“The Diary” Table of Contents
Note: This is an online diary I’ve decided to make public to give insight into my thoughts during this journey. As diaries often are, the thoughts and writing is imperfect, but the sentiment honest. As I draft my story into book format, these stories will remain published in their original form to illuminate my experience as The Office Hobo.
1. Read the (Kind of) Full Diary
Read the diary here. These chapters have been pulled straight from the diary and are posted here for your reading pleasure.
2. Home-Free Snapshots
Brief encounters between The Office Hobo and other home-free folks, in Los Angeles and beyond.
3. Best of: Editor’s Picks
A short list of diary entries for those short on time. If you don’t have time to browse the whole diary, this is your one-stop shop for we-pick-’ems.
I feel you, I read your article and saw myself, but just a different, but the same situation. Living pay check to pay check. I have a college education had a job with state of Minnesota and could not keep up with the rising cost of just making ends meet. I paid though the nose just to live in a studio apartment. I have lived in may car for almost two years, I joined a health club to be able to bath and change clothes, watch tv, etc. I went to the local food shelters to get a meal, always felt like a misfit, I knew that I didn’t belong and as night came I would get in my car and find a Wal Mart parking lot, I perfered one that had underground parking especially in the winter put my seat down, throw my covers over my head and prayed that I would make it to morning. There were several cars of people passing though or people that were in the same situation as me, I began to like my freedom, of not having to pay rent for something that would never be mine. Although the unsafetyness for a female and the shame of living like that was alway present. The burden of paying rent and having that relief was really a big weight off my shoulders. I really feel that the rich are getting richer and there will soon not be a middle class. Your either rich or your poor even if you do have a job. Heaven help us all!
That’s an incredible story, SLW. I’m glad you made it through the winter nights. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your experiences!
Hey,
Just wanted to say, I’ve read some articles and loved your stories. They inspired me as I have had to start looking for other options. I hit the tipping point last month when, I literally had to plan my work weeks out from my day job and doing uber just to make ends meet. I took my back out from a lack of sleep. I couldn’t work much that weekend and well, I got behind. I told my landlord that I was going to be short. He was also a friend. I explained the situation. I’m working 20 hours a day and he knows that. Well I had agreed to pay him on the 7th. He said cool “business is business” ok cool I thought and kept working and finally paid him on the 7th. He turned around and told me I owed him 50 dollars a day after the first. Devastated he let me off the hook. Because of the days of back and fourth I was behind paying a few other bills and my credit cards and late fees were just unbearable. 27 percent interest 50 dollar late fees. I got so far behind I just went over and decided to be home free. Thanks for your blog and many others I’m actually excited about it. Will get to travel the world the country and have stories to talk about places to go. Thank you. I’ll be in my car this month, and I’m looking forward to it now. Thanks guys.
Thanks for getting in touch on here and Facebook, Max. I regret that you’ve experienced such hardship, particularly involving a “friend” who seems to have been happy to have left you in the lurch. I do hope your solution puts you back on the path to happiness. Cheers, TOH.
I applaud you.
First and foremost, the housing market is insane in places like LA, NYC, and Washington, DC. These are also the places with the best economies, as opposed to the South. Lots of people move south thinking that the low cost of living will help, but aren’t prepared for the wage drop. Housing is ridiculous, and on top of that they nickle and dime you at every opportunity.
Also, the quality of housing sucks. I find that in DC, even renting a room will cost you about 1,000, sometimes not including utilities, AND the fact that you have to possibly share a bathroom. I have been ripped off by God knows how many shady landlords, renting rooms, roommates not paying bills and just being downright disrespectful. And trust and believe if you’re paying under 1,000 for anything here you’re in a total shit-show of a place with mice and roaches to keep you company.
Public housing/housing programs are a joke. You get to find out that you make too much for a program but also can’t afford market rate rent. The gap between the rich and the poor widens. Most millennials aren’t busying homes so rent prices continue to skyrocket. Not to mention, companies are constantly consolidating and downsizing, and if you are lucky to get raise, you should do everything you can to save it.
