Woman Sparks Debates About How Low-Income Folks Can’t Even Afford To Hold A Job Because Of Ridiculously High Indirect Job Expenses
People who don’t have much money are disadvantaged in life in many aspects. Not only do they struggle with rent, with keeping up with their car, medical emergencies and just simple groceries, they also can’t afford to get a better job.
It sounds like a paradox because to have more money, you need a better job, but you can’t get a better job because you have no money. It’s a thought that Twitter user Anna Kruk Corbin pointed out and people in the comments strongly agreed, contributing to the discussion and expanding on why it is very true.
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To have money, you need to work, but turns out that poor people can’t afford to do that
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Anna Kruk Corbin introduces herself as a mom, a wife, an activist, and a speaker on her social media. In 2019, one of her tweets went viral and it is still pinned on her account. The woman shared a conversation she had with a person who laughed at her statement.
The point that the woman was trying to make was that poor people can’t afford to get a job because to have a job, you need money for gas or public transportation, if there is any. You need to have representative clothes, which are not always available for people with low income.
A Twitter user explained that to get a job, you need to have money for gas, child care and meet dress code requirements
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Not getting through an interview based on what you wear sounds ridiculous, but it can happen if the interviewer expects you to show up dressed up in a certain manner because there is an assumption that the way you dress reflects what kind of person you are.
A survey commissioned by Greene King revealed that 51 percent of hiring managers and bosses in the UK judge a potential employee by their looks. Of those managers and bosses who judge people based on their looks, 40 percent have chosen not to hire a person based on their clothes.
Overall, 90 percent of respondents confessed that they expect a professional appearance and agreed that it is a factor taken into consideration when choosing a candidate.
Others agreed and added that people also need internet access, a phone, sometimes a car and products for basic hygiene
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Anna Kruk Corbin’s tweet struck a sensitive topic as many others joined the conversation and added more things that make having a job unaffordable. You need to have an internet connection, a phone, have somewhere to leave your kids and it usually means daycare you pay for, having money for basic hygiene products or some jobs may require you to have your own vehicle.
While some people can’t afford the tools to get a high-paying job like a car or representative clothing, others find that working isn’t paying off. They can’t afford to work because it takes more than it gives. Many people in the comments of the thread mentioned how people work just to not seem lazy, but they are losing money because they earn less than they spend on child daycare.
Not everyone has that, but it is quite an important part of being able to get a job and to maintain it
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This is not a new realization people just came to, but it’s been talked about previously as well. John The CPA defines what “I can’t afford to work here” means: “Simply put, when the benefits of employment do not sufficiently outweigh the costs of living and employment, a person can no longer afford to work for their employer.”
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Surveys show that employers do pay attention to candidates’ appearance, so the clothing part is true
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The costs and benefits that John the CPA suggests considering are costs of living, which include housing, food, healthcare and childcare, and costs of employment, which include time spent learning to do the job and then working, time and money spent commuting to work and socializing with coworkers.
The benefits that go with having a job are wage or salary, insurance, retirement benefits, the networking effects of employment, skills and experience you get from the job. John the CPA notes that “It’s important to remember that these benefits and costs will have different levels of importance depending on your priorities and personal situation. You may be willing to work extra hours in exchange for a higher salary, but someone else may not be prepared to make that same tradeoff.”
It’s also true that not everyone has a car and daycare does cost a lot and may cost more than a person earns
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The natural reaction to not being able to afford working is not to work, but then you will appear lazy and feel lazy for not trying hard enough. You can try to ask for a raise, but most often the argument of your wage being too small and unlivable doesn’t work.
National Fund For Workforce Solutions suggests that employers “talk to their employees and find out what would help them the most. Solutions might be providing assistance with transportation expenses, such as providing bus passes or a shuttle. It might be more predictable schedules that would even out their incomes week-to-week or month-to-month. It could be small emergency loans to cover a car breakdown.” Although they concluded that bigger wages would be the best way to ensure people’s work is fairly compensated.
After considering these things, you realize that the statement that the poor can’t afford to work isn’t wrong after all
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Do you agree with the Twitter user that by just being poor, you’re already disadvantaged when you’re searching for a job? What do you think are other reasons that prevent poor people from finding a job and for it to be well-paying? Join in the discussion in the comments!
I am currently in this predicament...I am a non driver due to a sleep disorder and live in a small rural community. I am the custodian at my church and work minimal hours. I also receive government assistance. I WANT to be a productive member of society and work more...I WANT to provide a better life for my children and to be a better role model. But, if I get a different (better paying) job all of my benefits decrease and my bills increase. Plus, I'd have to pay for childcare and transportation. I've done the math and I would be worse off financially than I am now... And my relationships with my children would suffer as well. Because of my sleep disorder I'd be completely wiped out & basically bea zombie once home. It's not worth it. I'd rather be poor financially and have rich relationships with my children. Maybe if there was a buffer period in which benefits would remain the same (for a time) and give an individual the opportunity to get a leg up? The system is built to keep me p
This reminds me of a housekeeper working in my husband’s workplace. The facility is surrounded by woods. It turns out he set up a tent in the woods and takes a shower in the facility. Someone snitched and according to my husband he was fired. I was thinking instead of firing him I hope that they offered to help him out with housing even a temporary one. He might be struggling to stand up in his feet and at least he tried to keep a job. This is in North Vancouver- one of the most expensive places to live in BC, Canada.
That’s super shitty of whoever snitched, they should of offered him help. That’s a person who's trying.
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Maybe my company isn't totally garbage. We have boots for people who can't afford safety toe boots when they start. We offer help with public transportation and you are able to have alternative hours to work with child care and public transportation. I have personally brought new workers that didn't have safety toe boots to get a pair. That pair of boots don't matter to me as much as having a good worker.
In the US, OSHA requires the employer to provide PPE (footwear, safety glasses, etc.) unless it can be worn as normal attire outside work. A lot of employers exploit this loophole. So you’re correct: you guys are not garbage
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I have a part-time job offer that would pay $10,000 per year. Most likely I have to turn it down, because I'd lose my health insurance otherwise. But I wouldn't make enough to pay for decent health insurance.
That so f****d up. Im so sick of the healthcare options in the US. Why should this be anyones situation, ever? It’s so wrong.
