Barriers to Unemployment for The Homeless

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There is an unfortunate public perception of homelessness and homeless people that categorizes a diverse group of people as lazy and unwilling to contribute to society through traditional employment. Some see the hiring advertisements plastered around the community or on the internet and think “Well, see all the places hiring? Why don’t the homeless just get a job?”. This point of view is ignorant, as there is a multitude of reasons why it is not so simple for those experiencing homelessness to manifest employment.


Anyone who has ever had to apply for a job knows that there is a plethora of information you have to provide about yourself, including your home/mailing address. Homeless people do not have a mailing address and by not filling in that section (some online employment forms will not even let you submit your application without filling in the section), it is a signal to whoever is hiring that the applicant is potentially homeless. This opens up the possibility of employment discrimination, as the hiring manager may have a prejudice against homeless people based on hurtful stereotypes about the reliability or work ethic of the homeless population.


Without employment, the homeless cannot provide for themselves and therefore cannot afford shelter, but without shelter, the homeless are barred from some employment opportunities. This common hiring practice can keep homeless people in an unemployed loop, preventing them from improving their lives. 


-Taylor G.


Sources:


 https://endhomelessness.org/resource/overcoming-employment-barriers/


https://socialinnovation.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Homelessness-and-Employment.pdf


Image Source:


https://media.smallbiztrends.com/2022/05/printable-job-application.png


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