On my way homelessness

dasknife

dasknife

Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Messages
595
I never thought I would be where I am at today or would I become a statistic, but here I am. I year ago I was just a college student trying to get an education. Using my GI Bill I attended school full time and worked part time at a hotel. For the past year I have been living in my hotel bouncing from room to room trying not to get caught. However with the change of management this is no longer a viable option which leaves me with no where to go. I am totally lost. I'm a 28 year old vet, sober and living out of my backpack. I don't really know what to do as I can't find a decent job to provide me with a room. It just seems pretty lame that I served our country and I can't find anything more than a minimum wage job. I've tried getting into the trades but with no experience it proves quite impossible. Any advice or tips would be appreciated, thanks guys.
 
Das, just wanted to say good luck man. Keep your head up, something will come around.
 
Get in touch with your VA. I figure it's the same in Cali, here in CT they have awesome homeless teams. Here, they may have a guy go to a shelter for a day or two, work with them, see if they want to really make a change- but then have a lot of supports to offer. When I was working in a hospital, they hooked up they vets I had as patients big time!

Hang in there bud!! :thumbup:
 
My dad always said, "It's not what you make it's what you spend" write down where every dollar goes.
Good luck finding a good job, even when you do, keep a budget.
 
Sorry for your situation. Best wishes in finding work.

That said, what does your service to our country have to do with your financial hardship? You went to school on the Government dime, which was owed you. I would understand if you were owed money or benes on were not getting them. But you are like many many people who have hit the same hardship. Your service does not qualify you for special treatment when you are broke.

Find out what your resources are. Find a shelter that allows you an address to use to apply for work and get you off the street in a bed. Quit mooching of the motel (not cool to rip off your employer, regardless of your financial situation). Then get out there and work your arse off to find work. Temp work is a start while finding a FT job. They put you to work by the day or week, and it often leads to FT gigs for folks.

Most of all, quit feeling sorry for yourself and feel someone owes you something. It will keep you miserable and be your worst enemy.
 
Never once asked for a handout. Just simply wish employers to hold true to their advertising of hiring or training vets. That's all.
 
Donate some time at places like habitats for humanity. I started a business in 2011 and wasn't working and out of money .

Someone suggested to me to do this. I did. I felt better, and there are a lot of people who work with, or around those places that will hook you up with some work. In a very short time work was coming my way. Just talk to people and those type of people will help you. And just the law, the more you share and giveaway, the more you will recieve.

Keep your chin up, there is a big shift heading your way of wonderful things.
 
Sorry I was honest. Ask for help out there and more folks will do the same. You mentioned you could get minimum wage jobs. That's a start. Any job is better than none.

Go to a shelter and get employment help, and they will help you get interviews. They will line you up with some less than fun jobs, including minimum wage jobs. Go to the VA for help, same thing.

I've been out of work and a literal last paycheck to living in the same circumstances, but with a wife also. I put my pride aside and took whatever came along. Something was better than nothing.

BTW, expecting folks to hire you because a company says they train and hire vets is entitlement. Many do, but they only hire folks willing to work from the bottom up while learning a job that pays better. They paid you and your took more than your pay. Entitlement, and dishonesty.

BTW, volunteering turn into jobs for many people. It also teaches humility sometimes.

Krav, mad props for your work with Habitat! Love working for them building houses! Nothing better than watching a community build their own houses together! Jimmy Carter's best legacy!
 
It's always the darkest before the dawn!

You can do it! You have only become a statistic if you let yourself become one.
Get your hinney in gear!
 
The VA has a work program for homeless vets and guys trying to get back on their feet called the CWT (compensated work therapy) program. They put you to work on the grounds crew or in housekeeping/linens department for a few months and see what kind of worker you are. If you are good they normally put you in a permanent status and you can work your way up from there.

I know CWT graduates that went on to become GS 11 employees.

Get to the VA and ask for the homeless program. Tell them you are interested in CWT and bust your ass to impress your supervisors.

In the interim they can assist you in finding subsidized housing and if you need to file any disability claims for things like ptsd or hypertension they can help you with that too.


Check out USA jobs as well. Be willing to start at a low level just to get your foot in the door. Your local VA will also have a jobs board for internal applicants. Your veteran status gives you eligibility to apply for those jobs too.
 
dasknife said:
Ya guess your right, I'm a shit bag with a since of entitlement.
Click to expand...

Obviously you haven't spent much time in Northern CA. Talk about a sense of entitlement. Those people had their self worth exposed to Gamma rays then made angry. Just ask their BMW mechanic.