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This is how I ended up being a stay at home mom back in the day. The cost of day care for the kids was far more than I earned.
This is actually very true, and unfortunately very relatable. My boyfriend lost his job unexpectedly just under 4 weeks ago, due to not fault of his own. I am employed but it's not enough due to the high cost of living in our area. He applied for unemployment but unemployment in our state of Pennsylvania is notorious for taking forever to process unemployment claims. In the past few weeks we quickly fell behind on utilities, and at one point I barely had enough money to pay for gas to get to work. My boyfriend has another job, but we have to wait a week before he gets a full pay check. Unemployment still hasn't reviewed his claim, if we had that money we wouldn't be behind at all.
Unemployment is a joke everywhere in the US. When they finally got around to approving me, 6 months had passed. They paid me for 6 months then decided to deny me and now I owe them the 6months pay they granted me because they said I wasn't qualified. I was working full time and was working really hard for a promotion. My physical health isn't great but I was hopeful about the promotion so I really pushed myself. Found out the manager directly above me was basically using me and had no intention of getting me that promotion! So, I was done killing myself and decided to quit. BUT because the upper management offered me part time in an effort to keep me around, that is what unemployment used to deny me. Problem is, I was driving 2 hrs round trip to get to/from work and even at full time I was barely making ends meet! Part time wouldn't have even covered the gas to get there! I went into a deep depression waiting for unemployment in the first place. We spent the winter with no heat and panhandling just to have gas to be able to get groceries. Not to mention no electricity and no running water. I tried reiterating that part time work with that company wouldn't even cover travel time get there but, unemployment still decided I owe them for that 6 months. At least I was getting food stamps but even then we relied A LOT on food boxes WHEN we had enough gas to go get them. (Side note, we live in an rv so didn't get much help because we were technically not homeless). The system is bs all around!
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One time I was trying to get back on my feet after being homeless. I tried interviewing with a staffing agency and they wouldn't place me into a job until I bought nylons. So I bought nylons instead of food. I literally had to go without food to get a job. I didn't resort to stealing the nylons... but I see why people might.
I sincerely hope you are in a better place now. I too have been poor and homeless, it's tough to get a job.
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If I work my whole income will go to childcare and the help we get with our rent from gov will stop, so we'll have no money for food and bills. Either way we can't save for a deposit or get a mortgage. I wish the gov would see it would be better if they helped us buying a house instead of helping with the rent, we'd pay back with the excess we're paying at the moment and own something at the end... the way it is it's just draining money from both us and gov
I was living in my car (7 seater people carrier with no back seats) for 7 months with my 2 cats. I had everything but a home address so I lied, used the last address I'd lived at with mail forwarding to a rented post box. I was clean (daily strip wash in cold water in my car) and I had clean clothes. As soon as I had enough money saved, I moved into a proper place and gave my employer my new address. Unfortunately they found out when a letter was returned from my old address. I got fired. In desperation I took a live-in position... That is a whole other nightmare story.
Also if you’re in a bad job, it takes time to find a better situation. I was unemployed for about four years, I took odd and end jobs and I took temp jobs to survive but I refused to settle for any full time job because I knew I wouldn’t have time to look for a new job or interview. My friends and family were so mad at me but I managed to support myself financially and I’ve found myself in a new promising career with good pay and amazing benefits.
I'm over 50, female, mom, grandmother.. and have pretty much been on my own since I was 17 (except for a couple years when my son was a baby). Its been hard. You think you get ahead and bam, the government strips away any subsidies you had and so you are making not a penny more in that slightly better job. It's been a struggle. Things are so much more expensive and unattainable these days. My son and his wife are now struggling with their 2 kids. Rents are so high, they both have to work. She furthered her education to be able to get a good job however daycare costs are so high, she has to stay at her minimum wage job so someone can be at home with the kids. It's really sad when folks are trying so hard and just cant get ahead whatsoever.
If had this conversation with my kids when they got snarky about homeless people - if you live in Canada, being homeless is never a choice; it's a freaking hazard because of the weather. (There is a reason Vancouver has a huge homeless population - it won't be minus 30 weather in winter).
Where I live there's a company called Beelivery. It's kind of a Deliveroo thing, you do people's shopping for them and get paid for the trip. Here's the catch: unlike with Deliveroo, Beelivery doesn't pay the supermarket to do the shopping. The employee has to buy the shopping and send the receipt on the Beelivery app, and they refund you the next day. So in order to make this gig job work, you not only have to be able to run a vehicle, you have to have enough money banked to pay for a day's worth other people's groceries - and hope Beelivery don't query the receipt.
When gentrification first started to take off in my former city, "walk to restaurants, shops, and work" was a big selling point on chic inner city condos and infill houses. The poor were pushed further and further out into the fringes of the city where bus service was poor. So ironically, the people least able to afford to run a car were being pushed to live in communities where a car was essential to get anywhere.
I get it. I've lived it countless times. It's really, really hard to find a job, and once you got a job you're stressing out and edgy during the first 3 months wondering if they're just going to fire you for just cause reasons. It's happened to me. I put in my 2 weeks notice when I got hired for my current job. Literally, beating myself up during and after every shift at my last in rage and anxiety for much longer than I want to admit because it took so long to find an employer who would give me a chance. No matter what jobs I've had they don't want to pay too much higher than minimum wage. I could work my tail off, through blood, sweat and tears, and it's never good enough, fast enough, worthy. I'm hearing the pay will never be great at my current job but at least the work is consistent, no major loss of hours unlike my last job. Gaining skills to put on a resume doesn't even matter anymore, unless it's a "skilled trade" you go to college for or an apprenticeship.
I've looked into apprenticeships and you need to find a professional willing to sponsor you. If you have no support and guidance, good luck on that. Doesn't matter either way. A job is a job. I'm lucky I don't live alone, and we have 2 incomes coming in as of recent. Before then, it was just me and accumulating loans and credit card debt to pay the bills. That is not a way to live. I don't wish that on anyone. My lifestyle is pretty basic, too. I take public transit, or walk, don't have cable, taking advantage of a internet/phone bundle deal, got my cellphone bill deal reduced, we eat cheap, hardly go out for fun things (seriously, relaxing in bed or on the couch together is bliss enough). The rent is the most expensive but necessary, and not the most expensive because I'm still on a discount for the past decade. So, I'm actually scared to move anywhere else. My credit it shot due to the debt from lack of work at my last job. But we're trying to pull ourselves up however legally we can
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And again, the US is so far behind the rest of the "wealthy" world. where I live you get paid extra for you transportation cost. even more when you live farther from the work place. daycares are supported by the government. internet access via your phone cost around 10$ per month tops.
