Forum - View topic

INTEREST: Fighting the Monotony of Homelessness with Granblue Fantasy

King Pickle the Wise wrote:

That did stick out to me as odd. If Toby has time to be sitting around playing video games then Toby has time to get a job.

Aphasial wrote:

The article/story is fine for what it is, but what struck out at me was his "boredom" comment. Once you descend into mental illness (and often drug use), things often change, but it sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders. In this case, "boredom" is a feature, not a bug, because it might encourage him to find something to do -- i.e., be a productive member of society.

bennyl wrote:

There is zero reason to be bored. There are more open jobs in the US right now than people to fill them. Start working doubles.

Like clockwork. "just get a job!", as if it were that easy. Where does one go to, to simply join a queue, say "one job, please" and get one that provides enough for housing, utilities and other living expenses? Even putting aside how many job vacancies require qualifications, knowledge or aptitudes that the average homeless person probably doesn't have, do you have any idea how much of a barrier homelessness itself is to employment? Even aside from various prerequisites that involve having a fixed address (bank account to be paid into -> need ID and a postal address, for instance), it ain't easy to present yourself well enough to a prospective employer if you don't have a bathroom to have a shave and shower in, a wardrobe to keep a decent suit in, etc. In any way let slip or imply that you're homeless, and they just see someone who's probably not going to be reliable enough for the job and move on to the next candidate.

Crabtree1 wrote:

Ignoring the obviously pretty pricey looking laptop, here in the UK the council are legally required to provide accomadation for any homeless people who ask for it, does the US not have that?

Most cities do not. And laptop is probably like 5+ years old

Like clockwork. "just get a job!", as if it were that easy. Where does one go to, to simply join a queue, say "one job, please" and get one that provides enough for housing, utilities and other living expenses?

Sakagami Tomoyo wrote:

Like clockwork. "just get a job!", as if it were that easy. Where does one go to, to simply join a queue, say "one job, please" and get one that provides enough for housing, utilities and other living expenses?

Expecting an entry level position to pay for all of that is ridiculous, especially if you have no education or experience.. When you just start out, you either still live at home or you move in with 2-5 other people which makes living expenses affordable even on minimum wage.

It's not hard to get a job if you really want one. My local Jack in the Box and Taco Bell are always hiring. But some people will turn their nose up at those kinds of jobs even if they're desperate for work or money.

El Hermano wrote:

Sakagami Tomoyo wrote: Like clockwork. "just get a job!", as if it were that easy. Where does one go to, to simply join a queue, say "one job, please" and get one that provides enough for housing, utilities and other living expenses? Expecting an entry level position to pay for all of that is ridiculous, especially if you have no education or experience.. When you just start out, you either still live at home or you move in with 2-5 other people which makes living expenses affordable even on minimum wage.

I did kind of think it went without saying that a share house was one of the available options there. You're still expected to pay for that roof over your head, and your share of the utilities. The problem is that the hourly rate paid is only one angle of the problem; if the employer's not offering you enough hours to afford accommodation in even a crowded share house, you're still kind of screwed. And in any case, it shouldn't be unreasonable to expect to make enough from an entry level full-time job to pay for a place of your own, even if it is a shoebox of a studio apartment. The fact that you think it's ridiculous to expect an entry level job to pay enough to live on points to one of the societal problems that leads to homelessness being a significant problem.

El Hermano wrote:

It's not hard to get a job if you really want one. My local Jack in the Box and Taco Bell are always hiring. But some people will turn their nose up at those kinds of jobs even if they're desperate for work or money.

That in itself says something about the terrible nature of the job market. Such jobs (especially in the US) really don't pay enough for the kind of labour and conditions involved, so people avoid them. Even if they're desperate for money or work. But even still... even fast food joints like those are still going to reject applicants that they think don't measure up. Do you honestly expect one of those places that are always hiring to hire any and every obviously homeless person who shows up and asks for a job?

King Pickle the Wise wrote:

That did stick out to me as odd. If Toby has time to be sitting around playing video games then Toby has time to get a job.

Aphasial wrote:

The article/story is fine for what it is, but what struck out at me was his "boredom" comment. Once you descend into mental illness (and often drug use), things often change, but it sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders. In this case, "boredom" is a feature, not a bug, because it might encourage him to find something to do -- i.e., be a productive member of society.

bennyl wrote:

There is zero reason to be bored. There are more open jobs in the US right now than people to fill them. Start working doubles.

Like clockwork. "just get a job!", as if it were that easy. Where does one go to, to simply join a queue, say "one job, please" and get one that provides enough for housing, utilities and other living expenses? Even putting aside how many job vacancies require qualifications, knowledge or aptitudes that the average homeless person probably doesn't have, do you have any idea how much of a barrier homelessness itself is to employment? Even aside from various prerequisites that involve having a fixed address (bank account to be paid into -> need ID and a postal address, for instance), it ain't easy to present yourself well enough to a prospective employer if you don't have a bathroom to have a shave and shower in, a wardrobe to keep a decent suit in, etc. In any way let slip or imply that you're homeless, and they just see someone who's probably not going to be reliable enough for the job and move on to the next candidate.