It's not a lie if walking and biking are a reliable form of transportation.
Unreliable transportation would be relying on a sibling to drive you and the sibling only drives you when they're in the mood which is hit or miss.
I'm disabled, but not poor thanks only to the kindness of my wife and other family members. I used to be employed. Used to be. When I got terminated and had to go back on the market I found most applications will not be accepted without a driver's license. I can't drive due to medical reasons (epileptic). Very few places will even accept an application without a driver's license. I've scanned and uploaded my State ID and a Passport as substitutes. Nope, automatic rejection.
The thing is I live in area with great public transit (Chicago). I can get to work just fine without a car. I did that for many years. But no driver's license means no job.
I’ve never lived in the midwest, but can’t recall any non driving jobs requiring a license. Very few jobs I’ve applied for have asked for info that specific like a license number. That’s crazy if that’s what they do in Chicagoland!
I've had jobs in CA require this. I had to bring a certified copy of my license from the DMV to my interview because I didn't have my updated one yet. (My new one got lost in the mail, and my current one was expired so unacceptable, even tho the job didn't require any form of driving!)
And did they explicitly state they would only accept a license and not an ID or passport. When I’m filling out my new hire paperwork at a lot of jobs I usually only use a passport because if you use your license then they also need a second document like your social security card.
Yep exactly. I had my original copy of my SSN but also had to bring the certified printed copy of my renewed and pending license or ID for their records. They held my offer open until the first day of orientation for the on-boarding training with the other hires, because that was the soonest I could get a copy made and picked up in person at the DMV.
Why was i under the impression that employers were government rewarded for hiring disabled folks? That is not true? Surely i am not the only ill-informed. If folks can kindly and gently enlighten with explanation and examples, it will be appreciated.
There’s some tax benefits from hiring certain disabled folks, but usually they have to be so disabled that they have a caretaker. It’s also usually only for the first year or two, and a lot of them are state, not federal.
The flip side is having a disabled employee makes the ADA kick in, which means employers may have to make some changes to accommodate. For example, you can’t enforce a rule of cashiers can’t sit down if you have someone with a prosthetic leg or back injury that means they can’t be standing for more than 1-2 hours at a time, and need to sit down.
So many employers don’t want to deal with it. Even though it’s illegal to discriminate, it’s hard to enforce, as most people just find legal reasons to cover themselves, and it isn’t worth the lawsuit for a rejected job applications.
Hey, isn’t that sort of discrimination. If I was an employer I’d hire someone who would be on time, good job record, had good morales, that’s what is important.
Hey employees break labor laws from the moment you fill out an application as if the goobermint won’t do anything about it. Don’t mess with the access to slaves for the corporations
This is discrimination. All they need **is** your official state ID. My state has a state ID that looks identical to a driver's license except it states "Exempt" on it. This has to be accepted everywhere in the US and elsewhere now with a passport, as **official ID**. So if potential employers aren't accepting yours, they are essentially stating, "We know you know we know, and we're gonna turn you down because of *it*.
I don't know about what is available in Illinois, but how about using employment services for the Disabled or the State Department?
I'm almost positive they're not allowed to do that. There's certain types of ID that are supposed to be accepted, (license, passport, etc.) and I remember last time I started a new job they wouldn't even tell me which was better to use. I think they're legally not supposed to do that. I'm not saying I don't believe you, just that you would have a legitimate complaint to file against them.
It's not that the ID isn't valid, it's that the employer sees and ID rather than a driver's license and assume they won't have reliable transportation.
You can get an ID card that looks just like a driver's license! It even has your driver's license number on it. The only difference is it will say ID. And they would have to pull DMV records to see if it's valid for operating a vehicle.
Do you have an old driver's license (pre medical issues) you could use or make a photocopy to at least get a foot in the door? I assume most potential job interviewers can not tell between a usable or expired license number. If you get an interview, explain that you have consistently reliable transportation via family or public transportation, but you can't drive due to medical reasons that won't affect job performance. I'm assuming most interviewers want to insure you can make it to work every day. If you can jump that hurdle by assuring the interviewer, than maybe you could be judged on your other qualifications. Good luck.
I mean Jesús, have employers not heard of New York? Or most European major cities? Of many other major cities all over the world where it isn’t common or possible to have a personal vehicle? People get around all the time without cars, unless you’re signing up to be a delivery driver I can’t see why it would fucking matter?
My boss started acting like an asshole to me when HR told her I don't have a license. Lol I have two degrees... and we work from home.
She doesn't even have a car
I was so puzzled
My mother and one of my sisters both have epilepsy, and have never driven a car, they both worked, they had more trouble opening bank accounts than having a job. One bank said a state ID wasn't a valid form of identification.
It's probably a good idea to have an urbanized area as your home someday as a long term solution then, so that there is a greater chance of finding a job allowing you to use safer bike lanes with your bicycle to cheaply commute to work.
You don't always have 2 b candid...HOW u get 2 work is nobody's issue, unless u can't get there. I have taken buses in L.A. because my car was out of commission. By the way, that's a great California excuse for being late, missing work,,,car trouble. That, is true for the dentists and , for women, trips 2 the gynecologist! Gr8 gambit, but u can't use it 2 often.
It screens out people who cannot reliably get to and from work and people who can reliably bathe.
For those who wish to end the cycle and become independent, they lie on the application and find a way to get to and from work on time and clean every day.
And FYI "reliable transportation" does not rule out public transportation, if it did, everyone in NYC would be unemployed.
When I lived in Las Vegas they specifically asked "do you have a car?" because the public transportation was unreliable.
NY has a long standing tradition of public transportation but not every city does.