We will never get those things in America as long as the Republican party exists in its current form. I am so sick of the deadlocked Congress where Republicans block literally everything Democrats try to do. Because somehow even the most minor changes will turn us into Venezuela, in their minds.
Load More Replies... There are some charities that help people with no or low income to look presentable for job interviews, they provide professional looking clothing for job interviews, so people have a better chance of actually getting a job. I think those are really good charities for us to donate to (either professional looking clothes/shoes that you don't use anymore, or money), because they really help people get out of their bad situation. Also, you don't have to worry that you're trying to help people who aren't ready to change their lives yet, because you know that you're helping people who are actively trying to improve their own situation by going to job interviews and are reaching out for a helping hand.
What kind of people wouldn't be ready to change their lives and get out of a bad situation? After all that was written in this article you still manage to be judgemental...
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Was looking for a summer job in college (mid 1990s) and found a housekeeper type job at a senior living place. It was about 1/2 mile from my apartment, but they wouldn't hire me because I didn't have a car. God forbid a healthy responsible 20 year old take a 15 minute walk in the morning 🙄. Another story: I'd just gotten a job, but had to wait 3 months for health insurance to start (I put my whole family on it). About a week before it starts, a family member has a real life or death emergency... yeah...had to pay full price on that bill 😵
People complain about not having a phone or internet access.... has everyone forgotten about the "Lifeline Phone"? If you qualify as a low income household, the government will GIVE you a phone, and minutes, and internet access. Here is the link - https://www.lifewireless.com/
Also, for folks who don't know Lifeline is in the US.
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Actually if you have kids, at least in Canada, it opens you up for way more in GST and Climate Change Incentive credits you get every 3 months, the monthly Family Tax Credit. If you have a baby -toddler you get the Healthy Baby benefit on top. You also get more credits when you file your income tax every year for having a dependent. If you're child is under 6, you'll have an easier time applying for Employment Income Assistance, but I don't encourage it. (It's welfare. It's supposed to be a last resort when in dire need.) If you're living with the other parent, you can still claim all that. If not, you also get the child support. Canada also has childcare subsidy. I remember I only had to pay like $50 or $150 every month to the daycare while I was on it. I wouldn't have been able to afford to work without it. Btw, I'm not trying to persuade you in changing your mind. You still do you. I'm just saying that parents, at least in Canada, are not that forlorn.
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A very needed article. People who are unemployed, specially those who are chronically ill, are constantly judged and invalidated.
A coworker got a promotion at work and the pay raise caused her to lose government aid that was for childcare. The promotion came with a permanent work from home status so she can watch the kids, but the youngest who was in daycare is losing the stepping stones of socialization and the teaching of basics that they were getting from the daycare. She's also worried about the housing assistance she gets. (She's a single mother of three.) A lot of benefits and assistance caps the income for recipients way too low in my opinion.
I used to deliver pizzas and it was so not worth the cost of gas and this was probably around 4-ish years ago. Can't imagine how much more of a financial strain it would be with gas prices twice as much as they are now, at least in my area. I was living on less than paycheck to paycheck. Thankfully, I got free pizza so I didn't starve (much). But I was constantly late on bills and exhausted all the time. It caused a huge strain on my then relationship, even though it was already on it's way out. Plus, the tips were pitiful, no matter how quick I was, how friendly I was, how affluent the neighborhood was. So not worth it.
Being disabled with a recently deceased roommate put me in quite a spot. I took over driving his cab but that too died having close to 400,000 miles on it. I sold the vehicle I had to make a small down payment on a vehicle that I could turn into a cab. This immaculate vehicle didn’t even make it home. Luckily the previous owner had already signed it up for a transferable lifetime warranty and I got a free engine. Sadly, it took 3 months of me living without the vehicle and using credit cards to eat n pay rent until repair was complete. Now with my card balances so high, I can’t afford the paint job and insurance down payment to turn it into a taxi. I’m stuck doing odd driving gigs while still using credit cards for gas and food. Now it is having transmission issues and needs blend door repair and local shops have referred me to the most expensive repair shop of all; the dealership. Being poor is like living in a catch 22. Once one thing goes wrong only a miracle will get you ahead.
I live in a rural village. Working around here is expensive. You don't have a car? Fork out for a taxi or walk hours home, we don't get buses after 4pm (and there's none at all on weekends). And you need two buses to get into the town where the vast majority of jobs are. Bus tickets aren't cheap in the area either (£3 one way, £5 return), that's a decent cost daily
Honestly, this is probably the biggest reason why I’m not planning having kids anytime soon: even in a professional job, if I was to have a baby right now, it wouldn’t make sense for me to keep working because childcare costs almost as much as I’m making. And mind you, I’m paid well over minimum wage
Our new government just recently announced changes to the basic income we have. Some people were complaining. I wonder what they would say if they had to fend for themselves in the US. Bet they would sing a different tune then. We don‘t know how good we have it.
We do have to fend for ourselves in the U.S. I also lived in a rural town with no transportation, no economic prospects, and little chance of a future. At 19 I hitched a ride to the nearest recruiting station and joined the Army. It was a risky move - but I escaped poverty, learned a skill , and now make good money. (granted - I could take that risk because I had no kids to support) Bottom line - it's better to take a risk than to just sit home and cry because no one is giving you a hand out.
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I'm reaching this point as well , my work is suffering from my mental health and my mental health is suffering from my work. I can't afford to take time away from work or to try a bunch of different medications or doctors and tests.. if i loose this job I'll be in a world of pain . Funny thing is I work in a psychologist office.
