a job interview. In order to get a job, you need to meet their requirements. When I was sixteen it took me a while to find a job because I didn’t have job experience and I had a driver’s license, transportation, cell phone and access to the internet. So, to tell someone who doesn’t have any of those things I had to just go “get a job” like it’s a simple thing to do is ridiculous.
Nowadays, it is even harder to be without access of technological needs. Technology is everything and everywhere now. It is sometimes apart of your education and how you get access to information. Today, most job applications are even online rather than on paper like they used to. Although everything is becoming electronic, there is a lot of people who don’t have access to it. There is approximately 7 billion people and out of that 7 billion people, 2 billion people have access to the Internet. That leaves 5 billion people in the dark when it comes to internet access. (Ted Talks). In the United States research, connections and education is becoming technological inclined. Most jobs require at least basic knowledge of technological advances. They require access to online applications and emails in order to keep in touch with their employees.
A lot of jobs require education but education isn’t free, especially if that job is looking for higher education. Someone in poverty have a low chance to a higher education than others. Without education, it is hard for someone to gain skills and meet the requirements in their workplace.
A minimum wage job can have requirements as well such as online applications, high school diploma and most commonly, job experience. It is hard for someone who might not have all of these requirements, even if they do have the high school diploma. Even then, if they were to get the minimum wage job it would just be enough for them to barely survive from there. Unfortunately, someone who is homeless will struggle to even get the chance to get a minimum wage job. I am not saying that all of this is impossible but it is ridiculous to assume that it’s as easy as just going and getting a job.
This is one of those issues that no one will understand until you have been there. The people who ridicule people who are homeless haven’t been homeless. They aren’t out there starving and freezing. I could never fully understand what someone who is homeless goes through because I have had the privilege of always having a roof over my head and food on my plate. These people are hungry, cold and honestly scared. They can’t begin to get their driver’s license, get access to the internet or find a way to gain job experience because they are too busy worrying if they are going to eat that night. So please, do not ridicule or look down on these people. They are indeed people who simply have it bad and aren’t to be looked down upon but instead they are the ones who need help and compassion.