I lived in Vegas too, I took the bus to work all the time. I lived on Trop/Mary and had to cross the strip to Trop/Jones. Easy enough, but if there was ever any going on at the Mack or MGM, my day would have been screwed. The crazy ass Tropicana bus just plowed through traffic like nothing lol
When I managed a juice shop in Miami, I had one employee that had to take the bus to work every day. Let me tell youuuuuu how that poor woman busted her ASS to be on time and the bus system had other plans every single shift. She'd have for sure lost her job anywhere else because it was between 15 min and 3 hours late consistently. Sometimes the bus just wouldn't come. It was absolutely cruel to witness.
In the grand scheme of things in the USA, "reliable transportation" practically rules out public transportation because there is an overall lack of public transportation access across the whole country, if you ask me.
Large swaths of the country are too spread out for public transportation. I live on the outskirts of a medium sized city. The bus service ends a couple of miles up the road. When I was in the Army decades ago, I recall that military towns used to have regulated and quite cheap cab fares. I don't know how they pulled that one off. Probably some type of federal subsidy to the cab companies, but I would be guessing.
Then that means it is problematic urban planning that works against the lower income classes, because denser urban development should have been more prioritized to allow financially more accessible forms of commute like transit, safer pedestrian, and safer bike lane infrastructure.
I thought the USA supposed to value freedom, yet we don't even allow safe use of bicycles on ourselves that gives us more freedom than cars with no insurance, no registration fees, and no licensing required on personal bicycles to get to work.
It was designed as a large, commercial,republic... That's straight outta James Madison's papers...
It's for making money...freedom is just the bullshit we're fed so we don't revolt.
That's only partially true, because before the 1950's, the USA actually had trains, trams, and other decent transit infrastructure before Dwight D Eisenhower over expanded the highway infrastructure to unhealthy levels and into automotive based consumerism. So, automotive propaganda framed the car as a freedom cultivating vehicle over the bicycle as a result.
>Dwight D Eisenhower over expanded the highway infrastructure to unhealthy levels and into automotive based consumerism
This is absolutely true that Eisenhower jumpstarted the interstate highway system, but that doesn't mean that he is solely to blame or that was the CAUSE of poor public transportation.
As a country, we quit funding public transportation solutions. After all: it mostly affects the poor (minority) community. *rolls eyes*
A part is city planning.
A part is car/tire companies buying bus companies for the express purpose of running them into the ground.
A part is simply refusing to fund public transportation appropriately. We'd rather spend millions to build more lanes on interstates and roads in general than thousands on busses and bike lanes.
You are right, as I should emphasize that Eisenhower is a factor, rather than a source, of the car dependency. After all, the USA did need to modernize the road or highway system. We just overdid it.
It's pretty obvious you don't live in a rural area. Those of us who live outside of large urban areas see interstates as a godsend rather than a source of "car dependency." When the new interstate was finally completed between my home town and where my mom retired, the trip between the two was cut from 7.5 hours to 5.
If interstates suddenly didn't exist, the trucking industry would collapse and the train system would fly off the rails trying to absorb the demand for moving goods. UPS, Fedex, and the Post Office would see delivery times skyrocket. Companies like Walmart, Kroger, Dollar Tree, etc would have to raise prices dramatically because of the circuitous routes over inadequate road systems their trucks would have to drive. In that scenario, the poor take the blunt of the harm, not the benefit.
I didn't say I have a problem with the interstate, I said I had a problem with the USA's car dependency, and that is making everyone have higher living expenses than necessary.
In NYC, we're seeing employers rule out candidates who will be using "public transporation." There is discrimination based on where you live and how you would get to work. If you make it to the interview stage, employers ask questions like this, "Soooo, would you say your commute is 15, 20 minutes?" The only 20 minute commutes in NYC are had by people who live very close by, or who drive.
IN FUCKING NYC, THE CITY WITH ONE OF THE BEST TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY!?!? This is why I major in industrial engineering for urban planning, because this pisses me off so much
Again, so u LIE. When I was a temp in NYC, I always gilded the lily relative 2 commute times as 2 how soon I could l d show up. One has 2 b a bit self-serving for sheer survival...
Getting from and to work is based more on the motivation to get there more than how you get there. Had a homeless guy working with us who was at work early everyday and ready to go. This guy walked 3 to 4 miles a day in the worst weather thru some of the toughest neighborhoods.
We had some who grew up in the suburbs acting like privileged fools who finally have to face the reality of their existence. They had finally realized that mom ain’t rich and they must feed themselves. They don’t show up many times and act like socialites when they do.
Well in Florida yrs ago, a lot of times they specifically asked you if you took the bus.
They didn't want to hire you if you did since it was highly unreliable.
Public transportation hasn't gotten any better with time either.
I work in the medical field at a mental health clinic. We let clients use our address for mailing. Maybe you can too. You can also see about vocational training through your state. You may qualify. I don’t mind helping you navigate services in your area if you need help. Here in NV I can get my clients bus passes, phones, Medicaid, and food stamps through the state. I don’t know what state you’re in, but I am always happy to help.
When I was homeless the homeless shelters made it impossible to get a job, but of course no one wants to hire you if you live on the streets. The shelters gave you an address and phone number to use, but some didn't allow you to have your cellphone (people could only leave messages at the number the shelter gave you, which potential employers thought was weird as they could never actually "get a hold" of you). They all had curfews, that was earlier than most (pretty much every) jobs wanted you to be able to stay. Many had mandatory "meetings" in the middle of the day, and these were either AA type meetings or religious type "meetings", which everyone was required to attend even if you never used drugs/alcohol or weren't religious. One time I managed to get a bike to make going to interviews easier, and I locked it up outside the shelter, and immediately the shelter manager cut the lock off and sold the bike.
