but you can be homeless and working…
Beanie cellars has that Friday feeling today, but it will soon wear off!
We open the door to Charlotte who, with guide dog Layla curled at her feet, has some thoughts to share with you!
Over to Charlotte...
Hello again everyone.
I'm back to talk to you about
something rather odd.
How can someone be homeless but have a
job?
How does that happen?
Well, I was homeless. Living in a hostel, as you know if you have read my other posts here.
I also had a job at the same time.
It was not a great job but it meant I was
not on benefits. I was not stuck in the hostel all day. I had somewhere to be
at a set time. I had money in my pocket.
The problem was I did not have enough
money to put a deposit down on a private property or for a mortgage. So, I had
to wait for social housing. But I am under 25. So I am not seen as a priority
even though I had nowhere else to go. So, I was in a hostel - homeless but working.
Sadly there is a real stigma attached to being homeless, and to having a hostel as your address. I had to keep where I was living a secret
from most people at work.
When some people found out they reacted
as if I was not human. They simply didn't really understand. Some of their words were very
hurtful.
Others were kinder. They did not react as if this was a bad thing. They did not treat me
differently but respected that I was looking after myself and coping with a
difficult situation whilst not letting it take over my life.
Sadly, these were the few. The majority were simply unkind, even to the verge of bullying.
With the increasing amounts landlords and
letting agencies want for deposits if you have nowhere to go. E.g. moving out
of student accommodations, house burnt down, tenancy ending… etc… It is almost
impossible to get that money together no matter how hard you try.
So even
though you are employed you cannot get a place to live. Then you must hope that
the local authority takes pity on you and gives you a place to stay or a friend comes up with the offer of a sofa to surf. Neither are great options but it is better to keep up appearances at work
than living on the streets where food, water and being able to wash becomes
harder to access.
Unfortunately, it does become harder to
not just keep a job when you are homeless. It also becomes harder to apply for
work to get out of that situation. If you don’t have a job already when you are
made homeless there are very few people who will employ someone who is homeless
no matter what the reason. This is because many people believe that it is your
fault you are homeless. But as we know this is not usually the case. They often say it on the Beanies site, but we all should remember that everyone can be ONE event from loosing their home. Job loss, bereavement, serious illness, family breakdown, debt or abuse - they can all prove the tipping point. For each and every one of us.
So do not be surprised if you find out a
co-worker is homeless, in a hostel or sofa surfing. This is because finding a place
to live is hard work and very expensive and it gets harder. That is why it is
called a crisis.
Be kind to them and offer up your sofa if you
can. Make sure they are safe and if you hear of someone looking to rent out a
spare room let them know!
Thank you Charlotte, and we do appreciate that you share your thoughts and experiences with us.
You can find Charlotte on Twitter as @blindseyeview
Here at @beanies_masato we share information about homelessness. We try to defuse the stigma and consequent abuse attached. And we sell stuff to support our homeless friends via our Twitter outreach partners.
You can find our current sale items on this link