Yeah, and that comment about church daycare...church day cares cost just as much of not more than any other daycare. It's not free. There is no free childcare. The hoops the parents have to jump through to qualify for state stipends for childcare are many and sometimes insurmountable, and even then it's often not enough to cover it fully. When my son was three, I lost my job after an injury, was on workers comp which was 60% of my income. Because I wasn't working, I couldn't get state assistance to pay for his daycare, and the cost was around 1200 per month. So I pulled him out, losing the spot to someone on a mile long wait-list. When I tried to work again, I couldn't find child care openings anywhere I could afford on my new salary. Child care, 1200, rent 1200, bills, 300, food 400, car payment 350, car insurance 200, gas 100, meanwhile job offer for 2700/mo full time? It wasn't a bad offer, given my physical limitations, but take a minute and do the math. It doesn't work.
I've been there. Growing up we were the kind of poor where you're going "okay I have to make this pack of ramen go four more days". Lived in a rural area. No car? No job. Clothes are worn threadbare? No job. Hell I had an employer tell me if I didn't lose the long hair they wouldn't hire me. That one annoyed me. I made sure that it was clean and well kept. (Funny enough when I was young and wanted to grow long hair that was my mother's requirement. I had to make sure it was clean and well kept or it was back to short hair). I've had employers look at my worn out boots and tell me no based on that because I'd worn through the leather and the safety toe was visible (has been working a logging job before that, it's hard on boots). My teeth are pretty bad even though I do take care of them. Several are missing in the front. It's been pointed out as a reason not to hire me before. What I've found though is the kinds of employers that punish that stuff, you dodged a bullet.
one comment made this all about her, saying that's why I work from home like ok b***h we are talking about people struggling not your a*s
I had a job on a bad bus line and I was the source of gossip at work because my colleagues claimed I had my priorities mixed up because I had a car payment on a more reliable PT cruiser but had to go to a homeless shelter with my kids. It took one unexpected car repair for me to get behind. I quit and got on welfare. It wasn't worth the bull (including the oppressive co workers) to get up and go to work every day. People who work under those conditions are magical to me.
When I was getting divorced I was in a woman's shelter for a while. I arrived with $14 dollars in my pocket. Getting a job was crazy. One very high end dept store donated cases of business clothes to help us get jobs. The shelter sold all of it to pay for their expenses. The food was all donated and years old from the back of someone's pantry. The canned food tasted like metal. Tip of the iceberg.
I had so many surgeries in the course of 5 years , took 8 months to even be up n able to care for myself for 2 of them, I lost everything including my work obviously. It was people thinking if something tragic happens that there is some unicorn that shows up to give you the needed items for life and agency connections to pay all your bills- I had to shut a family member down when he was disgusted I didnt push for SSI (41 yrs old) I told him ot takes years to qualify unless its terminal in most cases. And shared with him my desire to be working n not use system, he gawfed at me and said I was a child to think this way...how would people live while waiting for SSI then? I showed him on a website for SSI n the tips they shared to survive while filing a case- FIND A USED CAMPER OR SOUND TENT - and put in camp ground or family yard to off set housing cost. Yeah so join the folks that everyone in town is blaming for drugs , lower housing value - in a beat up camper n get back on your feet?
Agreed on most of this. All of it really. But it's worth applying. There's SSI and SSD as well, which are different applications. Both can take years to get approved, but if you know how to work the system it's doable. I got SSD in six months when I was 29, and while I was seriously disabled, I wasn't terminal. Once you've applied you are eligible for financial assistance until you get it, but it's dangerous to take it because of you don't get approved you have to pay it back. You have to stay on top of your application every step of they way, including calling them about once a week to check the status. They'll pull all sorts of c***. They needed some documents from me, and I faxed them 3 times, emailed them 2, and they still claimed they never got them. I drove from GA to WA to the office I'd applied to, then stood there while they filed the papers, recorded the whole thing on gfs phone, all while I was on my own phone with my caseworker to confirm it was attached to my application.
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I had my funding cut off my senior year of engineering school. Anytime I get a job, most of my money goes to pay for student loans. My last decent job I had, I was paying $600 a month on my student loans. Unfortunately, unknown to me, I had two loans I wasn't paying so they charged me 10k in legal fees to garnish my wages and started taking another $800 dollars out of my paycheck for those two loans. In total I was paying around 1400 a month for my student loans. I only made 17 dollars an hour. I had to quit because I could no longer afford to make it to work or pay my rent. Now I'm homeless with no clothes or money or cell phone or any way to be a productive member of society. All because I tried to get an education.
This sucks like a thousand Orecks! What kind of sick and f####d up society do we live in, anyway?
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I noticed a couple of recurring things that are eminently solvable problems. One is that child care is expensive. Solution? Make it cheaper by reducing or eliminating some level of standards. If it were allowable for someone to host daycare in their home, with maybe 15 kids and no need for extra workers who would have to have extra certifications and whatnot, then daycare costs for impoverished parents get cut to a third of what they are now. Another is how many can't work/earn because benefits get cut off. How about tapering them instead of cutting them off? Or alternatively, taking the whole cost of these various government programs and instead, abolishing them all and sending literally everyone a monthly check for a precisely equal share of what those programs used to cost, no questions asked or qualifications necessary?
You know these people are talking about people in the us. Past the us, you live in a place that's got a caste system or the government actually does try to help. We were never land of the free. That's a huge façade they've been putting on for generations to get the immigrants they want over here. (Here's a hint to you government morons, it's only the people you don't want, who don't know better, that are wanting over. Everyone else has resources to see just how s**t we are and are staying the hell out of dodge.)
I once took a job with a small lawn care company. I was desperate for work. They said I'd need safety shoes. I couldn't afford new so bought second hand shoes. Well, after one day I was done. It wasn't the work, it was the shoes. I had so many blisters and feet hurt so much I had to quit.
Yep definitely true I'm actually switching jobs because I have to borrow money just to get to work I have to wash my clothes in the bathtub... I'm just constantly beyond broke I'm working to be in debt up to my ears it's ridiculous
There are programs for parents that are I need of child care. However, it doesn't always cover the whole amount, which leaves the rest for the parent to pay. I personally have seen way too many parents struggle with this payment, especially if it's too large amount for their family budget. I feel there should be something in place to help the child care centers to relieve the full payments, and help parents avoid to avoid paying the remaing balance.
There is truth in this article that sparked debate. There is unresounding truth in article is in your face hard dirty truth. truth.. Unless you've seen it, lived it one will never know. Painful side struggles.