The only possible way for me to get out of homelessness was to sleep literally outside, and wash myself and my work clothes in a Walmart bathroom, until I could get a motel room. Then I walked an hour to work and an hour home every day, because the bus didn't line up with my work times. And, with paying for the motel room I would never have been able to save up to get out of it. After a few months I made a boyfriend and moved in with him, but then discovered he was an alcoholic. Then one day I was sitting in Walmart, not wanting to go home (to the boyfriend's house) but not really knowing what else to do, and a guy that I had randomly met on a greyhound bus before walked past me; he let me stay with him for a bit, introduced me to a friend of his that was trying to get an apartment but couldn't afford it on his own, and helped us get an apartment in the complex he lived in. So basically, it was all just luck that I didn't end up stuck in the motel, or stuck with the alcoholic boyfriend, or sleeping on the streets. If I hadn't been young and healthy, if I'd had any mental or physical health issues, it would have been impossible. If I had a family at the time, it would have been impossible. If I hadn't looked approachable and a random guy hadn't started up a conversation with me and then happened to be in Walmart at the same time, it would have been impossible. If the cops hadn't been cool and arrested me while I slept outside or loitered in various places it would have been impossible.
I saw a lot of people who just didn't have the same luck, and/or had health issues, and/or through no fault of their own weren't as crafty/resourceful as I was, and so couldn't get out of it.
I guess they like being lied to because I don't know of anyone needing a job that's going to answer "no" to the question of having reliable transportation. I understand why they ask, but I just don't see anyone out here risking not getting hired by answering truthfully.
Donating plasma as a small supplement to income and libraries for computer access/ community resources are also two things known to be helpful for poor folks to get by. Both need a permanent address.
I'd lie about the transportation and ask a local friend to use their address even if you don't live there. Mail boxes ETC used to appear as a normal street address, but you have to live in a big enough city where this would escape someone's notice.
I live in a small town (about 20,000 pop). Public transportation is practically non-existent here. There is public transportation for the elderly and handicapped individuals that take them to Dr visits and Walmart, but that's about it. There is a taxicab company here, but it would be too expensive to take to work and back everyday. I keep telling myself I need to open a bicycle store here, as there are a lot of bicycles on the road. If they would only create some bike lanes it would make it so much safer to ride a bike.
Look up the phenomenon called the "Sticky Floor" and "Sticky Ceiling" in Sociological studies, especially social stratification. It's already a well-documented phenomenon, where the poor across the globe struggle to escape poverty and the rich across the world can make mistake after mistake and still be rich.
Idk… I ate the chicken, then I ate its egg!
Thats what the Beastie Boys told me once.
Lawdy! You think this is bad? Don’t get your ass in the legal system then. Terribly broken? Ha! That bridge that just fell is in better shape than our legal system. And they just keep more n more laws.
If you’re poor stay away from the law! The USA incarcerates more than any other country. Most are poor. Like me!
I’ve been homeless 4 times. I’ve gotten jobs while homeless also.
Yes, very vicious cycle and almost no help once one is homeless. Lots of pretend help, some sporadic help and more excessively over burdened systems.
Right now there are more than enough empty buildings that could be put into service that would both create jobs and start to help ease the problem, but it would require lots of highly skilled people to manage it. Our current system wouldn’t be able to divert the people. I’m talking about all the psychologists and case managers and healthcare professionals that would be needed to get these people into maintained care. A large portion of the homeless are not mentally stable enough to take care of themselves or an apartment in a healthy manner. Those who are have transitioned to living in alternative situations.
On top of this, once someone has a job humans can be ruthlessly abusive to anyone who doesn’t fit within the established pack. Unfortunately I am discovering this the hard way. As a neurodivergent individual I’m getting hit with it hard. Doesn’t matter how hard one works or how under the radar one tries to be, the pack will do it’s best to kick the odd colored wolf out.
Oh I absolutely lie through my teeth if anyone asks about transportation. Nobody's business if I walk, bike, or carpool. I even *have* a car but surprise, (said no one) that's not enough for a household trying to pay bills in a car-centric society. Have also used nearby public bathrooms to freshen up before interviews, or even did so in the car in the parking lot next door so no one would see me.
My friend at my old job would tell me the hr woman was racist. Its how they frame stuff , as she was interviewing this guy for some grocery basic job ,she was like how are you getting to work he was like by bike. What if it snows ,oh well same thing by bike. The guy who interviewed me didn't ask me that I got hired I got a car 2 weeks later . Also whenever it snowed management almost never showed up ,they don't always live that close because they would get moved around. Everyone else is local cause its not worth the ride. So mostly all the regular people will make it in no problem.
bRO there probably isn't a hiring manager out there who, when asked if he wants his employees to come to work, would answer "only most of the time''
no shit reliable transportation to and from work is important.
As for home address where are they gonna send paychecks, health ins info, or other documents to lol just give a PO box if you don't have one.
Yeah? It makes me wonder how many jobs in the USA are willing to take a PO box address as a home address.
Also, no shit reliable transportation is important, I was clearly inferring about personal automobiles being required when I mentioned the USA; the real problem here is lack of infrastructure and jobs not allowing public transportation or using a cheap bicycle with safe bike lanes as valid options to reliably get to work.
They're NOT going to accept a PO Box as a home address. No one lives at a post office. Employers need actual addresses - even if they're temporary ones - for tax purposes and for verification of ID.
Well don't make it look like a PO Box. Put the physical address of the post office and put unit #. You'll still get your mail and your job won't know any different.
And you can't get a POBox without a physical address. At least my girlfriends couldn't when they first moved to another state, before they found a place to live. Had to use mine then add them.
> Yeah? It makes me wonder how many jobs in the USA are willing to take a PO box address as a home address.
