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Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

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Re: Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

#151

>. I'm going to be dead in a few months if I can't work something out. why would you be dead? Can't tell if this is a troll post.

He has ten Euros a week in donations. If he can't come up with solutions and find more resources, there's nothing crazy about predicting "The path I'm on could actually end in my death in the not too distant future."

Is everyone on HN this oblivious to that fact? Do most well-heeled people just find it impossible to recognize that "I have no money currently and no means to reliably make money and it's been a persistent problem that isn't resolving." is, in actual fact, a life-threatening situation and this isn't hyperbole?

Because, wow, if most rich people are that amazingly obtuse, that might go a long ways towards explaining the horrifyingly callous treatment I've been subjected to over the years.

Re: Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

#152
First of all, nothing’s wrong with you! You’re feeling down about your situation, but situations can be changed. It’s important to have the mindset that it’s temporary and to know that your situation will improve. If you have to, write down how you want your life to be in the future and read it to yourself every day. Remind yourself of the skills and value that you have and make small steps every day to move towards your goals.

Appearance - this is important, I’d work to make myself look, sound and smell very much the opposite of what you’d think a homeless person might look and smell like. Make sure you are clean, well groomed, and if you need to, ask people if they can help buy you some clothes that make you look presentable. Most homeless people ask for money on the street. They never ask for something specific. I believe if you ask for specific things you want - like ask someone if they can buy you a shirt to help you get a job, you will find someone that will do it. Don’t be afraid to ask people for help - I believe people want to help others.

You have by the sounds of it many skills. You’ve worked in a cafe and can provide references for that so I would go for that angle and look for cafe work.

If you need documents such as tenancy, first see if you can find a legitimate way of solving the problem, but tbh if I was in your position and needed documents I would just forge them - you have the skills and it’s not hard to do things like give someone a number of a friend and get them to pretend to be someone.

You might want to make a living out of programming, but you need to look after your living situation first. Go for the low hanging fruit, get a cafe job and work your way up slowly from there. Get away from the other homeless people and get into a hostel. Make new friends and focus your mind on things away from the dramas of living as a homeless person.

Good luck! Be strong and small steps every day.

Re: Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

#154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Coming from someone who has actually been homeless, it’s entirely possible to get back on your feet with freelance work, and probably a much better idea than taking a low paying job. I spent a year homeless on the streets of San Francisco due to my mental health and the atrocious safety net we have in the US. Eventually, my mental health improved, and I met an extremely generous person who was also in tech and helped…

What kind of work were you able to do for the $12k contract?

Web development

Re: Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

#155
post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope sometime in the next week you have the time to evaluate this conversation from an alternate perspective - even to just "cosplay" that perspective, not to try and adapt it permanently - and understand why your comments can come across as extremely out of touch. >For example, become a hairdresser. >I wouldn't hire you if you looked homeless...You don't look homeless because you're showering as a squatter? I wish…

> For example, become a hairdresser. I didn't suggest that. I did suggest that he/she works for a hairdresser. (probably doing errands around). > I wouldn't hire you if you looked homeless Not for a customer facing job. For some businesses, that would destroy the business. That's why I suggest that he/she starts with jobs that do not care too much about your current status. > Empathy is not a constrained resources. I…

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Re: Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

#156

>. I'm going to be dead in a few months if I can't work something out. why would you be dead? Can't tell if this is a troll post.

He has ten Euros a week in donations. If he can't come up with solutions and find more resources, there's nothing crazy about predicting "The path I'm on could actually end in my death in the not too distant future." Is everyone on HN this oblivious to that fact? Do most well-heeled people just find it impossible to recognize that "I have no money currently and no means to reliably make money and it's been a persiste…

people are dying of starvation in Netherlands?

Re: Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

#157
post #56

Find a church - neither too big nor too small. Introduce yourself as someone willing to do assist with the IT/ secretarial / etc. in exchange for warm food and a shelter bed. Churches have very large networks. When you get on your feet, and you will, remember who helped you survive.

Churches aren't like that in Europe. They are not communities nor are they huge. A church is an office where a priest and maybe some assisting staff work, and the priest performs weekly some ceremonies. But there is really no community as such.

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Re: Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

#158
post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

C'mon, don't advertise your website on a post where someone's looking for help. If you truly cared and didn't just want to advertise your service you'd have PMd the OP and your comment wouldn't sound so much like a marketing ploy.

Could you please help me understand what has @abinaya_rl done wrong? I can't find harm in any way I look at it. He offered the help he could. If the OP wants to take it, he can. He plugged his company while doing it, and others might benefit from getting to know about it. Where's the problem? He probably did it in a different way than you would, but still. What's wrong with that?

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Re: Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He has ten Euros a week in donations. If he can't come up with solutions and find more resources, there's nothing crazy about predicting "The path I'm on could actually end in my death in the not too distant future." Is everyone on HN this oblivious to that fact? Do most well-heeled people just find it impossible to recognize that "I have no money currently and no means to reliably make money and it's been a persiste…

people are dying of starvation in Netherlands?

In the US, homeless people have a much lower life expectancy than housed people and other categories of poor people also generally have lower life expectancies. You don't have to be pronounced dead from literal starvation for poverty to kill you.

I guess that's a "yes, well-heeled people really are completely oblivious to what actual poverty means."

Which would explain an awful lot of super shitty policies in the world.

Re: Ask HN: How to find work while homeless?

#160

Oof... Sounds like a shit situation. Honest advice: Quit sitting around waiting for life to drop an opportunity in your lap! Create opportunity for yourself! This post is a great start, but keep going. Approach people in real life with the same friendly and open-hearted attitude, just like you've done here, and your situation will improve - and fast. Anyone who tries to judge your situation and condemn you for it can…

Honest question:

what did he say that you would presume he's been "sitting around waiting for life to drop an opportunity in his lap?"

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