How are unhoused people supposed to get a job without a permanent address? Whose going to rent to

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can use an address at the shelter.

No, they can’t. They are not residents at a shelter, those are all single-night stays.

The Lamb Center allows patrons to use their address to receive mail. There are other barriers, of course.

[Anonymous]

do they even want a job? C'mon. If there's a will there's a way

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can use an address at the shelter.

No, they can’t. They are not residents at a shelter, those are all single-night stays.

Yes they can.

“Social Service Proof of Residency Form”. A written record certifying an individual as a homeless resident of the District and authorizing the DMV to use the provider’s address or contact address as the individual’s address of record on the credential.”
https://dhs.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dhs/service_content/attachments/Proof%20of%20Residency_GUIDANCE.pdf

You people act like you’re the first ones who ever thought of this problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a huge, huge problem as any homeless advocate can tell you.

Also - most job applications require a phone number, which is usually how you find out you’d get a job. No job, no home, no money = no phone. Used to be you could just hang out near a pay phone, but that’s not an option any more.

Also - when you are homeless, you can quickly become undocumented. Your social security card, birth certificate, drivers license can easily be lost or stolen. Then what? You need those documents to get a home.

What about suits for interviews? How do you keep them clean?

There are LOTS of barriers to getting a job when you’re homeless, beyond people’s assumptions like “work ethic” and “substance abuse.” These are really complex issues.

And when I volunteered at a homeless shelter, the biggest thing that united the people there - no family support. Either they have no family or their family is in worse shape than they are.

If the homeless have no family or similar support in DC, then why stay in DC at all? DC is one of the most expensive places in America for the homeless to try and remain, one of the hardest places for someone struggling to try and get themselves on their feet.

As for phone numbers and clothes to wear to an interview, this is something that city social services and/or NGOs could and should be handling for them and likely have plenty of resources to do, if it isn't being squandered or otherwise being inefficiently used. They could provide a callback number for them and take a message and then let them call the employer back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can use an address at the shelter.

No, they can’t. They are not residents at a shelter, those are all single-night stays.

Yes they can.

“Social Service Proof of Residency Form”. A written record certifying an individual as a homeless resident of the District and authorizing the DMV to use the provider’s address or contact address as the individual’s address of record on the credential.”
https://dhs.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dhs/service_content/attachments/Proof%20of%20Residency_GUIDANCE.pdf

You people act like you’re the first ones who ever thought of this problem.

That’s if shelters agree to provide the service. Many/most don’t.

[Anonymous]

I don't get why DC is such a magnet for the homeless. I suspect red states and red counties round up a lot of their own homeless and dump them on DC as some kind of "statement" the way Abbot does with migrants. But it's stupid, because everything costs so much more in DC - real estate costs, labor costs, etc.

Perhaps a better plan would be for DC to buy land and build facilities in a much affordable community like Charlotte or Hickory NC, or Huntsville or any number of other places, and move them there to care for, and they could do it for a third of the cost of trying to care for the homeless in DC. And, it would make it a lot easier to transition them out to independent living there as well.

We've already heard that many of the homeless don't have family here in DC - and many of them aren't originally from DC. What's to keep them here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can use an address at the shelter.

No, they can’t. They are not residents at a shelter, those are all single-night stays.

Yes they can.

“Social Service Proof of Residency Form”. A written record certifying an individual as a homeless resident of the District and authorizing the DMV to use the provider’s address or contact address as the individual’s address of record on the credential.”
https://dhs.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dhs/service_content/attachments/Proof%20of%20Residency_GUIDANCE.pdf

You people act like you’re the first ones who ever thought of this problem.

That’s if shelters agree to provide the service. Many/most don’t.

You seem to have this idea of unhoused people that is rooted in serving your savior complex. Believe it or not, people - whether they have homes or not - figure out where to go to collect cash benefits they are owed. You don’t think they talk to each other? You don’t think that a litany of social service workers are not making contact with them? Instead of posting here for no reason, why don’t you go out there are volunteer with organizations that support homeless services? Then you’re actually helping people instead of being performatively concerned online for the purpose of I guess of judging other people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought some counties give free cell phones to welfare recipients. At least in MD.

