Are there more homeless full timers?

[Nitrohorse]

Maybe some of the homeless who live in RVs should camp in the Walmart parking lots. They would have a better chance of finding work if they are right outside their potential employer's doorstep. I would think that I could exist on minimum wage if I could camp in my employer's property. This would at least afford them the chance to get some money together to get back on their feet.

[melvonnar]

I"ll jump in here and put my dimes worth in. Way back; and I mean way back, i had a full time job that paid 39 cents an hour, thats when the minimum wage was 79 cents an hour. I was married and I lived in a trailer park, paid $16 dollars a month rent. For all those that say you can't make it on minimum wage, I say bullpucky. I went to school nights for 6 years. things got real good after that, it can be done, but if all you want to do is set around and complane, you get what you have earned.

[JudyH]

The problem with being homeless, is you are looked down on by many, if not most. Due to unfortunate circumstances your lot in life is changed. Then whether you are truly at fault somehow, or simply a victim, you are regarded as less of a person. Unless you have a big fancy RV, then you are a fulltimer. And as such you somehow better than the rest.
I don't think this is a very American or Christian way to view those less fortunate. Or those more fortunate.

[laj]

Originally Posted by melvonnar

I"ll jump in here and put my dimes worth in. Way back; and I mean way back, i had a full time job that paid 39 cents an hour, thats when the minimum wage was 79 cents an hour. I was married and I lived in a trailer park, paid $16 dollars a month rent. For all those that say you can't make it on minimum wage, I say bullpucky. I went to school nights for 6 years. things got real good after that, it can be done, but if all you want to do is set around and complane, you get what you have earned.

Agree completely. If they wanted a job, they could find one. Who says if you were making 50k a yr. that's still what your entitled to? Entitlement attitude is why some cant find a job they think they deserve.
By poor previous choices and living above their means is what put them in their current position.
They deserve what they got, just like the ones who planned well and are now driving nice coaches are getting what they have worked for and deserve.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by 450Donn

Any yet our government insists the economy is improving.

The "real" unemployment rate reported is 14.7%. This includes these that are unemployed, underemployed (like me), those that quit looking or are marginally employed. It's called the U-6 rate and not many stories report it.

[KSCRUDE]

What depression, recession, everything is great in Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota and most all oil producing states. We love $4 gas and $5 diesel. Anybody that wants to work can find a job here. Yea we still have our deadbeats that don't want to work, but anybody that does can make 50K starting out. Truck drivers in North Dakota make over a 100K in the oilfields. Most people looking for a job, think they are too good, are over qualified to get their hands dirty, or work out in 110 degree heat, and 10 degree cold. Let Em starve. We will love $5 gas and $6 Diesel even more. Gets some of the trash off the roads. If you don't like the fuel price, go to walmart and buy a bike!

[laj]

So true. The son of one of my friends, 24, only high school making 125k a yr. it's out there IF they want to work

[flaggship1]

I am always amazed by the number and degree of specific qualities, characteristics and lack thereof that are so readily ascribed to "they", "those people", and "them". My heart goes out to all of them and all of you.

[MRBB]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

I am always amazed by the number and degree of specific qualities, characteristics and lack thereof that are so readily ascribed to "they", "those people", and "them". My heart goes out to all of them and all of you.

2X well said... But there for the grace of God go I....

[melvonnar]

There are three types of people:
Those that can
Those that will
And those that won't
Old indian saying:
Lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

[Jobeth66]

I have 3 sons. My oldest is a physicist. After college, it took him 2 years to find a job in his field, though he was able to get part-time work teaching underprivileged kids in Camden NJ. His college loan bills cost more than his rent.

My middle son is an F-16 crew chief in the NJ ANG, part-time. He's also part-time at the local bowling alley. He's hoping to start college in the spring, but he may choose to go active duty USAF, like my husband & my father-in-law were. Pay there isn't great, and benefits aren't what they were when hubby was in, but it's a good way to make a living. He's also applied to lots of companies, but hasn't gotten anything full-time, and it's possible that his ANG commitment is holding him back, they don't want someone they have to schedule around who might be deployed.

Our youngest son is functioning autistic. He's 20 years old, and he can take care of himself, mostly. He can't drive or ride a bike, and he's been trying to get a job for the last 4 years (since he was old enough to, basically). He's applied every place within walking distance every 4-6 weeks for 4 years. He's never so much as gotten a single call back. Not from WalMart or Acme or WaWa (3 of them within walking distance, they're convenience stores in this area) or Wendy's or Friendly's or TJ Maxx or any of the pizza places or grocery stores or banks or restaurants. Not one. He applied for a /dishwasher/ job at a local restaurant over the summer, and they had 43 applications before his.

