On the flight in from Shykagi last night, I was sitting next to an affable man who struck up a conversation with me. He'd been in Nashville some 20 years, worked from home and was a small time musician in a bluegrass band.
The conversation shifted to events downtown and this invariably led to a discussion on the conditions downtown. While it wasn't top on his list, the gentleman did mention that "the homeless" problem needed to be "fixed down there," but when I pressed him for what that would mean to him, he really didn't have a clue.
He did feel however, that our local agencies and government officials had been remiss in their duties to "take care" of the homeless "problem" down there.
I spent the next 45 minutes of the flight talking about the efforts of local non profits, faith based and government agencies, and plain ol folks who simply wanted to give back to their community to both assist and address the issues of homelessness in Nashville. I also schooled the man on the vicious cycle of petty crimes and the impact upon job seeking that kept peeps from finding decent employment, which forced them to survive on the street, which of course can net one a ticket for things we "housed" folk would never imagine, receiving a trespassing citation for standing under a business awning while a rainstorm passes for example....and yes, that has happened to some of my clients.
Perhaps the biggest misperception I've run into from folks about the trials and tribulations of those who are homeless is the belief that "if they just got a job," other things would then naturally fall in place for them.
I'm not sure how people expect "other things" to fall in place - magically, I guess - but one thing I do know is that it's pretty damned hard to land a job if one has a string of arrests and convictions on their criminal record.
Now granted, I'm talking about petty shit here, folks. If someone has robbed a gas station at gunpoint or embezzled half the company's payroll, I can understand the reluctance of employers to hire.
But if some poor sod has a fistful of trespassing, loitering and PI charges, maybe what that should tell a prospective employer is something beyond the individual's proclivity for a good time is afoot.
If you're one of those folks who believe that folks ought to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and you're in a position to hire, the next time an application comes across your desk with a number of petty "quality of life' crimes attached to it, before you roundfile that app, you might consider asking the prospective employee whether he/she is homeless or has been homeless at any point in their lives. They may not want to be honest with you about it, given the stigma attached to homelessness, but if your question is prefaced with a comment about understanding that homelessness sometimes conspires to unfairly mark a man or woman for extra scrutiny and action from law enforcement, you may be surprised to learn that your applicant was/is indeed homeless.
I would hope that, given the discovery of this information, you would then give the person a chance at actually pulling up the bootstraps.
Unfortunately, with the current economic and unemployment rate of our state, you may not be hiring for some time to come....
Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 2:41 PM CDT
Tennessee May unemployment up 1.7% from '07
Memphis Business Journal
Tennessee's unemployment rate rose one percentage point in May to 6.4 percent, up from 5.4 percent in April and 4.7 percent in May 2007, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
April to May declines included 2,700 professional, scientific and technical services jobs. State government educational services lost 1,700 jobs in the month. Durable goods manufacturing was down 1,300 jobs.
However, from last year 7,900 jobs were gained in educational and health services sectors. Local government educational services employment increased by 1,900 jobs.
But 8,500 manufacturing jobs were lost in Tennessee since May 2007. The financial activities sector lost 2,400 jobs. Also, 2,100 jobs in the administrative, support and waste services sectors were lost.
The national unemployment rate from April to May rose to 5.5 percent, up from the 5 percent April rate.
Labor and Workforce Commissioner said in a statement that Tennessee's losses merely mirror national trends. The trend is not a "cause for concern," he said, and noted little change in unemployment insurance claims.