Or they just pay for the phone with their begging proceeds. Some have nice androids and burn through the data binge watching Breaking Bad on Neflix.

how would you know this??

I was walking down the street in Manhattan and my teenage son pointed it out to me. He wanted to know why a homeless dude would have a much better cell phone than his dad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought some counties give free cell phones to welfare recipients. At least in MD.

How do you expect homeless people to reliably charge a phone?

Typically they have charging (solar cells) to charge cell phones.

They also will charge phones, get water, and borrow equipment from local businesses in the area.

My boyfriend has a homeless encampment behind his workplace. He loans out equipment to chop firewood. The unhomed also will get water from his outside workplace faucet.

Most of the homeless have solar cell charging systems to charge their electronics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a huge, huge problem as any homeless advocate can tell you.

Also - most job applications require a phone number, which is usually how you find out you’d get a job. No job, no home, no money = no phone. Used to be you could just hang out near a pay phone, but that’s not an option any more.

Also - when you are homeless, you can quickly become undocumented. Your social security card, birth certificate, drivers license can easily be lost or stolen. Then what? You need those documents to get a home.

What about suits for interviews? How do you keep them clean?

There are LOTS of barriers to getting a job when you’re homeless, beyond people’s assumptions like “work ethic” and “substance abuse.” These are really complex issues.

And when I volunteered at a homeless shelter, the biggest thing that united the people there - no family support. Either they have no family or their family is in worse shape than they are.

So many excuses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why DC is such a magnet for the homeless. I suspect red states and red counties round up a lot of their own homeless and dump them on DC as some kind of "statement" the way Abbot does with migrants. But it's stupid, because everything costs so much more in DC - real estate costs, labor costs, etc.

Perhaps a better plan would be for DC to buy land and build facilities in a much affordable community like Charlotte or Hickory NC, or Huntsville or any number of other places, and move them there to care for, and they could do it for a third of the cost of trying to care for the homeless in DC. And, it would make it a lot easier to transition them out to independent living there as well.

We've already heard that many of the homeless don't have family here in DC - and many of them aren't originally from DC. What's to keep them here?

+1
Same thing for the whole idea of "affordable housing." If you want affordable housing, no problem. The bus leaves in 30 minutes and you will arrive in cow country in 1 hour.

[Anonymous]

I'm 13:55 poster.

My county has workers that go out to the encampments. RN's are deployed to go out to the homeless that have medical issues. We have a free dental clinic for the unhomed.

I think all of the unhomed that live behind my boyfriend's workplace get monthly government checks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a huge, huge problem as any homeless advocate can tell you.

Also - most job applications require a phone number, which is usually how you find out you’d get a job. No job, no home, no money = no phone. Used to be you could just hang out near a pay phone, but that’s not an option any more.

Also - when you are homeless, you can quickly become undocumented. Your social security card, birth certificate, drivers license can easily be lost or stolen. Then what? You need those documents to get a home.

What about suits for interviews? How do you keep them clean?

There are LOTS of barriers to getting a job when you’re homeless, beyond people’s assumptions like “work ethic” and “substance abuse.” These are really complex issues.

And when I volunteered at a homeless shelter, the biggest thing that united the people there - no family support. Either they have no family or their family is in worse shape than they are.

So many excuses

Most unhomed have family. Many of children not living with them. Due to untreated mental health issues of the unhomed the family has had to disconnect for their own health.

Social services help the unhomed to get their documents (when they have lost them.)

Phones are given out for free.

[Anonymous]

Many of the unhomed are unable to get/hold jobs due to untreated mental health issues.

It is legal in the US to not treat your mental health problems if you are over 18.

[Anonymous]

The unhomed generally drift to regions that offer services.