:p Just kidding and trying to lighten the mood.

I don't have much to offer but would like to say, all the best to you. I hope things turn around for you and you can look back on all of this and be richer for it.
 
I have used temp agencies to find a quick job for a short period (I had one job, and used the temp agency to find an after hours job to save more before moving to a new university.

Basically, no job is recession proof.

I have been laid off with a Law Degree.

Had to go down to the unemployment office to get unemployment. Right before Christmas, with no warning.

Luckily, I got new employment, at tripple the pay (working as my own boss) in less than three months, so it really worked out for the best. It was super scary, depressing, and demeaning to have to jump through hoops to get the pay benefits, but I made it work.

I have done some really hard, messy, dirty, low paying jobs over the years, working my way through three degrees.

The
 
This is just a thought, but if you have access to a computer you might
consider the United States Post Office. It's a bit of a process, so it wouldn't be
a short term fix. You apply online, sign up for the waiting list to take the test. They
give preferential treatment to vets by adding points to their test scores. (Its a memory based
test, so if you have good short term memory and a mind for numbers, sequences, etc, you 'll
do fine). It's not an easy job, and in some instances requires that you use your own vehicle.
However, it pays fairly well and in most places there are lots of hours to be had if your
willing to work. They do a criminal background check so you'd have to have a good record and good driving
record as well. Good luck with whatever you decide!
 
A friend of mine had to stay with us for a time - pretty much your situation. He found a job as the night manager at a Motel. Pay was not great, but it came with a small apartment in back of the office. It tided him over until he found better. MUCH easier to get a job with an address, telephone number, place to shower, a few bucks to buy decent clothing, and a current job you can list. And he did not have experience in the hospitality industry.
 
There are a lot of ways to stay afloat. Welfare, food stamps, work two jobs. I've had friends rent a room in decent neighborhoods with decent families for $300 a month. Or you can go back into the military. Now, please don't take this the wrong way, as I don't know your full story I'm not judging you.

But just for future reference IMO you need to plan a lot better for the next few steps ahead to make sure you don't get to this point. Do what you have to do, and do whatever it takes. If you've hit rock bottom having to end up being homeless, it would be no shame to go get a job at Mc Donald's during the day and work as a security guard (or night auditor at a hotel) for the graveyard shift.

Look on craigslist to see if anybody in your area are renting a room out for a few hundred bucks. If you really penny pinch... you might even be able to survive with just one minimum wage job. A lot of us have been in the same position before where we were way over qualified and have to settle for anything.
 
JustinR said:
The VA has a work program for homeless vets and guys trying to get back on their feet called the CWT (compensated work therapy) program. They put you to work on the grounds crew or in housekeeping/linens department for a few months and see what kind of worker you are. If you are good they normally put you in a permanent status and you can work your way up from there.

I know CWT graduates that went on to become GS 11 employees.

Get to the VA and ask for the homeless program. Tell them you are interested in CWT and bust your ass to impress your supervisors.

In the interim they can assist you in finding subsidized housing and if you need to file any disability claims for things like ptsd or hypertension they can help you with that too.


Check out USA jobs as well. Be willing to start at a low level just to get your foot in the door. Your local VA will also have a jobs board for internal applicants. Your veteran status gives you eligibility to apply for those jobs too.
Click to expand...

I was always uncertain about the VA but I have an appointment on tomorrow. I'll ask them about the CWT.
Yeah the minimum wage is pretty bad out here in CA, especially when a dumpy studio is 900.00. Thanks everyone for the tips and positive feedback.
 
dasknife said:
Ya guess your right, I'm a shit bag with a since of entitlement.
Click to expand...

And therein lies your problem. You may not like what I say, but it's straight forward truth. There's also suggestions on how to get yourself out of your situation. And you spent twice now making excuses or writing this stuff.

You have a lot of choices and options to keep you off the street, and they don't involve stealing from your job or whining about who hasn't done thing to employ you.
You can always argue with suggestions and advice, or you can put away your attitude and get out there and save your butt from being on the streets.

Walk into Welfare, Low Income Housing, the VA, a temp agency, a shelter, a job placement place, a temp agency, or any place that can help you turn things around,and you will hear the exact things said the same way. You don't have time for sugar coating.

BTW, how do I know this? I have lived it. I've heard those ideas, told the things I needed to do to get money until a great job comes along. I've been out of work plenty of times, sometimes for long stretches. In that time, I had to do something. And the people that helped me were BS free.

Hate me, think I'm an ahole, or whatever. I am offering you solid advice. What you do with it is up to you.
 
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