Year ago when I was a very underpaid kitchen worker, It took me years to get an office job in line with my qualifications because I could literally only afford to save £10 a month, so it took me two years to save enough to buy a new suit that I could wear to potential interviews.
Sorry I have no sympathy for people like this, call me heartless. But been from immigrants parents and knowing people who have gone through so much worse than everything that has been said here and still made it. Anyone living now, especially Millennials have no excuse, even if rural. So many programs and government funding is far more available now then ever, but instead of looking for ways to survive in the best country in the world with all this accessibility we rather look up excuse and complain about live been to hard. I've have hot rock bottom and ended up homeless, but I knew how to get my life back together, especially been a millennial, I learn so much from my parents struggles. Complain all you want, is not gonna get food on the table or roof over your head, learn from the boomer and immigrants, their is a reason we are all a laughing stock to them, you live in the U.S. learn to take advantage of all it's resources, nothing is holding you back but yourself. =:3
God bless you and God bless anyone reading this! Hope you have an awesome day! Seek him while you can! Jesus is the way and the only way and he is returning soon! Whenever you think you aren't loved... Remember the ultimate sacrifice was for love! ENDING YOUR LIFE IS NEVER THE ANSWER! For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV The wages of sin is death (hell) but Jesus paid our debt on the cross, for our salvation! We must turn to God and away from our sinful ways, Confess Jesus is Lord and believe with our hearts that he was risen from the dead by God, and we must be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit and live by His word and Commandments! Trust that God will help with the rest! Seek God today before it's too late! Today could be your last day on earth! To God Be The Glory!
You've completly ignored everything in the article then. Hope you are never dragged that low.
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Says someone who has never experienced what he is judging others about. Try being a decent human being and volunteer to work with the poor and the homeless. Get to know their stories. Or else just shut up about stuff you know NOTHING about!
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Good Lord. People can have children they can afford and then lose their jobs, you know. Also, having a child isn't always a choice, especially now in the United States 🙄.
Load More Replies... I am currently in this predicament...I am a non driver due to a sleep disorder and live in a small rural community. I am the custodian at my church and work minimal hours. I also receive government assistance. I WANT to be a productive member of society and work more...I WANT to provide a better life for my children and to be a better role model. But, if I get a different (better paying) job all of my benefits decrease and my bills increase. Plus, I'd have to pay for childcare and transportation. I've done the math and I would be worse off financially than I am now... And my relationships with my children would suffer as well. Because of my sleep disorder I'd be completely wiped out & basically bea zombie once home. It's not worth it. I'd rather be poor financially and have rich relationships with my children. Maybe if there was a buffer period in which benefits would remain the same (for a time) and give an individual the opportunity to get a leg up? The system is built to keep me p
This reminds me of a housekeeper working in my husband’s workplace. The facility is surrounded by woods. It turns out he set up a tent in the woods and takes a shower in the facility. Someone snitched and according to my husband he was fired. I was thinking instead of firing him I hope that they offered to help him out with housing even a temporary one. He might be struggling to stand up in his feet and at least he tried to keep a job. This is in North Vancouver- one of the most expensive places to live in BC, Canada.
That’s super shitty of whoever snitched, they should of offered him help. That’s a person who's trying.
Load More Replies... Maybe my company isn't totally garbage. We have boots for people who can't afford safety toe boots when they start. We offer help with public transportation and you are able to have alternative hours to work with child care and public transportation. I have personally brought new workers that didn't have safety toe boots to get a pair. That pair of boots don't matter to me as much as having a good worker.
In the US, OSHA requires the employer to provide PPE (footwear, safety glasses, etc.) unless it can be worn as normal attire outside work. A lot of employers exploit this loophole. So you’re correct: you guys are not garbage
Load More Replies... I have a part-time job offer that would pay $10,000 per year. Most likely I have to turn it down, because I'd lose my health insurance otherwise. But I wouldn't make enough to pay for decent health insurance.
That so f****d up. Im so sick of the healthcare options in the US. Why should this be anyones situation, ever? It’s so wrong.
Load More Replies... This is how I ended up being a stay at home mom back in the day. The cost of day care for the kids was far more than I earned.
This is actually very true, and unfortunately very relatable. My boyfriend lost his job unexpectedly just under 4 weeks ago, due to not fault of his own. I am employed but it's not enough due to the high cost of living in our area. He applied for unemployment but unemployment in our state of Pennsylvania is notorious for taking forever to process unemployment claims. In the past few weeks we quickly fell behind on utilities, and at one point I barely had enough money to pay for gas to get to work. My boyfriend has another job, but we have to wait a week before he gets a full pay check. Unemployment still hasn't reviewed his claim, if we had that money we wouldn't be behind at all.
Unemployment is a joke everywhere in the US. When they finally got around to approving me, 6 months had passed. They paid me for 6 months then decided to deny me and now I owe them the 6months pay they granted me because they said I wasn't qualified. I was working full time and was working really hard for a promotion. My physical health isn't great but I was hopeful about the promotion so I really pushed myself. Found out the manager directly above me was basically using me and had no intention of getting me that promotion! So, I was done killing myself and decided to quit. BUT because the upper management offered me part time in an effort to keep me around, that is what unemployment used to deny me. Problem is, I was driving 2 hrs round trip to get to/from work and even at full time I was barely making ends meet! Part time wouldn't have even covered the gas to get there! I went into a deep depression waiting for unemployment in the first place. We spent the winter with no heat and panhandling just to have gas to be able to get groceries. Not to mention no electricity and no running water. I tried reiterating that part time work with that company wouldn't even cover travel time get there but, unemployment still decided I owe them for that 6 months. At least I was getting food stamps but even then we relied A LOT on food boxes WHEN we had enough gas to go get them. (Side note, we live in an rv so didn't get much help because we were technically not homeless). The system is bs all around!
Load More Replies... One time I was trying to get back on my feet after being homeless. I tried interviewing with a staffing agency and they wouldn't place me into a job until I bought nylons. So I bought nylons instead of food. I literally had to go without food to get a job. I didn't resort to stealing the nylons... but I see why people might.
I sincerely hope you are in a better place now. I too have been poor and homeless, it's tough to get a job.
