"Get A Job..."

A burden to bear: Jack (left) and Joe load up their belongings
after being evicted from their room at the Capitol Motel.

Lakewood is home to what's known as a "muster zone" - an area where day laborers gather awaiting employment by contractors. Former Tent City residents Joe and Jack frequent the site, but are still struggling. Winter is generally difficult for day laborers, as manual labor and landscaping projects are in short supply. When it snows, that might mean some work shoveling and the like, but such jobs are few and far between.

Both men own a fair amount of tools, accounting for roughly a quarter of their belongings, which gives them an advantage. Even still, they must compete with a sizable Latino community, for whom the going hourly rate can be stretched further by the communal living situations to which they are accustomed. Not to mention that, over the course of the past six decades, it has become increasingly difficult to afford housing on one salary.

The room shared by the two men, at a cost of $800 per month.

When Tent City was demolished by the local government, Jack opted to take a $3500 buyout in lieu of the year of free housing. He used the money to pay child support. Meanwhile, Joe had arrived in Tent City after the census and was not eligible for either the housing or the buyout. Fortunately, Jack and Joe decided to team up, pool their resources and make do sharing a hotel room at the Capitol for $800 per month - until work slowed and they started to fall behind. When Joe's employer fell ill and could no longer provide work, they lost their housing.

Now, they've resorted to once again camping in the woods.

"Why can't they just get a job?" That statement reflects one of the most common misconceptions about the homeless.

The truth is, a New Jersey resident would have to bring in more than twenty-two dollars an hour just to afford the basic necessities: a one-bedroom apartment, a used car, utilities, phone, food, and clothing.

For those who rely on manual labor, and who were not privileged with the silver spoon of a good economic foundation for education or job training, it's a losing battle. Moreover, the ratio of affordable housing to people in need is scarce at best, waiting lists are several months or even years, and with unskilled labor in lesser demand, the need is not shrinking anytime soon.

"Get a job." Often, people work two and three jobs. But if they fall behind because of illness and lack the insurance that many minimum-wage jobs do not provide, they could easily lose everything. Including their jobs.

Folks like Joe and Jack are working, yet cannot afford housing. If we as a society cannot supply more jobs or $22 per hour as a living wage, the only feasible solution is to lower the cost of housing.

With limited options and employment prospects waning,
Joe and Jack set up camp in the woods.

It’s been proven that a Tiny Home can be built and rented for as little as $150 per month – an amount that is within the economic means of workers like Jack and Joe. Tiny Homes ensure that even those working a minimum wage job would be able to afford the basic amenities.

Anyone who says “get a job” to a homeless person ought to be pitied for not understanding basic economics – and you can pity the homeless person for having to exist in an insensitive society that fails to provide an economic niche in which he or she can survive.