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Woman sues L.A. after being struck by car on a street where tents block sidewalk

latimes.com

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Re: Woman sues L.A. after being struck by car on a street where tents block sidewalk

#51

Post by goshx »

jjoonathan wrote: post #32
dyingkneepad wrote: post #23

As a non-American person living in the US, I fail to understand one thing about its society. When I walk around town I see tons and tons of places advertising jobs, for simple stuff like kitchen, moving stuff around, etc. I even recently saw a store with a "talk to the manager and start working right now" sign. And then I walk around the streets and see all these homeless. It seems like a paradox to me, but I am obvi…

Do those jobs pay enough for housing + commute?

Do those jobs pay so little that it is better to not have a job at all?

Re: Woman sues L.A. after being struck by car on a street where tents block sidewalk

#54

Post by daenz »

dyingkneepad wrote: post #23

As a non-American person living in the US, I fail to understand one thing about its society. When I walk around town I see tons and tons of places advertising jobs, for simple stuff like kitchen, moving stuff around, etc. I even recently saw a store with a "talk to the manager and start working right now" sign. And then I walk around the streets and see all these homeless. It seems like a paradox to me, but I am obvi…

You're going to get a lot of replies indicating that the problem belongs squarely on society's shoulders (healthcare, capitalism, drugs).

One cause that you will probably not see highlighted is the devaluation of autonomy and personal responsibility, and it's absolutely devastating effect on the human spirit to progress.

Re: Woman sues L.A. after being struck by car on a street where tents block sidewalk

#55

Post by jeffbee »

Fellshard wrote: post #46
1270018080 wrote: post #26

Many Californians are struggling with the ultimate internal battle: Posturing about caring for the homeless while doing everything in their power to prevent housing from getting built. Because density "hurts the vibe of the neighborhood." Outsiders make fun of California for being overly progressive, but it's entirely surface level. Most are conservative beyond performative actions.

The issue isn't solely lack of housing.

Abundant housing is a necessary condition for solving homelessness.

Re: Woman sues L.A. after being struck by car on a street where tents block sidewalk

#56

Post by thereisnospork »

dyingkneepad wrote: post #23

As a non-American person living in the US, I fail to understand one thing about its society. When I walk around town I see tons and tons of places advertising jobs, for simple stuff like kitchen, moving stuff around, etc. I even recently saw a store with a "talk to the manager and start working right now" sign. And then I walk around the streets and see all these homeless. It seems like a paradox to me, but I am obvi…

They can survive without having a job (food, water, shelter) and either cannot hold down a job[0] or prefer not to.

[0]Either illness/addiction, or accumulation of factors e.g. car broke down, fired, then evicted, then no address, etc.

Re: Woman sues L.A. after being struck by car on a street where tents block sidewalk

#57

Post by throw149102 »

dyingkneepad wrote: post #23

As a non-American person living in the US, I fail to understand one thing about its society. When I walk around town I see tons and tons of places advertising jobs, for simple stuff like kitchen, moving stuff around, etc. I even recently saw a store with a "talk to the manager and start working right now" sign. And then I walk around the streets and see all these homeless. It seems like a paradox to me, but I am obvi…

That's a good question, and I'm born and raised in the US!

Perhaps it's due to the difference between CoL and working wages in a given city. Even if someone who is homeless does start working, that doesn't mean they can afford rent in the city. That also doesn't mean they'll get healthcare or other necessary benefits for their continued survival. You also have close to no protections in the US, so you don't really have stable employment in the same way other countries do. So at the end of the day, they may think "whats the point?".

I've also seen a fair number of homeless people who are disabled, mentally or physically. Perhaps that bars them from some jobs. (The ADA disallows barring people from jobs if their disability does not impair them from doing essential work, but I'm unsure about what is considered essential and what isn't.)

These are just my 2 cents. I imagine there's at least some research on the topic.

Re: Woman sues L.A. after being struck by car on a street where tents block sidewalk

#58

Post by goshx »

belval wrote: post #31
dyingkneepad wrote: post #23

As a non-American person living in the US, I fail to understand one thing about its society. When I walk around town I see tons and tons of places advertising jobs, for simple stuff like kitchen, moving stuff around, etc. I even recently saw a store with a "talk to the manager and start working right now" sign. And then I walk around the streets and see all these homeless. It seems like a paradox to me, but I am obvi…

The base issue is usually mental illness worsened by substance abuse, without a strong social net and with readily available street drugs these people are pretty much unfit for any kind of work.

This has been what I've seen personally volunteering at a homeless outreach. Mental illness seems to be the major factor.

Re: Woman sues L.A. after being struck by car on a street where tents block sidewalk

#60

Post by Alex3917 »

dyingkneepad wrote: post #23

As a non-American person living in the US, I fail to understand one thing about its society. When I walk around town I see tons and tons of places advertising jobs, for simple stuff like kitchen, moving stuff around, etc. I even recently saw a store with a "talk to the manager and start working right now" sign. And then I walk around the streets and see all these homeless. It seems like a paradox to me, but I am obvi…

In the U.S. there is a law that says if you want to hire government-subsidized indentured servants from overseas, you need to the advertise the job to U.S. citizens first. Just because there is a sign advertising the job doesn't mean they're actually going to hire an American.
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