There isn't work out there for 'anybody that wants it'. It's not that easy. I wish it were. My husband and I are lucky that we're both in professional careers that allow us some freedom and disposable income, but we've been at the point where we didn't know if we were going to have a place to live. I can't judge anyone who doesn't have work and assume it's because they don't 'want' work. I know better. (Oh, and I've been working since I was 15, too. It was MUCH easier to find jobs when I was a kid. I don't know why, but it was.)

[flaggship1]

I heard somewhere that there were two kinds of people in the world.
"Those who believe the world can be divided neatly into a few kinds of people and those who do not." I try to take people where I find them, as individuals and not according to what others say of them, their kind, appearance and so on.

I have camped and fished most of my life. From car camping with house tents as a kid to backpacking later on - from a 19' Airstream B-van to a 38' DP - from bank to steam to jon boat to bass boat. What I found "out there" generally matches what I have found here at IRV2 - a great group of kind and caring people.

I also saw people out there who looked down their noses at the tent camper, the bank fisherman - the jon boat fisherman and the B-van camper. I saw fly fishermen look down on bait fisherman - backpackers look down on the MH community and the list goes on.

As I move from forum to forum I find people here who have extended the hand of the Good Samaritan and taken hold if it in need. I have yet to see a request for help responded to with "you should have learned this for yourself" or "why did you overextend yourself with something you can't afford to have professionally serviced or repaired and can't do for yourself."

Regarding the homeless, I suspect many here have donated to a church or other organization that provides services, food, shelter and other support to the homeless - maybe even given to the Help the Homeless organization. I have not researched the numbers but have heard that a large number of homeless are disenfranchised veterans, folks with mental or physical illness and no family or other means of support. Add to this, those whose circumstances have reversed their fortunes through no fault of their own in these tough times. It seems this is where the friction lies. Some just can’t seem to believe that "no fault" homelessness is even possible or that these aren't unusually tough times. Maybe they’re right. Maybe some just throw in the towel, give in to despair and depression. Some would say that’s the behavior of someone in need, possibly suffering from an illness. Some would call them weak or lazy.

I'm not suggesting that what was observed or reported here was anything other than as reported - homeless is a broad net that catches all manner of fish. Since lazy numbskulls are fairly common - they are surely among the homeless as well. I just can’t assume that most of the homeless are getting their just deserts, and are undeserving of individual consideration, no matter how easy it is to categorize them as members of the “won’t do” group.

I don't have the answers but think there are probably a good number of people caught in the net that many if not most of us would want to help or see helped somehow if we knew their story. It's just hard to do when we encounter them first hand. We either don't want to get involved or face potential danger.

Maybe we need a Public Works Program - we could call it The National Beautify Our Campgrounds Project - think Great Depression. The homeless could be paid to clean up, modernize and rebuild the BLM, COE, State and Federal parks. You either pay a fair price based on your ability to pay as evidenced by your coach, or work to stay. If you work, you are registered in a national database, receive a check for work, and begin to build a resume. No work, no pay, no stay. Move along.

To accommodate those who don't want see these homeless camp workers, the first thing they would do is build an area for their tents and hobble homes away from the aristocracy. When they finish one park, they would caravan at night to the next park so "we" don't have to share the highways with "them".

In my lifetime I have seen the preservation of our lakes, streams and wilderness areas ignored, no longer worthy as an investment in our country - spoiled by pollution - taken out of service by condos, hotels, gated communities and high priced "RV Resorts" that resemble the parking lots of theme parks.

It would be nice if we could find a way to deal with problems of homelessness and our deteriorating park lands at the same time. I don't hold out much hope.

I have only been on IRV2 a short while and don't want to alienate myself so this is my last post to this thread. I know that I am going to need a helping hand or mechanical advice sooner than later. I don’t want to be the first to read - "you should have learned this for yourself" or "why did you overextend yourself with something you can't afford to have professionally serviced or repaired and can't do for yourself."

I tip my hat to all of you, especially the moderators. In the 6 months or so that I lurked before joining I have come across a few patches of rough road. And in every instance I observed, good and gracious people one and all.

[Mr_D]

I may have to join them depending on what's going on with my wife! Very sick and being tested for liver/pancreas cancer now. Doing an ultrasound tomorrow. Blood work done a couple days ago. Now waiting for the results through the Dr.
Won't be able to keep both the MH and stick house without her income.

[Sightseer33]

Good luck - we will keep u both in our prays - just had some health issues myself so know how stressful it can be -