Get A Job

"Get a job."

Over the years I've heard so many people say this about the homeless that I stopped counting. It seems stereotypes too often replace facts with fantasy when dealing with the homeless and the issue of unemployment. It is easier to deride people and make them scapegoats than actually look at the situation through objective eyes. Attaining and securing employment can be a difficult feat for anyone, let alone someone dealing with homelessness.

And, oh... If you were a business owner, would you hire someone who is homeless?

Meaningful and sustainable employment is the key to creating and maintaining housing stability. Unemployment, underemployment, and low wages relative to rent are frequent causes of homelessness and burden millions of families with the risk of becoming homeless. At the same time, individuals experiencing homelessness face obstacles to finding and maintaining employment.

As a result, connecting people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness with job training and placement programs is critical to ensure they have the tools they need for long-term stability and success. Facilitating access to work supports like childcare subsidies and transportation assistance can help increase the likelihood that individuals will be able to retain employment.

Many members of the homeless population have to combat barriers that can be almost insurmountable in such a competitive environment. Such employment barriers include:

Low educational attainment levels.

Having young children with no access to child care.

Limited or no past work experience or marketable job skills.

Mental health or substance abuse problems.

Chronic health problems or disability.

Lack of access to transportation.

Bad credit (which can make both finding a job and a house difficult).

Criminal histories.

These barriers can decrease the types of employment available to an individual. Lack of access to technology also serves as a disadvantage for the homeless individuals searching for work. In this job market, some knowledge of computers and technology is essential for every field. Mainstream employment programs, where the homeless are a minority population, may meet some basic needs of some homeless individuals, but they struggle to encourage employment or provide adequate income and support.

According to an evaluation of the Job Training for the Homeless Demonstration Program (JTHDP), successful employment programs provide access to a wide variety of services, including housing, and assistance to help homeless individuals overcome employment barriers. The evaluation concluded that for employment programs to be most successful, they must directly target homeless individuals or those at risk of becoming homeless.

While employment and training programs geared to homeless people have proven to be effective in helping homeless persons obtain work, successful completion of an employment program by a homeless person does not necessarily end his or her homelessness. He or she still needs a decent job and a place to live.

Ending homelessness will require closing the gap between incomes and housing costs. In such an equation, jobs that pay a living wage are critical. Government, labor, and the private sector must work in concert to ensure that all Americans who can work have an opportunity to obtain a job, which pays a living wage, and the necessary supports, such as child care and transportation in order to keep it.

Maybe instead of pointing fingers, it would be more productive to extend them as part of a helping hand aimed at providing opportunities. Then, all of society benefits.