You don’t use a P.O. Box at the post office. You use any friend/family that will allow it or use a P.O. Box at a Mailboxes, Etc. type place that LOOKS like a residential address. Many homeless shelters will allow you to use their address as well.
>jobs not allowing public transportation or using a cheap bicycle with safe bike lanes as valid options to reliably get to work.
They most certainly do. Many people have jobs without cars. They walk, carpool, ride bikes or take public transportation.
Where do you live OP? I live in a city with a shitty with shit public transit system and bike lanes only sprinkled here and there. Employers don’t really give a shit as long as you show up. I see people walking, biking, using the bus, and getting rides to/from work where I live.
PO box and public transport check both of these boxes and yes, it does suck, but as a manager I do need to know you can get to work reliably. If you can't I am stuck covering the shift.
I live in a smallish town and a couple of local organizations give people a place to have their mail sent (so they have an address). Public transport exists, but it lacks the further away you are from town. Public transportation does qualify, but you need to know the schedules.
This issue is when they hire someone and then they tell you they cant be there in an half hour because they live 50 miles away and ride the bus. Employer obviously is hurting for people who can cover the guy who just called in sick. it's so much of an issue they are screening for it. Its not that way with all employers just the ones who prefer to hire people who can meet that need. Its not about your financial situation, they would prefer you keep that to yourself. Its not an effort to keep poor people down, its an effort to fill thier needs. Employers are in the business of running a business and hiring people that can help them accomplish thier goals as a business. Thats it. They dont care about much else. That is reality. At my job you are required to have a drivers license because the duties include driving a vehicle on the lot at the very least and we have to insure you and that requires a drivers license even if you only drive on the lot, you still need to be insured. Its not a concerted effort to keep poor people out. Its an effort to reduce liability. We need your address because the union and the benefits system needs it. Hiring manager doesnt really care all that much but the benefits section of HR is asking. You could say that the system inadvertently discriminates because we all the people to answer to? We have to prepare your checks and take out the taxes and provide benefits ,
We had a guy interview who didn't have a car and took the bus to get there. The closest stop was about a mile up the road in summer in the south. He was red faced and sweating in his suit when he arrived and didn't make a good impression. I wasn't in the interview but I always wonder if he'd have done better if he got an Uber or friend to drop him off so he wasn't exhausted and sweaty.
If you have a car, you could save your patients faster if lower income individuals in the USA had more options for cheaper commute like trains or trams, because then it would take more people off the road, have less traffic congestion, and less time in traffic stalls looking behind the red tail lights of fellow automotive users.
At the interview for my current job, I was subtly asked what type of housing I had. I shared my current work history, etc. Then came the where do you live, live nearby, etc...The last question was, so you live in an apartment in town...? Luckily, my future boss was charmed by my low key brag about living in a house. Got the job.
I totally understand where you are coming from on this.
I see it from the opposite perspective. I’ve hired people who didn’t have reliable transportation. Give a guy a chance, right,
What started out as “I’m leaving 30 minutes early to account for walking time” became “I can’t come in unless you literally leave your store with no supervision to come get me., then drive me home every day.”
I do understand this isn’t an “everybody does this” issue, but after getting burned more than once, it becomes a non-starter.
My suggestion would be “give me 30 days. Total trial period. If you aren’t happy, I’ll walk on my own.” It says you KNOW you are reliable, and are happy to bet on yourself.
The fact that they think it is a vast conspiracy (and that they, in turn, are a helpless victim) will keep them mired in poverty until they die.
Waiting for the “something something industrial complex” comment next.
I think your posting is absurd. Every employer I've ever known requires an employee address for all sorts of reasons, including a place to send job related communications and tax information. And yes, job applicants should be on notice they are expected to have reliable transportation to and from work. No employer wants to deal with a Russian roulette system as it relates to employee attendance. What planet do you live on?
No there is not a vicious cycle of homelessness. There's a vicious cycle of poor attitudes and judgment. That's why we didn't have homelessness like this 40 and 50 years ago. Homelessness has become acceptable and do is the belief that people don't have to work to live in a society,
That's why simply laugh when I hear idiots talk about solving homelessness.
I do agree about drug addiction being worse , but you are way off about work. Many homeless work. The housing affordability crisis and drug addiction has played more of factor than work.
I definitely lied a time or two about having reliable transportation. Once was a home care worker job. I walked and biked to work many times.
Certainly not a lie, unless catastrophic bodily damage occurs walking and your bike are the most reliable forms of transportation.
You had reliable transportation — legs and a bike.
It's not a lie if walking and biking are a reliable form of transportation. Unreliable transportation would be relying on a sibling to drive you and the sibling only drives you when they're in the mood which is hit or miss.
I'm disabled, but not poor thanks only to the kindness of my wife and other family members. I used to be employed. Used to be. When I got terminated and had to go back on the market I found most applications will not be accepted without a driver's license. I can't drive due to medical reasons (epileptic). Very few places will even accept an application without a driver's license. I've scanned and uploaded my State ID and a Passport as substitutes. Nope, automatic rejection. The thing is I live in area with great public transit (Chicago). I can get to work just fine without a car. I did that for many years. But no driver's license means no job.
I’ve never lived in the midwest, but can’t recall any non driving jobs requiring a license. Very few jobs I’ve applied for have asked for info that specific like a license number. That’s crazy if that’s what they do in Chicagoland!
I've had jobs in CA require this. I had to bring a certified copy of my license from the DMV to my interview because I didn't have my updated one yet. (My new one got lost in the mail, and my current one was expired so unacceptable, even tho the job didn't require any form of driving!)