Load More Replies... If I work my whole income will go to childcare and the help we get with our rent from gov will stop, so we'll have no money for food and bills. Either way we can't save for a deposit or get a mortgage. I wish the gov would see it would be better if they helped us buying a house instead of helping with the rent, we'd pay back with the excess we're paying at the moment and own something at the end... the way it is it's just draining money from both us and gov
I was living in my car (7 seater people carrier with no back seats) for 7 months with my 2 cats. I had everything but a home address so I lied, used the last address I'd lived at with mail forwarding to a rented post box. I was clean (daily strip wash in cold water in my car) and I had clean clothes. As soon as I had enough money saved, I moved into a proper place and gave my employer my new address. Unfortunately they found out when a letter was returned from my old address. I got fired. In desperation I took a live-in position... That is a whole other nightmare story.
Also if you’re in a bad job, it takes time to find a better situation. I was unemployed for about four years, I took odd and end jobs and I took temp jobs to survive but I refused to settle for any full time job because I knew I wouldn’t have time to look for a new job or interview. My friends and family were so mad at me but I managed to support myself financially and I’ve found myself in a new promising career with good pay and amazing benefits.
I'm over 50, female, mom, grandmother.. and have pretty much been on my own since I was 17 (except for a couple years when my son was a baby). Its been hard. You think you get ahead and bam, the government strips away any subsidies you had and so you are making not a penny more in that slightly better job. It's been a struggle. Things are so much more expensive and unattainable these days. My son and his wife are now struggling with their 2 kids. Rents are so high, they both have to work. She furthered her education to be able to get a good job however daycare costs are so high, she has to stay at her minimum wage job so someone can be at home with the kids. It's really sad when folks are trying so hard and just cant get ahead whatsoever.
If had this conversation with my kids when they got snarky about homeless people - if you live in Canada, being homeless is never a choice; it's a freaking hazard because of the weather. (There is a reason Vancouver has a huge homeless population - it won't be minus 30 weather in winter).
Where I live there's a company called Beelivery. It's kind of a Deliveroo thing, you do people's shopping for them and get paid for the trip. Here's the catch: unlike with Deliveroo, Beelivery doesn't pay the supermarket to do the shopping. The employee has to buy the shopping and send the receipt on the Beelivery app, and they refund you the next day. So in order to make this gig job work, you not only have to be able to run a vehicle, you have to have enough money banked to pay for a day's worth other people's groceries - and hope Beelivery don't query the receipt.
When gentrification first started to take off in my former city, "walk to restaurants, shops, and work" was a big selling point on chic inner city condos and infill houses. The poor were pushed further and further out into the fringes of the city where bus service was poor. So ironically, the people least able to afford to run a car were being pushed to live in communities where a car was essential to get anywhere.
I get it. I've lived it countless times. It's really, really hard to find a job, and once you got a job you're stressing out and edgy during the first 3 months wondering if they're just going to fire you for just cause reasons. It's happened to me. I put in my 2 weeks notice when I got hired for my current job. Literally, beating myself up during and after every shift at my last in rage and anxiety for much longer than I want to admit because it took so long to find an employer who would give me a chance. No matter what jobs I've had they don't want to pay too much higher than minimum wage. I could work my tail off, through blood, sweat and tears, and it's never good enough, fast enough, worthy. I'm hearing the pay will never be great at my current job but at least the work is consistent, no major loss of hours unlike my last job. Gaining skills to put on a resume doesn't even matter anymore, unless it's a "skilled trade" you go to college for or an apprenticeship.
I've looked into apprenticeships and you need to find a professional willing to sponsor you. If you have no support and guidance, good luck on that. Doesn't matter either way. A job is a job. I'm lucky I don't live alone, and we have 2 incomes coming in as of recent. Before then, it was just me and accumulating loans and credit card debt to pay the bills. That is not a way to live. I don't wish that on anyone. My lifestyle is pretty basic, too. I take public transit, or walk, don't have cable, taking advantage of a internet/phone bundle deal, got my cellphone bill deal reduced, we eat cheap, hardly go out for fun things (seriously, relaxing in bed or on the couch together is bliss enough). The rent is the most expensive but necessary, and not the most expensive because I'm still on a discount for the past decade. So, I'm actually scared to move anywhere else. My credit it shot due to the debt from lack of work at my last job. But we're trying to pull ourselves up however legally we can
Load More Replies... And again, the US is so far behind the rest of the "wealthy" world. where I live you get paid extra for you transportation cost. even more when you live farther from the work place. daycares are supported by the government. internet access via your phone cost around 10$ per month tops.
We will never get those things in America as long as the Republican party exists in its current form. I am so sick of the deadlocked Congress where Republicans block literally everything Democrats try to do. Because somehow even the most minor changes will turn us into Venezuela, in their minds.
Load More Replies... There are some charities that help people with no or low income to look presentable for job interviews, they provide professional looking clothing for job interviews, so people have a better chance of actually getting a job. I think those are really good charities for us to donate to (either professional looking clothes/shoes that you don't use anymore, or money), because they really help people get out of their bad situation. Also, you don't have to worry that you're trying to help people who aren't ready to change their lives yet, because you know that you're helping people who are actively trying to improve their own situation by going to job interviews and are reaching out for a helping hand.
What kind of people wouldn't be ready to change their lives and get out of a bad situation? After all that was written in this article you still manage to be judgemental...
Load More Replies... Was looking for a summer job in college (mid 1990s) and found a housekeeper type job at a senior living place. It was about 1/2 mile from my apartment, but they wouldn't hire me because I didn't have a car. God forbid a healthy responsible 20 year old take a 15 minute walk in the morning 🙄. Another story: I'd just gotten a job, but had to wait 3 months for health insurance to start (I put my whole family on it). About a week before it starts, a family member has a real life or death emergency... yeah...had to pay full price on that bill 😵
People complain about not having a phone or internet access.... has everyone forgotten about the "Lifeline Phone"? If you qualify as a low income household, the government will GIVE you a phone, and minutes, and internet access. Here is the link - https://www.lifewireless.com/
Also, for folks who don't know Lifeline is in the US.
