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Trying to get off the street
The most difficult thing about being homeless is getting a job, says Leighton Watts, Lawrence resident. Watts, a 23-year-old Kansas City, Kan. native, spent six months at the Salvation Army while searching for a job and a home. Most job applications require an address. Homeless people don't have one. Watts would put his Kansas City, Kan., address on job applications, and, if confronted about
RACHEL SEYMOUR
Jay, background and Raleigh Worthington, foreground, say those in the homeless community create bonds closer than family because of the close space they share for sleeping and their common lifestyle.
it, he would say he was new to town and not settled yet. Most employers want people to already be self-sufficient, Keffer says. Seeing a question for a driver's license or telephone number may not seem like a big deal, but, to homeless people, it can be discouraging. They don't have anything to fill in the blank.
Worthington has worked construction, at the K-Mart distribution center and other odd jobs, but none of them were permanent. In fact, he has shuffled through so many jobs that he talks about losing work like it's a regular event. He casually describes his last job, where he poured cement. He thought it was stable."But then," he adds, "I guess it wasn't."
typically offer low wages and few benefits, NCH says. For people like Worthington, there aren't many other options.
Watts says he had an advantage when looking for a job because people
"After a while, you come to learn that nothing is permanent." Worthington says. "But if you have a job, you can at least look down the tunnel and see the light. You may not be able to get down there yet, but you know you can continue to work and sustain yourself."
Most jobs available to homeless people are short-term, pick-up jobs, Henderson says. Employers call LCS for day-job arrangements, which are mostly manual labor tasks like raking leaves, cleaning out old homes or moving and lifting.
The National Coalition for the Homeless calls these types of arrangements "non-standard work." Approximately 30 percent of workers in 1997 had non-standard jobs, which
often didn't realize he was homeless because of the way he dressed. He carries a toothbrush in his pocket, keeps himself clean and doesn't wear the same clothes two days in a row. He has worked as a line server in Oliver Hall, a telemarketer, a waiter and he now washes dishes at the Eldridge Hotel.
community. In 1994, he helped found the Jubilee Café as a way to give back, and he's been helping ever since.
"We're like a chain. You're only as strong as your weakest link. Our society is only as strong as our poorest
But getting a job doesn't guarantee a place to live. Watts says.
"We're like a chain. You're only as strong as your weakest link. Our society is only as strong as our poorest member."
In August 2004, he got an apartment with a roommate but found himself back at the Salvation Army after he and his roommate lost their jobs.
Clark Keffer, Lawrence resident and former homeless
He now has an apartment of his own and has sustained himself for about seven months, but he talks about being homeless as if it's still a possibility. He says he bought a cell phone to keep in contact with friends and family, especially in case he winds up homeless again.
Don't break the chain
Keffer believes in a strong sense of
member."
As breakfast winds down at Jubilee, Michael finishes his meal and sits behind the piano. He plays everything from Mozart's "Sonata in A Major" to Schroeder's Charlie Brown piano solo. As the music sounds, Louis peers into the kitchen to see if there's any bacon left, the crispy kind that he loves.
It's 8 a.m., only an hour after everyone rolled into the dining hall, and they start packing up their stuff — for many, pretty much everything they own. Some grab a to-go box of food to take to a friend who was too sick to come this morning or just to have something to eat later in the day.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Bill talks with a student volunteer about Costa Rica and traveling. Jay sips on yet another cup of orange juice, at home, at least for a little while, at a table with his buddies.
The Center for Community Outreach, 405 Kansas Union, Is a volunteer clearinghouse for students who want to participate in community activities. (785) 864-4073, www.ku.edu/~coo
The Jubilee Café, 946 Vermont St. is a non-profit restaurant that serves breakfast to homeless and in-need members of the Lawrence community. www.ku.edu/~jubilee
The Lawrence Community Shelter, 214 W. $10^{\text{th}}$ St., provides shelter and support programs to homeless and in-need individuals. (785) 832-8864, www.lawenceshelter.org
Lawrence Interdenominational Nutritional Kitchen (LINK), 221 W. 10' *St.* serves lunch on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. (785) 331-3663, www.community.lawrence.com/link
The Salvation Army, 946 New Hampshire St., provides shelter and support to homeless individuals. The shelter is always accepting food donations and volunteers. (785) 843-4188
Social Service League, 905 Rhode Island St. runs a store of inexpensive clothing and other small items. It accepts volunteers and donations. (785) 843-5414, www.ssllawrence.org
12> JAYPLAY 02.23.2006