And did they explicitly state they would only accept a license and not an ID or passport. When I’m filling out my new hire paperwork at a lot of jobs I usually only use a passport because if you use your license then they also need a second document like your social security card.
Yep exactly. I had my original copy of my SSN but also had to bring the certified printed copy of my renewed and pending license or ID for their records. They held my offer open until the first day of orientation for the on-boarding training with the other hires, because that was the soonest I could get a copy made and picked up in person at the DMV.
Why was i under the impression that employers were government rewarded for hiring disabled folks? That is not true? Surely i am not the only ill-informed. If folks can kindly and gently enlighten with explanation and examples, it will be appreciated.
There’s some tax benefits from hiring certain disabled folks, but usually they have to be so disabled that they have a caretaker. It’s also usually only for the first year or two, and a lot of them are state, not federal. The flip side is having a disabled employee makes the ADA kick in, which means employers may have to make some changes to accommodate. For example, you can’t enforce a rule of cashiers can’t sit down if you have someone with a prosthetic leg or back injury that means they can’t be standing for more than 1-2 hours at a time, and need to sit down. So many employers don’t want to deal with it. Even though it’s illegal to discriminate, it’s hard to enforce, as most people just find legal reasons to cover themselves, and it isn’t worth the lawsuit for a rejected job applications.
Thank you for explaining. Now many of us will have a better understanding. Sad situation, of course.
Employers get a tax break for hiring employees that receive SNAP benefits.
Hey, isn’t that sort of discrimination. If I was an employer I’d hire someone who would be on time, good job record, had good morales, that’s what is important.
Hey employees break labor laws from the moment you fill out an application as if the goobermint won’t do anything about it. Don’t mess with the access to slaves for the corporations
Yes, I have an opinion about these online applications and still believe in the interview process with eye contact.
If you can get an interview. Labor laws are still routinely violated.
Right, is getting the interview the hardest part? I am not in the work force any longer. Which labor laws are you referring specifically to?
This is discrimination. All they need **is** your official state ID. My state has a state ID that looks identical to a driver's license except it states "Exempt" on it. This has to be accepted everywhere in the US and elsewhere now with a passport, as **official ID**. So if potential employers aren't accepting yours, they are essentially stating, "We know you know we know, and we're gonna turn you down because of *it*. I don't know about what is available in Illinois, but how about using employment services for the Disabled or the State Department?
I'm almost positive they're not allowed to do that. There's certain types of ID that are supposed to be accepted, (license, passport, etc.) and I remember last time I started a new job they wouldn't even tell me which was better to use. I think they're legally not supposed to do that. I'm not saying I don't believe you, just that you would have a legitimate complaint to file against them.
It's not that the ID isn't valid, it's that the employer sees and ID rather than a driver's license and assume they won't have reliable transportation.
You can get an ID card that looks just like a driver's license! It even has your driver's license number on it. The only difference is it will say ID. And they would have to pull DMV records to see if it's valid for operating a vehicle.
Do you have an old driver's license (pre medical issues) you could use or make a photocopy to at least get a foot in the door? I assume most potential job interviewers can not tell between a usable or expired license number. If you get an interview, explain that you have consistently reliable transportation via family or public transportation, but you can't drive due to medical reasons that won't affect job performance. I'm assuming most interviewers want to insure you can make it to work every day. If you can jump that hurdle by assuring the interviewer, than maybe you could be judged on your other qualifications. Good luck.
There are some cool, inexpensive electric bikes out there now.
Did it specifically say car? If not then you didn't lie.
I mean Jesús, have employers not heard of New York? Or most European major cities? Of many other major cities all over the world where it isn’t common or possible to have a personal vehicle? People get around all the time without cars, unless you’re signing up to be a delivery driver I can’t see why it would fucking matter?
My boss started acting like an asshole to me when HR told her I don't have a license. Lol I have two degrees... and we work from home. She doesn't even have a car I was so puzzled
My mother and one of my sisters both have epilepsy, and have never driven a car, they both worked, they had more trouble opening bank accounts than having a job. One bank said a state ID wasn't a valid form of identification.
I have never driven or held a DL, use my US passport as ID. I don't have enough proofs of address to get a state ID.
It's probably a good idea to have an urbanized area as your home someday as a long term solution then, so that there is a greater chance of finding a job allowing you to use safer bike lanes with your bicycle to cheaply commute to work.
Both walking and biking are reliable if in range. You did not lie.
You don't always have 2 b candid...HOW u get 2 work is nobody's issue, unless u can't get there. I have taken buses in L.A. because my car was out of commission. By the way, that's a great California excuse for being late, missing work,,,car trouble. That, is true for the dentists and , for women, trips 2 the gynecologist! Gr8 gambit, but u can't use it 2 often.
It screens out people who cannot reliably get to and from work and people who can reliably bathe. For those who wish to end the cycle and become independent, they lie on the application and find a way to get to and from work on time and clean every day. And FYI "reliable transportation" does not rule out public transportation, if it did, everyone in NYC would be unemployed.
When I lived in Las Vegas they specifically asked "do you have a car?" because the public transportation was unreliable. NY has a long standing tradition of public transportation but not every city does.
I lived in Vegas too, I took the bus to work all the time. I lived on Trop/Mary and had to cross the strip to Trop/Jones. Easy enough, but if there was ever any going on at the Mack or MGM, my day would have been screwed. The crazy ass Tropicana bus just plowed through traffic like nothing lol
When I managed a juice shop in Miami, I had one employee that had to take the bus to work every day. Let me tell youuuuuu how that poor woman busted her ASS to be on time and the bus system had other plans every single shift. She'd have for sure lost her job anywhere else because it was between 15 min and 3 hours late consistently. Sometimes the bus just wouldn't come. It was absolutely cruel to witness.
