“Keep the bar low,” I kept reminding myself. It’s been inspiring—this new territory on the east side. The homeless population is far lower than what I’m used to seeing. There were almost as many javelina as there were humans—good, Christian javelina, too! I had to walk for at least half a mile between human encounters, often over a mile. In a week, I met so few people, I can actually name them all—nine in total. In town, down south, and on the west side, I’d meet twice that many people living in the tunnel every hour.
The ratio changed drastically, too. Among these nine people, Four were very interested in finding work, only one asked for money, and at least one was drug-free!
It introduced a new dilemma—job applications. It’s almost all done online now. I talked to a young man who’s ready to go to work immediately, and I got online to see what was available. General Laborer was the job title. Perfect! The questionnaire was ridiculous! The address of your high school? The name and phone number of your manager/supervisor where you worked three jobs ago?
Even the things that weren’t ridiculous were still difficult—home address? Phone number? Reliable transportation? Valid driver’s license? Names and numbers of three references (not friends or family)—try finding a homeless job applicant who can even whip up three references who are friends and family! Use a shelter as a home address? Sure, try explaining that to the third-party background-checking agency that sees your home address is a homeless shelter.
So… temp agencies, right?! Job placement services, too! Sounds great. Pack up your shopping cart full of worldly possessions and lug everything onto a city bus, then drag it into an agency to answer all of the same questions. Choice B: leave your stuff behind, go through the same process, and pray you’re not robbed while you’re gone.
I thought, “We need to find a business where you can talk directly to the owner.” Ok, fine. What’s a homeless guy going to wear to that interview?
In short, it’s a mess. The whole situation only reinforces the theory that all-inclusive societal rehabilitation is essential to solving the problem. How I wish there were enough money in the coffers to provide everything necessary to help a great candidate get their life jump-started! A roof over their head with an actual address, a good night’s sleep, decent clothing, peers, internet service, a telephone… hygiene! Who wants to go to a job interview smelling like, like… like this guy?!
Does this dude have the ichthys on his haunches? The point is, anything less than enough… isn’t enough.
It’s expensive being broke.
Where are you going to store inexpensive produce or bulk purchases? How do you pay down credit card interest? How do you get ahead when everything you own is stolen once a month?
Most of the folks in the tunnel have walked away from credit card debt, rent or mortgage dues, medical bills, utilities—the things that were too much to pay. After years of living in the tunnel, those debts haven’t disappeared. They’ve actually compounded into even more debt!
The commitment to getting out of the tunnel includes facing those debtors. Starting over means starting with even less than they had when they opted to hit the streets to begin with. This is why financial and legal aid must be included in comprehensive rehabilitation. Think about it.
Compounding causes
This young man was an interesting chat. Depression over a toxic relationship landed him in the tunnel. Marijuana use turned to fentanyl use, and now he’s wasting away in a drainage pipe, fully aware of his choices and consequences. Good-looking kid, too—reminded me of Bradley Cooper. So, here we have depression, compounded with drug abuse, eventually leading to serious mental illness. I really hope he calls before it gets to that point. He’s too damn young to live the rest of his life as a predecessor to the Morlocks.
Thanks for reading, and as always, thank you for your continued support.