Feature
Get A Job. Part two in a series
Chaim Eliyah
A&E Editor
Many people are confused by the existence of homelessness. They assume that in a laissez-faire society, people will make themselves fit in no matter what obstacles they face. It is simply preconceived that an individual in this market will find some way to gain employment and housing for himself or herself. In fact, it is expected; many blame the very poor for their own impoverished conditions, type-casting them as “lazy” people. But there are some very real obstacles faced by the homeless which most of us are not aware of. For most homeless people, finding employment is only a dream.
There are a myriad of reasons why this is true. It’s not as simple as a homeless person not having a phone and therefore not being able to get calls for job offers or interviews; problems such as these could be easily solved. Instead, the best way to think of the problems facing those who are homeless when it comes to their vocational abilities is as an entire wall of obstructions to success.
Many homeless people have no contact information. They often have no address, no phone, and in many cases don’t even have the papers required to obtain proper identification. Most homeless people have no resources; they have no equity, no car to sell, no family trust fund on which to rely. Transportation is a luxury on the streets, as bus fare can be difficult some days to procure. Even those homeless individuals who are fortunate enough to sleep in their cars often cannot afford to maintain or fuel those vehicles, and many of these people face a collection of legal issues pertaining to their right to own or drive a vehicle.
Among homeless people, there is an epidemic of drug addiction. It is common knowledge that emotional instability leads to addiction. Addiction makes for an unstable work performance, and most employers nowadays will not even hire someone who tests positive for drug use. There are many different kinds of drugs available on the street, and many homeless people use one or more of these for purposes of self-medication. The deep-seated emotional issues behind these behaviors usually remain untreated, and even when in treatment or in recovery such individuals are vulnerable to relapse. According to the Seattle/King County Coalition for the Homeless,
nationally 25-40% of homeless people need supportive services to help them recover from drug and alcohol abuse. In addition to addiction, 20-25% of homeless people have some form of mental illness (not including personality disorders, which may account for up to half of the homeless population’s condition). Any combination of one or both of these types of barriers is enough to keep a homeless person from finding suitable work.
When trying to find a job, appearances count. Ideals in our culture like “dress for success” are lost on people who cannot get their clothing from anywhere but donations and thrift stores. Most homeless people have at most a disheveled appearance, making prospective employers leery of taking a risk with them. Also, communication skills among the homeless suffer from many negative factors, such as low literacy rates and poor language mechanics. Poor communication makes for a poor interview, and this means that employers would not consider many of these people hirable.
Poor health is also a concern among the homeless. Although financially many homeless people qualify for Medicaid (publicly funded healthcare), there is currently a lack of healthcare opportunities for individuals with public assistance. This is a problem because according to the Coalition most homeless people suffer from acute and chronic health problems due to poor nutrition, exposure to outdoor elements, fatigue and stress.
Finally, these and other obstacles combine to create a mindset in the average homeless person that nothing is ever going to get better; that society has closed its doors to them. This develops into a dire lack of a suitable work ethic for today’s world. Many homeless people simply have no hope for the future and do not believe they have anything to gain from hard work. And, although according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 44% of homeless people report having received income from working in the last month, more often than not these working poor realize absolutely no gain in their assets. Aside from this, many are simply unable to work and therefore see no ethical argument for their situation.
Reasons for these barriers are wide and varied. Some believe that many years of poor social policy are to blame for homelessness, although this is only part of the truth. Many are well aware that hourly wages have not kept pace with inflation for some time, and with the constant budget balancing that must be done by the government it’s often surprising that we have as much money for various social programs as we do. One group of people suffering from this ongoing deficit are the mentally ill. The rate of domestic violence and the resulting victimization of those involved is alarming. Some say that to criminalize chemical addictions is not ethical, and blame an inadequate treatment system as the cause for much undue strife. And evils such as institutional racism and the oppression of women and those living in poverty have not yet been eliminated, making the problem that much harder to define.
One thing is clear though: We are one of the most affluent nations on the face of the earth, and it is clear from our progress and policies in the past that we do not want to see people suffer. Homelessness is an epidemic of vast proportions with many contributing factors, and we cannot simply say that the disadvantaged should “get a job.” Instead, society should work together to insure that those who have been let down by this system and denied the blessings of liberty truly have a chance to recover and become productive members of our society.
The All-American Road Trip
Eric Benjamin
Special to the Ebbtide
This summer, my friend Sean Casey and I set out on an unforgettable journey that would take us all across our wonderful country. We would experience everything our great nation had to offer, from the bustling cities on the East Coast to the desolate high plains of New Mexico.
Our trip began in Philadelphia, where Sean had just graduated from Villanova University. So after a brief stay in the city of brotherly love; we packed up his 1999 Honda Accord and set out for the unknown.
Heading East to the “Big Apple”
Our first stop was Cromwell, Connecticut, where my godparents live. On the way from Philadelphia to Connecticut, I experienced something awe inspiring. I saw the “Big Apple,” New York City for the first time. Coming from a large city like Seattle, I didn’t expect to be blown away with the size of New York. I was mistaken to say the least.Although downtown was a few miles away from where we were traveling, you could still see its awesome size. I could only imagine what the skyline might have looked like before September 11th when the Twin Towers fell. Our nation might have suffered a severe blow that day but it did not take the life of the city away. The city of New York in my mind is still a symbol of what it means to be an American, to be a free citizen. I was reminded of this when I saw the Statue of Liberty, as she stood guarding the city.