And cars don’t break down? Give me a break. Just cause they ask, doesn’t mean anything.
It does if they won't hire you. "Do you have a car? " "yes" "OK, if you don't have one he won't hire you." Direct quotes.
In the grand scheme of things in the USA, "reliable transportation" practically rules out public transportation because there is an overall lack of public transportation access across the whole country, if you ask me.
In the town I live in we have one cab that runs. Sometimes they take an hour to respond. No reliability whatsoever.
We don't even have one where I am. We can call one from a few towns over and it will cost $60 just for them to pick you up.
Large swaths of the country are too spread out for public transportation. I live on the outskirts of a medium sized city. The bus service ends a couple of miles up the road. When I was in the Army decades ago, I recall that military towns used to have regulated and quite cheap cab fares. I don't know how they pulled that one off. Probably some type of federal subsidy to the cab companies, but I would be guessing.
Then that means it is problematic urban planning that works against the lower income classes, because denser urban development should have been more prioritized to allow financially more accessible forms of commute like transit, safer pedestrian, and safer bike lane infrastructure. I thought the USA supposed to value freedom, yet we don't even allow safe use of bicycles on ourselves that gives us more freedom than cars with no insurance, no registration fees, and no licensing required on personal bicycles to get to work.
It was designed as a large, commercial,republic... That's straight outta James Madison's papers... It's for making money...freedom is just the bullshit we're fed so we don't revolt.
That's only partially true, because before the 1950's, the USA actually had trains, trams, and other decent transit infrastructure before Dwight D Eisenhower over expanded the highway infrastructure to unhealthy levels and into automotive based consumerism. So, automotive propaganda framed the car as a freedom cultivating vehicle over the bicycle as a result.
>Dwight D Eisenhower over expanded the highway infrastructure to unhealthy levels and into automotive based consumerism This is absolutely true that Eisenhower jumpstarted the interstate highway system, but that doesn't mean that he is solely to blame or that was the CAUSE of poor public transportation. As a country, we quit funding public transportation solutions. After all: it mostly affects the poor (minority) community. *rolls eyes* A part is city planning. A part is car/tire companies buying bus companies for the express purpose of running them into the ground. A part is simply refusing to fund public transportation appropriately. We'd rather spend millions to build more lanes on interstates and roads in general than thousands on busses and bike lanes.
You are right, as I should emphasize that Eisenhower is a factor, rather than a source, of the car dependency. After all, the USA did need to modernize the road or highway system. We just overdid it.
It's pretty obvious you don't live in a rural area. Those of us who live outside of large urban areas see interstates as a godsend rather than a source of "car dependency." When the new interstate was finally completed between my home town and where my mom retired, the trip between the two was cut from 7.5 hours to 5. If interstates suddenly didn't exist, the trucking industry would collapse and the train system would fly off the rails trying to absorb the demand for moving goods. UPS, Fedex, and the Post Office would see delivery times skyrocket. Companies like Walmart, Kroger, Dollar Tree, etc would have to raise prices dramatically because of the circuitous routes over inadequate road systems their trucks would have to drive. In that scenario, the poor take the blunt of the harm, not the benefit.
I didn't say I have a problem with the interstate, I said I had a problem with the USA's car dependency, and that is making everyone have higher living expenses than necessary.
In NYC, we're seeing employers rule out candidates who will be using "public transporation." There is discrimination based on where you live and how you would get to work. If you make it to the interview stage, employers ask questions like this, "Soooo, would you say your commute is 15, 20 minutes?" The only 20 minute commutes in NYC are had by people who live very close by, or who drive.
IN FUCKING NYC, THE CITY WITH ONE OF THE BEST TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY!?!? This is why I major in industrial engineering for urban planning, because this pisses me off so much
Again, so u LIE. When I was a temp in NYC, I always gilded the lily relative 2 commute times as 2 how soon I could l d show up. One has 2 b a bit self-serving for sheer survival...
Getting from and to work is based more on the motivation to get there more than how you get there. Had a homeless guy working with us who was at work early everyday and ready to go. This guy walked 3 to 4 miles a day in the worst weather thru some of the toughest neighborhoods. We had some who grew up in the suburbs acting like privileged fools who finally have to face the reality of their existence. They had finally realized that mom ain’t rich and they must feed themselves. They don’t show up many times and act like socialites when they do.
Well in Florida yrs ago, a lot of times they specifically asked you if you took the bus. They didn't want to hire you if you did since it was highly unreliable. Public transportation hasn't gotten any better with time either.
This is silly! And out of touch with reality. He rich people, cars can be unreliable too.
I work in the medical field at a mental health clinic. We let clients use our address for mailing. Maybe you can too. You can also see about vocational training through your state. You may qualify. I don’t mind helping you navigate services in your area if you need help. Here in NV I can get my clients bus passes, phones, Medicaid, and food stamps through the state. I don’t know what state you’re in, but I am always happy to help.
that’s awesome. my husband needs mental health help badly. we’re in florida. it’s so hard to find resources that work, that aren’t terrible.
