He was one of our first clients – a man living day to day in temporary housing. He had come to us looking for employment; he and his wife were about to be homeless. We were a non-profit employment agency named Care Placement Services (CPS), and we had just opened our doors to help the unemployed poor. We got to work and got a job interview for him the following day. It fit his skills perfectly, but he never showed up for the interview. Instead, he had gone to help his son work on a truck. Now we had egg on our faces, which he shrugged off. We never could get him to commit to going back to work.
I wish this were an isolated incident, but it was more the rule than the exception in our newly formed organization. In fact, of the first 40 people in the door, we didn’t place one of them in a job. And that is not because they were unskilled or there were no jobs. We felt we could have gotten jobs for all of them. So, what was wrong?
The Challenge of Helping the Unemployed Poor
In our first Board meeting, after opening our doors, we meet to discuss the problem. It was an intense conversation with diverse views, but in the end, we all agreed on one point – the people we had counseled didn’t want a job. They talked a good game but were after something else – a free handout, such as food or a bus pass, or confirmation of their job search to stay on unemployment benefits. We surmised that the reason they were not serious about employment was varied and included the following:
- Wages were too low
- Unrealistic job expectations
- Dependency on unemployment, welfare, or charity
- Adversity to work
- Addiction to drugs or alcohol
Surprisingly, employers were very receptive to our plans and shared plenty of job opportunities with us. They desperately needed help and could not find good employees. They would explain that too many people didn’t know how to work or would do a good job, but then a problem would arise, and they would not return to work. It could be as complex as drugs or alcohol or as simple as a broken-down car. As a new employment agency, we wanted to bridge that gap. We wanted to go the extra mile – to help people with the challenges in their life, housing, clothes, etc., and get them into a stable work environment.
The Reason The Poor Are Unemployed
The Census Bureau reports that the top two reasons the poor give for not working are “ill or disabled” – 33% and “family reasons” – 26%. “Can’t find a job” is the lowest at 7% (Here is more information and the report).
Therefore, to help the poor get back to work means helping them solve challenges in their life.
“Buy-in” Saved the Day
Once we recognized what we were up against, we changed our focus. We concentrated on the unemployed poor who truly wanted to return to work. We achieved that by obtaining buy-in from the prospects before we got too involved. We decided we couldn’t change the culture of the times or the people’s desires. So, we needed to work with those that genuinely wanted our help. Here is how we accomplished that. [buy-in blog]
After our first year of operations, these were the statistics:
Total individuals that came to CPS for inquiries into jobs – 548
Clients that went through the CPS interview and assessment process – 286
Clients that found a job on their own with some counseling – 136
Clients placed in a job by CPS counselors – 43
We had raised and spent about $20,000 and found 43 jobs for people, which equates to about $500 per job found. That is a pretty good deal in the poverty and welfare world. That $500 went a long way in establishing economic health for the worker and the community. Still, it breaks my heart that many we talked to did not go back to work. Low wages combined with a culture of entitlement, poor life skills, and often dependency on handouts is a dysfunctional brew. If that sounds like blaming the victim, I don’t intend that. I’m just standing here with jobs watching those without them walk away. And I know which path leads to financial independence.
Our Compassion Wasn’t Enough
Like so many in the charity world, we wanted our compassion to be enough. But it wasn’t. More important than our desire was our client’s desire. It is a common problem working with the poor in our nation today. The culture in which we seek to deliver help often overwhelms our ability to help.
But financial freedom is only possible with a job. That is a fact. The government isn’t going to adopt a living wage anytime soon (More). A job is the only way out of poverty but the welfare culture obscures that. And if the person in poverty adopts a dysfunctional view of working, there isn’t much a poverty warrior can do about that. Such worries are not new – here they are described in the 1882 book A Handbook on Charitable Organization:
“Besides, in the suppression of some of the grosser evils which we have mentioned, not even the first step in reform can be taken except by the co-operation of all classes, all creeds, all attainment of a common object. So firmly rooted have the abuses become, that nothing short of the bandied strength of the whole community can ever suppress them [i].”
Grosser Evils
Having worked directly with those in poverty, we know what “grosser evils” the old book was addressing. Those are mental illness, addiction, or dysfunctional attitudes toward work, relationships, or money. If some in the community are enabling bad behavior, it renders the rest of us ineffective. Enabling bad behavior can occur anytime we give cash or benefits to those we don’t know with no expectations for anything in return. Unfortunately, that is prevalent in society today. It is the rare governmental or charitable organization that establishes expectations of people and then helps them succeed. If you think it sounds harsh to set expectations of the poor, think back to your own life – did you have parents, family members, teachers, or coaches pushing you? Would you be the same person today without the push?
Benjamin Franklin put it a different way, but is the same issue: “To relieve the misfortunes of our fellow creatures is concurring with the Deity; it is godlike; but, if we provide encouragement for laziness, and supports for folly, may we not be found fighting against the order of God and Nature, which perhaps has appointed want and misery as the proper punishments for, and cautions against, as well as necessary consequences of, idleness and extravagance?” More
Where To Focus
Helping people to gain financial independence means helping them get a job. That can mean education or life skills first, but ultimately it means a job. If the person in poverty, who is of sound mind and body, disagrees with the premise, then we need to move on and help someone else. Many of the poor embrace work and want help getting a good job. That should be our focus.
This blog supports the Ultimate Guide on How to Help the Poor – Ideas to Help the Poor
[i] Stephen Humphreys Gurteen. A Handbook on Charity Organization. Published by the author, 1882. Republished by Bibliolife, LLC. Page 119.