Load More Replies... Actually if you have kids, at least in Canada, it opens you up for way more in GST and Climate Change Incentive credits you get every 3 months, the monthly Family Tax Credit. If you have a baby -toddler you get the Healthy Baby benefit on top. You also get more credits when you file your income tax every year for having a dependent. If you're child is under 6, you'll have an easier time applying for Employment Income Assistance, but I don't encourage it. (It's welfare. It's supposed to be a last resort when in dire need.) If you're living with the other parent, you can still claim all that. If not, you also get the child support. Canada also has childcare subsidy. I remember I only had to pay like $50 or $150 every month to the daycare while I was on it. I wouldn't have been able to afford to work without it. Btw, I'm not trying to persuade you in changing your mind. You still do you. I'm just saying that parents, at least in Canada, are not that forlorn.
Load More Replies... A very needed article. People who are unemployed, specially those who are chronically ill, are constantly judged and invalidated.
A coworker got a promotion at work and the pay raise caused her to lose government aid that was for childcare. The promotion came with a permanent work from home status so she can watch the kids, but the youngest who was in daycare is losing the stepping stones of socialization and the teaching of basics that they were getting from the daycare. She's also worried about the housing assistance she gets. (She's a single mother of three.) A lot of benefits and assistance caps the income for recipients way too low in my opinion.
I used to deliver pizzas and it was so not worth the cost of gas and this was probably around 4-ish years ago. Can't imagine how much more of a financial strain it would be with gas prices twice as much as they are now, at least in my area. I was living on less than paycheck to paycheck. Thankfully, I got free pizza so I didn't starve (much). But I was constantly late on bills and exhausted all the time. It caused a huge strain on my then relationship, even though it was already on it's way out. Plus, the tips were pitiful, no matter how quick I was, how friendly I was, how affluent the neighborhood was. So not worth it.
Being disabled with a recently deceased roommate put me in quite a spot. I took over driving his cab but that too died having close to 400,000 miles on it. I sold the vehicle I had to make a small down payment on a vehicle that I could turn into a cab. This immaculate vehicle didn’t even make it home. Luckily the previous owner had already signed it up for a transferable lifetime warranty and I got a free engine. Sadly, it took 3 months of me living without the vehicle and using credit cards to eat n pay rent until repair was complete. Now with my card balances so high, I can’t afford the paint job and insurance down payment to turn it into a taxi. I’m stuck doing odd driving gigs while still using credit cards for gas and food. Now it is having transmission issues and needs blend door repair and local shops have referred me to the most expensive repair shop of all; the dealership. Being poor is like living in a catch 22. Once one thing goes wrong only a miracle will get you ahead.
I live in a rural village. Working around here is expensive. You don't have a car? Fork out for a taxi or walk hours home, we don't get buses after 4pm (and there's none at all on weekends). And you need two buses to get into the town where the vast majority of jobs are. Bus tickets aren't cheap in the area either (£3 one way, £5 return), that's a decent cost daily
Honestly, this is probably the biggest reason why I’m not planning having kids anytime soon: even in a professional job, if I was to have a baby right now, it wouldn’t make sense for me to keep working because childcare costs almost as much as I’m making. And mind you, I’m paid well over minimum wage
Our new government just recently announced changes to the basic income we have. Some people were complaining. I wonder what they would say if they had to fend for themselves in the US. Bet they would sing a different tune then. We don‘t know how good we have it.
We do have to fend for ourselves in the U.S. I also lived in a rural town with no transportation, no economic prospects, and little chance of a future. At 19 I hitched a ride to the nearest recruiting station and joined the Army. It was a risky move - but I escaped poverty, learned a skill , and now make good money. (granted - I could take that risk because I had no kids to support) Bottom line - it's better to take a risk than to just sit home and cry because no one is giving you a hand out.
Load More Replies... I'm reaching this point as well , my work is suffering from my mental health and my mental health is suffering from my work. I can't afford to take time away from work or to try a bunch of different medications or doctors and tests.. if i loose this job I'll be in a world of pain . Funny thing is I work in a psychologist office.
Yeah, and that comment about church daycare...church day cares cost just as much of not more than any other daycare. It's not free. There is no free childcare. The hoops the parents have to jump through to qualify for state stipends for childcare are many and sometimes insurmountable, and even then it's often not enough to cover it fully. When my son was three, I lost my job after an injury, was on workers comp which was 60% of my income. Because I wasn't working, I couldn't get state assistance to pay for his daycare, and the cost was around 1200 per month. So I pulled him out, losing the spot to someone on a mile long wait-list. When I tried to work again, I couldn't find child care openings anywhere I could afford on my new salary. Child care, 1200, rent 1200, bills, 300, food 400, car payment 350, car insurance 200, gas 100, meanwhile job offer for 2700/mo full time? It wasn't a bad offer, given my physical limitations, but take a minute and do the math. It doesn't work.
I've been there. Growing up we were the kind of poor where you're going "okay I have to make this pack of ramen go four more days". Lived in a rural area. No car? No job. Clothes are worn threadbare? No job. Hell I had an employer tell me if I didn't lose the long hair they wouldn't hire me. That one annoyed me. I made sure that it was clean and well kept. (Funny enough when I was young and wanted to grow long hair that was my mother's requirement. I had to make sure it was clean and well kept or it was back to short hair). I've had employers look at my worn out boots and tell me no based on that because I'd worn through the leather and the safety toe was visible (has been working a logging job before that, it's hard on boots). My teeth are pretty bad even though I do take care of them. Several are missing in the front. It's been pointed out as a reason not to hire me before. What I've found though is the kinds of employers that punish that stuff, you dodged a bullet.
one comment made this all about her, saying that's why I work from home like ok b***h we are talking about people struggling not your a*s
I had a job on a bad bus line and I was the source of gossip at work because my colleagues claimed I had my priorities mixed up because I had a car payment on a more reliable PT cruiser but had to go to a homeless shelter with my kids. It took one unexpected car repair for me to get behind. I quit and got on welfare. It wasn't worth the bull (including the oppressive co workers) to get up and go to work every day. People who work under those conditions are magical to me.
When I was getting divorced I was in a woman's shelter for a while. I arrived with $14 dollars in my pocket. Getting a job was crazy. One very high end dept store donated cases of business clothes to help us get jobs. The shelter sold all of it to pay for their expenses. The food was all donated and years old from the back of someone's pantry. The canned food tasted like metal. Tip of the iceberg.