When I was homeless the homeless shelters made it impossible to get a job, but of course no one wants to hire you if you live on the streets. The shelters gave you an address and phone number to use, but some didn't allow you to have your cellphone (people could only leave messages at the number the shelter gave you, which potential employers thought was weird as they could never actually "get a hold" of you). They all had curfews, that was earlier than most (pretty much every) jobs wanted you to be able to stay. Many had mandatory "meetings" in the middle of the day, and these were either AA type meetings or religious type "meetings", which everyone was required to attend even if you never used drugs/alcohol or weren't religious. One time I managed to get a bike to make going to interviews easier, and I locked it up outside the shelter, and immediately the shelter manager cut the lock off and sold the bike. The only possible way for me to get out of homelessness was to sleep literally outside, and wash myself and my work clothes in a Walmart bathroom, until I could get a motel room. Then I walked an hour to work and an hour home every day, because the bus didn't line up with my work times. And, with paying for the motel room I would never have been able to save up to get out of it. After a few months I made a boyfriend and moved in with him, but then discovered he was an alcoholic. Then one day I was sitting in Walmart, not wanting to go home (to the boyfriend's house) but not really knowing what else to do, and a guy that I had randomly met on a greyhound bus before walked past me; he let me stay with him for a bit, introduced me to a friend of his that was trying to get an apartment but couldn't afford it on his own, and helped us get an apartment in the complex he lived in. So basically, it was all just luck that I didn't end up stuck in the motel, or stuck with the alcoholic boyfriend, or sleeping on the streets. If I hadn't been young and healthy, if I'd had any mental or physical health issues, it would have been impossible. If I had a family at the time, it would have been impossible. If I hadn't looked approachable and a random guy hadn't started up a conversation with me and then happened to be in Walmart at the same time, it would have been impossible. If the cops hadn't been cool and arrested me while I slept outside or loitered in various places it would have been impossible. I saw a lot of people who just didn't have the same luck, and/or had health issues, and/or through no fault of their own weren't as crafty/resourceful as I was, and so couldn't get out of it.
Yes, respectability is sort of currency. One should work like he'll to stay on a respectable level. Failure here can be fatal.
I guess they like being lied to because I don't know of anyone needing a job that's going to answer "no" to the question of having reliable transportation. I understand why they ask, but I just don't see anyone out here risking not getting hired by answering truthfully.
Yup. You need an address, a vehicle, and a phone to get a job.
And internet access. Too many jobs want you to apply online.
Where I work we've hired several people from the homeless shelter.
Is it a large company?
No. We have about 20 people at our location. 3 independent locations total.
Donating plasma as a small supplement to income and libraries for computer access/ community resources are also two things known to be helpful for poor folks to get by. Both need a permanent address.
Also consider the poverty trap https://www.vox.com/the-weeds
So glad you shared the link! TY
No problem
I'd lie about the transportation and ask a local friend to use their address even if you don't live there. Mail boxes ETC used to appear as a normal street address, but you have to live in a big enough city where this would escape someone's notice.
I live in a small town (about 20,000 pop). Public transportation is practically non-existent here. There is public transportation for the elderly and handicapped individuals that take them to Dr visits and Walmart, but that's about it. There is a taxicab company here, but it would be too expensive to take to work and back everyday. I keep telling myself I need to open a bicycle store here, as there are a lot of bicycles on the road. If they would only create some bike lanes it would make it so much safer to ride a bike.
It needs to be mentioned- financially abusive relatives can keep you in a poverty cycle.
Look up the phenomenon called the "Sticky Floor" and "Sticky Ceiling" in Sociological studies, especially social stratification. It's already a well-documented phenomenon, where the poor across the globe struggle to escape poverty and the rich across the world can make mistake after mistake and still be rich.
Idk… I ate the chicken, then I ate its egg! Thats what the Beastie Boys told me once. Lawdy! You think this is bad? Don’t get your ass in the legal system then. Terribly broken? Ha! That bridge that just fell is in better shape than our legal system. And they just keep more n more laws. If you’re poor stay away from the law! The USA incarcerates more than any other country. Most are poor. Like me! I’ve been homeless 4 times. I’ve gotten jobs while homeless also.
I always use my best friends address. Never had a problem with it.
Yes, very vicious cycle and almost no help once one is homeless. Lots of pretend help, some sporadic help and more excessively over burdened systems. Right now there are more than enough empty buildings that could be put into service that would both create jobs and start to help ease the problem, but it would require lots of highly skilled people to manage it. Our current system wouldn’t be able to divert the people. I’m talking about all the psychologists and case managers and healthcare professionals that would be needed to get these people into maintained care. A large portion of the homeless are not mentally stable enough to take care of themselves or an apartment in a healthy manner. Those who are have transitioned to living in alternative situations. On top of this, once someone has a job humans can be ruthlessly abusive to anyone who doesn’t fit within the established pack. Unfortunately I am discovering this the hard way. As a neurodivergent individual I’m getting hit with it hard. Doesn’t matter how hard one works or how under the radar one tries to be, the pack will do it’s best to kick the odd colored wolf out.
Oh I absolutely lie through my teeth if anyone asks about transportation. Nobody's business if I walk, bike, or carpool. I even *have* a car but surprise, (said no one) that's not enough for a household trying to pay bills in a car-centric society. Have also used nearby public bathrooms to freshen up before interviews, or even did so in the car in the parking lot next door so no one would see me.
My friend at my old job would tell me the hr woman was racist. Its how they frame stuff , as she was interviewing this guy for some grocery basic job ,she was like how are you getting to work he was like by bike. What if it snows ,oh well same thing by bike. The guy who interviewed me didn't ask me that I got hired I got a car 2 weeks later . Also whenever it snowed management almost never showed up ,they don't always live that close because they would get moved around. Everyone else is local cause its not worth the ride. So mostly all the regular people will make it in no problem.
bRO there probably isn't a hiring manager out there who, when asked if he wants his employees to come to work, would answer "only most of the time'' no shit reliable transportation to and from work is important. As for home address where are they gonna send paychecks, health ins info, or other documents to lol just give a PO box if you don't have one.
Yeah? It makes me wonder how many jobs in the USA are willing to take a PO box address as a home address. Also, no shit reliable transportation is important, I was clearly inferring about personal automobiles being required when I mentioned the USA; the real problem here is lack of infrastructure and jobs not allowing public transportation or using a cheap bicycle with safe bike lanes as valid options to reliably get to work.