Being homeless and looking for shelter is probably the most humiliating and degrading process known to man. You’re talked to as if you are stupid, you have to call about 1000 times a day just to see if a shelter has a bed. And if you’re a normal person without children, non-domestic violence related, or not mentally ill you may as well consider yourself screwed-you’re not getting help.
So I applaud you. If I could do it I would. I tell college students all the time, make sure you major in things that will get you a job, keep your debt low, and if you must stay in places like LA, NYC, or DC, find a reliable roommate or be prepared to work two jobs.
You articulate wonderfully the reasoning behind many of those who eject from this unbalanced rental/mortgage market. In LA, the median income is just over $27k while the median home price is $575k. Is it any wonder why our homeless population, intentional or involuntary, is skyrocketing?
No society, no economy can sustain such a disparity without consequences. The question is, when will enough of us be adversely affected enough to collectively step up and enforce change?
Good question. The problem is, there are too many people who make assumptions about the poor and perpetuate the Protestant Work Ethic myth.
You can never have it all – a good job with great benefits that affords you the lifestyle you want – there is usually a negative trade off somewhere in the mix.
In addition, many people think that homeless people aren’t motivated to do better once they’ve been in the system for a while because they know where to go to get resources, again perpetuating the myth of homelessness being associated with laziness. It’s not that homeless people feel that someone owes them something, most people WANT to work (and no, we’re not talking about the drunkards who just want to get drunk). But when you add it up, the negative trade offs become overwhelming.
In addition the ‘help’ that you get is limited and often not very good. Workforce centers are just plain useless (don’t know how they are in LA, but they’re crappy here).
Job fairs are no longer in existence-and if they are they are a huge waste of time because the recruiters just want you to apply online-really well why the hell would I come all the way here? Your local county/city isn’t much help either – if you want to get specialized help or go back to school at a community college to take some courses you have to be poor enough to be on a program or receiving WIC or else no one will talk to you.
If you’re employed or underemployed you get really dumb advice: ‘do you know how to do an internet job search’, ‘do you need resume review’, ‘do you know how to use LinkedIn to land a job’ or my favorite in DC ‘do you know about USAJobs’. Of course I know about USA Jobs – where about 800 people apply for one position that’s usually slated for a veteran? Sure I’ll spend 300 hours putting my resume into a black hole. Then if you complain they say you’re being negative. Ughhhh.
Websites like LinkedIn and Facebook and well-meaning company CEOs like Bill Gates and Richard Branson pump us with bullshit altruism and nonsense stories all the while shipping jobs overseas and downsizing. I get a sick feeling in my stomach scrolling through all the BS on LinkedIn. I’m here because I want to know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody that can get me a job. I could care less if for a year, every employee brought marshmallows to work and it opened up your eyes to how marshmallows are transforming dialogue and helping alleviate disruption. Seriously, tell me what I need to know to compete in today’s workforce and save the rest of the fluff for later.
Ageism is a dirty little secret, favoritism towards college interns and recent grads is another secret the workforce doesn’t like to talk about. It’s virtually impossible to switch careers without going into debt or having to return to school.
The problem is, the system is rigged against you from day one. I have an uncle who is on disability. He wants to work, but he only makes so much money an hour. If he goes over that, they will cut off his benefits. But if he works full time he doesn’t make enough to pay for his medicine. Someone working 9.00 an hour will get 60/month for food stamps. That’s only one person I know.
I really want to start a blog/book for new millennials going into the workforce. Not to be cynical, but I don’t think our youth is prepared for the various ways the game is set against you. I think that everyone in today’s economy needs to know how to hustle, how to survive job loss and layoffs, and how to keep up with the ever-changing workforce which means embracing a growing ‘technocracy’.
That may include periods of homelessness and being underemployed. It’s tough, but it’s a reality of life now…
…like it or not they’ll need this blog…
I would read your blog. Feeling your words. Did you publish one yet and if so what’s it called? Thanks.