I had so many surgeries in the course of 5 years , took 8 months to even be up n able to care for myself for 2 of them, I lost everything including my work obviously. It was people thinking if something tragic happens that there is some unicorn that shows up to give you the needed items for life and agency connections to pay all your bills- I had to shut a family member down when he was disgusted I didnt push for SSI (41 yrs old) I told him ot takes years to qualify unless its terminal in most cases. And shared with him my desire to be working n not use system, he gawfed at me and said I was a child to think this way...how would people live while waiting for SSI then? I showed him on a website for SSI n the tips they shared to survive while filing a case- FIND A USED CAMPER OR SOUND TENT - and put in camp ground or family yard to off set housing cost. Yeah so join the folks that everyone in town is blaming for drugs , lower housing value - in a beat up camper n get back on your feet?
Agreed on most of this. All of it really. But it's worth applying. There's SSI and SSD as well, which are different applications. Both can take years to get approved, but if you know how to work the system it's doable. I got SSD in six months when I was 29, and while I was seriously disabled, I wasn't terminal. Once you've applied you are eligible for financial assistance until you get it, but it's dangerous to take it because of you don't get approved you have to pay it back. You have to stay on top of your application every step of they way, including calling them about once a week to check the status. They'll pull all sorts of c***. They needed some documents from me, and I faxed them 3 times, emailed them 2, and they still claimed they never got them. I drove from GA to WA to the office I'd applied to, then stood there while they filed the papers, recorded the whole thing on gfs phone, all while I was on my own phone with my caseworker to confirm it was attached to my application.
Load More Replies... I had my funding cut off my senior year of engineering school. Anytime I get a job, most of my money goes to pay for student loans. My last decent job I had, I was paying $600 a month on my student loans. Unfortunately, unknown to me, I had two loans I wasn't paying so they charged me 10k in legal fees to garnish my wages and started taking another $800 dollars out of my paycheck for those two loans. In total I was paying around 1400 a month for my student loans. I only made 17 dollars an hour. I had to quit because I could no longer afford to make it to work or pay my rent. Now I'm homeless with no clothes or money or cell phone or any way to be a productive member of society. All because I tried to get an education.
This sucks like a thousand Orecks! What kind of sick and f####d up society do we live in, anyway?
Load More Replies... I noticed a couple of recurring things that are eminently solvable problems. One is that child care is expensive. Solution? Make it cheaper by reducing or eliminating some level of standards. If it were allowable for someone to host daycare in their home, with maybe 15 kids and no need for extra workers who would have to have extra certifications and whatnot, then daycare costs for impoverished parents get cut to a third of what they are now. Another is how many can't work/earn because benefits get cut off. How about tapering them instead of cutting them off? Or alternatively, taking the whole cost of these various government programs and instead, abolishing them all and sending literally everyone a monthly check for a precisely equal share of what those programs used to cost, no questions asked or qualifications necessary?
You know these people are talking about people in the us. Past the us, you live in a place that's got a caste system or the government actually does try to help. We were never land of the free. That's a huge façade they've been putting on for generations to get the immigrants they want over here. (Here's a hint to you government morons, it's only the people you don't want, who don't know better, that are wanting over. Everyone else has resources to see just how s**t we are and are staying the hell out of dodge.)
I once took a job with a small lawn care company. I was desperate for work. They said I'd need safety shoes. I couldn't afford new so bought second hand shoes. Well, after one day I was done. It wasn't the work, it was the shoes. I had so many blisters and feet hurt so much I had to quit.
Yep definitely true I'm actually switching jobs because I have to borrow money just to get to work I have to wash my clothes in the bathtub... I'm just constantly beyond broke I'm working to be in debt up to my ears it's ridiculous
There are programs for parents that are I need of child care. However, it doesn't always cover the whole amount, which leaves the rest for the parent to pay. I personally have seen way too many parents struggle with this payment, especially if it's too large amount for their family budget. I feel there should be something in place to help the child care centers to relieve the full payments, and help parents avoid to avoid paying the remaing balance.
There is truth in this article that sparked debate. There is unresounding truth in article is in your face hard dirty truth. truth.. Unless you've seen it, lived it one will never know. Painful side struggles.
Year ago when I was a very underpaid kitchen worker, It took me years to get an office job in line with my qualifications because I could literally only afford to save £10 a month, so it took me two years to save enough to buy a new suit that I could wear to potential interviews.
Sorry I have no sympathy for people like this, call me heartless. But been from immigrants parents and knowing people who have gone through so much worse than everything that has been said here and still made it. Anyone living now, especially Millennials have no excuse, even if rural. So many programs and government funding is far more available now then ever, but instead of looking for ways to survive in the best country in the world with all this accessibility we rather look up excuse and complain about live been to hard. I've have hot rock bottom and ended up homeless, but I knew how to get my life back together, especially been a millennial, I learn so much from my parents struggles. Complain all you want, is not gonna get food on the table or roof over your head, learn from the boomer and immigrants, their is a reason we are all a laughing stock to them, you live in the U.S. learn to take advantage of all it's resources, nothing is holding you back but yourself. =:3
God bless you and God bless anyone reading this! Hope you have an awesome day! Seek him while you can! Jesus is the way and the only way and he is returning soon! Whenever you think you aren't loved... Remember the ultimate sacrifice was for love! ENDING YOUR LIFE IS NEVER THE ANSWER! For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV The wages of sin is death (hell) but Jesus paid our debt on the cross, for our salvation! We must turn to God and away from our sinful ways, Confess Jesus is Lord and believe with our hearts that he was risen from the dead by God, and we must be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit and live by His word and Commandments! Trust that God will help with the rest! Seek God today before it's too late! Today could be your last day on earth! To God Be The Glory!
You've completly ignored everything in the article then. Hope you are never dragged that low.
Load More Replies... Says someone who has never experienced what he is judging others about. Try being a decent human being and volunteer to work with the poor and the homeless. Get to know their stories. Or else just shut up about stuff you know NOTHING about!
Load More Replies... Good Lord. People can have children they can afford and then lose their jobs, you know. Also, having a child isn't always a choice, especially now in the United States 🙄.
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