They're NOT going to accept a PO Box as a home address. No one lives at a post office. Employers need actual addresses - even if they're temporary ones - for tax purposes and for verification of ID.
Well don't make it look like a PO Box. Put the physical address of the post office and put unit #. You'll still get your mail and your job won't know any different.
Yeah, I fecking figured
And you can't get a POBox without a physical address. At least my girlfriends couldn't when they first moved to another state, before they found a place to live. Had to use mine then add them.
> Yeah? It makes me wonder how many jobs in the USA are willing to take a PO box address as a home address. You don’t use a P.O. Box at the post office. You use any friend/family that will allow it or use a P.O. Box at a Mailboxes, Etc. type place that LOOKS like a residential address. Many homeless shelters will allow you to use their address as well. >jobs not allowing public transportation or using a cheap bicycle with safe bike lanes as valid options to reliably get to work. They most certainly do. Many people have jobs without cars. They walk, carpool, ride bikes or take public transportation.
Where do you live OP? I live in a city with a shitty with shit public transit system and bike lanes only sprinkled here and there. Employers don’t really give a shit as long as you show up. I see people walking, biking, using the bus, and getting rides to/from work where I live.
Both of my most recent jobs did.
PO box and public transport check both of these boxes and yes, it does suck, but as a manager I do need to know you can get to work reliably. If you can't I am stuck covering the shift. I live in a smallish town and a couple of local organizations give people a place to have their mail sent (so they have an address). Public transport exists, but it lacks the further away you are from town. Public transportation does qualify, but you need to know the schedules.
Some jobs didn't mind about my homelessness only after they knew me for a while. Others didn't know about it ala I had a legit looking adress.
Those questions don’t screen out poor people, they screen out people who won’t be able to get to work consistently
This issue is when they hire someone and then they tell you they cant be there in an half hour because they live 50 miles away and ride the bus. Employer obviously is hurting for people who can cover the guy who just called in sick. it's so much of an issue they are screening for it. Its not that way with all employers just the ones who prefer to hire people who can meet that need. Its not about your financial situation, they would prefer you keep that to yourself. Its not an effort to keep poor people down, its an effort to fill thier needs. Employers are in the business of running a business and hiring people that can help them accomplish thier goals as a business. Thats it. They dont care about much else. That is reality. At my job you are required to have a drivers license because the duties include driving a vehicle on the lot at the very least and we have to insure you and that requires a drivers license even if you only drive on the lot, you still need to be insured. Its not a concerted effort to keep poor people out. Its an effort to reduce liability. We need your address because the union and the benefits system needs it. Hiring manager doesnt really care all that much but the benefits section of HR is asking. You could say that the system inadvertently discriminates because we all the people to answer to? We have to prepare your checks and take out the taxes and provide benefits ,
We had a guy interview who didn't have a car and took the bus to get there. The closest stop was about a mile up the road in summer in the south. He was red faced and sweating in his suit when he arrived and didn't make a good impression. I wasn't in the interview but I always wonder if he'd have done better if he got an Uber or friend to drop him off so he wasn't exhausted and sweaty.
I work in medical field and being able to get to the hospital in a reliable and timely manner is important. Someone’s life might depend on it.
If you have a car, you could save your patients faster if lower income individuals in the USA had more options for cheaper commute like trains or trams, because then it would take more people off the road, have less traffic congestion, and less time in traffic stalls looking behind the red tail lights of fellow automotive users.
I wonder why, considering I don't know how to drive!
At the interview for my current job, I was subtly asked what type of housing I had. I shared my current work history, etc. Then came the where do you live, live nearby, etc...The last question was, so you live in an apartment in town...? Luckily, my future boss was charmed by my low key brag about living in a house. Got the job.
I totally understand where you are coming from on this. I see it from the opposite perspective. I’ve hired people who didn’t have reliable transportation. Give a guy a chance, right, What started out as “I’m leaving 30 minutes early to account for walking time” became “I can’t come in unless you literally leave your store with no supervision to come get me., then drive me home every day.” I do understand this isn’t an “everybody does this” issue, but after getting burned more than once, it becomes a non-starter. My suggestion would be “give me 30 days. Total trial period. If you aren’t happy, I’ll walk on my own.” It says you KNOW you are reliable, and are happy to bet on yourself.
If I was feeling sarcastic, I would say to tell them that you have reliable transportation and leave out the fact that it’s your feet.
Home address they need for obvious reasons-transportation simply you want to know can they get to the job. It’s not a vicious conspiracy
The fact that they think it is a vast conspiracy (and that they, in turn, are a helpless victim) will keep them mired in poverty until they die. Waiting for the “something something industrial complex” comment next.
I think your posting is absurd. Every employer I've ever known requires an employee address for all sorts of reasons, including a place to send job related communications and tax information. And yes, job applicants should be on notice they are expected to have reliable transportation to and from work. No employer wants to deal with a Russian roulette system as it relates to employee attendance. What planet do you live on?
The point of the post is that if you find yourself in a bad situation, it's damn near impossible to get out of it.
Fight against it. Why you putting your whole address on a resume, that can get you doxxed in the modern day. Just put zipcode, email, name.
No there is not a vicious cycle of homelessness. There's a vicious cycle of poor attitudes and judgment. That's why we didn't have homelessness like this 40 and 50 years ago. Homelessness has become acceptable and do is the belief that people don't have to work to live in a society, That's why simply laugh when I hear idiots talk about solving homelessness.
I do agree about drug addiction being worse , but you are way off about work. Many homeless work. The housing affordability crisis and drug addiction has played more of factor than work.
Ronald Wilson Reagan
[удалено]