One of the things that many homeless Americans have lost sight of is the fact that you must stay in the game until you find that Job. Yesterday, I ran into Ron, on the way home from work. He asked me if I still had the job that I told him about. I told him that “I did for now.” He replied, “be grateful that I have a job.” As I walked past him I thought to myself, ‘why hasn’t Ron found a job?’
I met Ron while I was holding a sign, for the Mattress World on Portland’s Hayden Island. He always bugged me about quitting, so he could take my job. Now No one has that position and Ron has still not found a job. Andrew, my old boss at Mattress World told me that he did not want to hire another homeless person, because he doesn’t think they are reliable. The home in America have to deal with this kind of discrimination daily. As comments are yield from passing cars, such as, “GET A JOB!”; the homeless get pushed deeper and deeper into obscurity, which seems to be what Socialist America wants.
Most Americans have no problem helping someone they may have never met, who live on the other side of the world: but when it comes to reaching out to someone in our own back yard, we like to look the other way. http://liv-n-on-the-streets.com tries to point out the obstacles that the home must deal with. Many of these obstacles are put up by mistakes made in the past of the homeless person, still others are put up by people like Andrew at Mattress World, who doesn’t seem to think a homeless person is good enough to hold a sign for Mattress World, in spite of the fact that they do it every day to survive.
Therefore, any odd jobs that come the way of the homeless American are taken. Recycling cans and bottles for money becomes a staple. Day labour provided by temp services help many back on to their feet, but if the problems that put the person out on the streets in the first place are not dealt with, he or she will end up with the a loss of a job and ultimately back out on the streets. Ron, much like Richard, who was recently laid of from Mattress World, is not one to take responsibility for his own actions or lack of action, as the case may be.
The stigma that many people place on the Homeless Subculture of America, is reinforced when an employer such as Mattress World gives a Homeless American a chance to get back on his or her feet and the Homeless American’s, addictions such as drugs, drinking of gambolling, still takes precedent over the demands of the job. It is for this reason that Living On The Streets Incorporated, has taken it upon themselves to attempt to reintegrate the Homeless America back into the American workforce.
Lead by Theological Anthropologist and founder Dr. Anthony Antolic (PHD), Living On The Streets Incorporated, has become a driving force in the successful conversions of many of the Homeless population of the Portland Vancouver Metro Aria. “Living On The Streets Incorporated is a completely self-sustaining non-profit group. We don’t depend on government grants or even donations, instead we offer a wide range of products that are for sale. Each product sold generates royalties that are dedicated to the up keep and education of the program participants.” Dr. Antolic explained to the Portland city council on Oct 20th 2011. Dr. Antolic knows to problems that the homeless face personally, for he spend the past year holding a sign for Mattress World on Hayden Island.
“Fewer and fewer people can afford to give donations to non-profits much less a Homeless man who does appear to want to find a job, in their eyes. So Living On The Streets Incorporated’s mission is to educate the public about the realities of Homeless life.” Dr. Antolic explained to the council. It seems the ambitious man has his work cut out for him.