Why don't homeless people get a job?

Question

Surely they can at lest get a job bagging groceries or something

Answer 1

Often due to the self fufiling prophecy once you enter into that life style.

Answer 2

Because it's easier to ask money from bleeding heart libs.

Answer 3

Because they need to have an address in order to apply for any job.

Answer 4

It depends on how you define homelessness. They COULD get a job then it would be difficult for them as they don't have a permanent address and some live in the streets. Some DO have a job and live in their cars! Shelters had helped them to find a home/job! Some don't have many qualifications/skills some do! I watched a YouTube video about a girl that had a MA and was living in the streets of NY

Answer 5

Lots of reasons

Answer 6

Because there are too few people who would give homeless people jobs.

Answer 7

Drug addiction

Answer 8

Many of them are mentally ill or have other health or addiction problems. (How is someone addicted to drugs going to pass the drug screening many jobs require first?) Other times the lack of an address is a problem. And often, well... lets see you go into an interview unable to look (and possibly smell) like an appealing candidates and see how fast you get hired.

This is why the lucky ones have someone in their community who actually tries to lend a hand and help them get hair cuts, decent clothing for interviews, job resume and application help, connections to opportunities... (How are you going to make yourself a resume without a printer? And what are you even going to write if you've been homeless a long time?) But not all are lucky enough to have someone in their area doing that. But if you're so concerned, then maybe you should be one of those people.

Answer 9

It is hard to generalize about the homeless, but many have trouble holding down a job. Incidentally, this aspect of holding down a job is what basically defines, among psychiatrists and mental health professionals, a “high functioning” individual.

Answer 10

That's true. A lot of jobs are actually unfilled. But I think we need to be proactive.We need to actually lead some people right to the job!