MYTH: Homeless People Should Just Get a Job

MYTH: Homeless People Should Just Get A Job

How many times have you heard this stereotype come into conversation about homelessness? Research from the Homelessness Policy Research Institute shows otherwise in finding:

TRUTH:

People experiencing homelessness are unemployed or underemployed at disproportionately high rates, but many want to work.

Institutional barriers to employment include inhospitable labor market conditions, discrimination in hiring practices, bureaucratic red tape, and strict shelter policies.

Evidence-based interventions for individual barriers emphasize recognizing the unique needs and challenges of people experiencing homelessness.

Policy recommendations for overcoming institutional barriers include “Ban the Box” and “Ban the Address” legislation, employment-based intake questions, and hiring people with lived experience of homelessness at service provider agencies.

To see more from their research: https://socialinnovation.usc.edu/…/Homelessness-and...

To learn more: https://www.geekwire.com/…/homelessness-employment…/#homelessmyths#endhomelessness