Last week, I had the opportunity to meet one of the residents at my local shelter who became homeless this year. I was informed by staff members that he was struggling to find employment, due to his criminal record.  I wanted to discover the causes of the circumstances he lives and how he maintains to survive without receiving federal assistance.  His conversation relates to this week’s reading from chapter 6 “Helping Homeless Youth” in Inequality, Poverty, and Neoliberal Governance by Vincent Lyon-Callo.  I saw he was overwhelmed by his expression towards the case management working on his case, the frustration in seeking employment, and his upcoming residential contract termination.  He kindly shares his experiences regarding the career and education services provide as a requirement for self-suffiency.  He stated, “  “I am still stuck in that wall, what happens if I push it through it….am I supposed to keep going..keep walking..stop there..you know”.

Most of the homeless people lack education and support system from the staff that discourage them from seeking help in order to develop a plan to achieve their goals in obtaining a stable life.  This man like everyone else feels pressure to have a job without having the proper education to succeed.  How can staff normalize these individuals, when staff are not patient and willingly to understand profoundly the homelessness realities and people’s conditions.   “Instead of starting from 100 to 1…people are not educated and staff do not understand how frustrated they feel. How can I do it when I don’t understand it…? I am not producing I still need to learn how to use it” says the respondent.  In chapter 6 explains that homeless people want to be themselves not be “fixed” because it seems like a way that people are labeling them distinctive as the rest of society.  Homeless people may object to follow regulations and unwillingly to cooperate with staff.  Staff usually give up easily with the homeless people without understanding the major point’s homeless people want to develop to lead them on their path to attainment.  In my opinion I do believe is true, how can we force people to become educated, when we are not educated ourselves.  We need to place an example in order to teach other the leadership skills that they were taught to help others in need.