Golfing on a Championship Course
With the “Big Apple” behind us, we reached Connecticut and were ready for a little recreation. We were invited to play golf with my godfather, David, at the very prestigious TPC River Highlands. In the golfing world, the TPC River Highlands is nationally recognized because it hosts the Buick Championship, formally known as the Greater Hartford Open, every year. The Great Hartford open is a tournament on the Professional Golf Association tour.What an honor we felt as we stepped onto the first tee and had a chance to feel what it was like to play a golf course that some of the greatest golfers in the world had played. Both of us wanted to stay longer in Connecticut, but we had to stick with our driving schedule if we were to see everything we wanted. So after a nice round of golf, and dinner, we were ready to hit the road again.
Heading South
Sean’s brother lives in Mobile, Alabama so that was our next destination. On the way to Alabama, we crossed the Potomac River and saw our nation’s capitol.Washington D.C. was a place where our nation began and still continues to grow to this day. It was hard not to feel a historical sense of awareness throughout D.C. and really throughout the entire East Coast.
As we found our way down south, I was taken away by the beauty of the Carolinas and Georgia. In the Carolinas, we found hearty forests and wonderful vistas that looked out over the surrounding rolling landscape. Georgia offered many rivers and quiet places to rest. They were so inviting it makes you want to stop and spend the day relaxing, watching time fly.
In addition, the people were one positive memory that stood out the most about the south. For the most part, southern people were very warm and hospitable. For example, one night we stayed at a hotel in Gastonia, North Carolina. Hungry, I walked down to a Waffle House to get a late night bite to eat. As soon as I walked in, a waitress said, “Hiah, darlin.’ What can I fix for ya?”
Immediately after I ordered the waitress asked, “You’re not from around here, are ya?” When I told her where I was from, this immediately started a conversation about Seattle, and before I knew it, the whole diner was involved in one conversation!
This was an environment that I was totally unaccustomed to. I can’t remember the last time I ate at a restaurant in Seattle and had a conversation with the people eating next to me, let alone from across the room!
Mobile, Alabama, is a city that reminded me a lot of Seattle, it is a port city right on the Gulf of Mexico. While in Mobile we were treated with the same “southern hospitality” by Sean’s brother and his family.
One night, we went to a famous bar called the “Flora-Bama”, which sits directly on the border line between Florida and Alabama, hence the name. The Flora-Bama is an old wooden building that looks out of place compared to its neighboring million dollar beach front condos. Here you can have a drink and then walk a few yards to the beach. Unfortunately, the Flora-Bama and many other buildings in that area were destroyed by the recent hurricane Ivan.
Endlessly Driving in Texas
Leaving the south was hard for us to do because it was a place that felt comfortable, good people, good food, and nice weather. We now had a long drive ahead. We left the swamplands and found are ourselves in what seemed to be a never-ending state of Texas. It took us two full days of driving to get through it. We did not spend much time in Texas because of sever tornado warnings, throughout the entire state.
New Mexico
Finally when we did exit Texas, we entered New Mexico, a very beautiful place. If I had to sum up New Mexico in one word, it would be, tranquil. As I looked out the car window, I saw the “western frontier,” a place that seemed pristine and almost untouched by man. As we drove for miles and miles and saw no buildings or even people, it was hard to imagine that just a few days ago, we were in New York City where over 8 million people live! Heading further and further westward, we still had two mountain ranges to cross, the Rockies and the Cascade mountains. There is nothing to compare to the beauty and mass of the Rockies, not even the hundreds of skyscrapers we saw in the East. Seeing these great mountains firsthand as they reached upward higher and higher, made us feel small and insignificant. The Rockies in my mind are one of mother natures greatest sights. Again we felt a sense of history, when crossing the Rockies. How could early westerners have crossed these mountains on horses and by way of covered wagons? A remarkable feat in its own right.
The Cascades
Upon reaching the Cascade mountains in Washington, there was a sense of relief in familiarity and that we had finally reached home. The Emerald city was a welcome sight even after seeing two mountain ranges, the plains, high deserts, and bayous.Our country is a remarkable, intricate place that is much bigger than one can even imagine. I learned the meaning of the phrase “road trip,” reunited with family and was able to share this experience a good friend. We both learned that there was a whole other world out there that still had yet to be seen.
I can only imagine how the next trip will be!
The man who knows
Carol Brocker
Web Master
Scott Saunders has been the Director of Student Programs at Shoreline Community College (SCC) for nearly five years now. Saunders approves, manages, and secures funding for the vast number of student programs. He has a Masters of Student Personnel in Education from Western Washington University. While he was an undergraduate at Western he was involved with many campus activities as well as being in student government.
Saunders is currently enjoying the diversity of the students Shoreline has now. When he first started working here in student programs, some 30 years ago, Shoreline students were mostly white, upper middle-class, with a small group of international students. Today there are more than 450 international students attending SCC. Now, 1 in 7 of the general student body were born outside the United States and have English as a second language.
What sticks out most in Saunders’ mind is the struggle many of the students have gone through just to get this far. With the world conflicts being the way they have been over the last 20 years, many students have had to flee their homeland either under fire, fleeing from persecution, genocide or worse.
Saunders gave several examples; one was of a girl who was here from Bosnia. When she was 16, her father and she had to flee their country. They had to travel many miles by foot. At that time there were guards with orders to shoot anyone trying to cross the border. It was getting dark as they approached the border. They had fear in their hearts, due to the guards and, even more, from the possibility of having to remain in Bosnia. But, good fortune smiled on them: the guard happened to turn his back, allowing them to slip past. Through other acts of kindness they were able to make it to this country. She has completed her two years here at SCC and has moved on to the UW. The last Saunders heard she is doing fine and was happy.
Saunders said "being able to help students succeed is the best part of his job."