[MikeSid]

As a teenager I worked in a grocery store bagging groceries and stocking shelves. Early on Saturday morning when the bread trucks were still there, a guy walks up to the manager and offers to sweep the parking lot. He wasn't asking for a job application and just said he'd take whatever the manager thought was fair to sweep the lot. He was a little "off" but seemed honest and genuine upon first meeting.

So the guy sweeps the entire lot clean as a whistle and the manager pays him out of his own pocket and tells him to come back next Saturday. He does and this goes on for several weeks until a job opens up in the meat department cleaning up after the butchers - a messy entry level task paid at 4 hours per day. The guy gladly takes the opportunity.

Fast forward 1.5 years and this guy (who still seems pretty off) is working night crew 40 hours a week stocking shelves and is a dues paying UFCW member with healthcare benefits and vacation time. This was the peak of his employment. He lasted in the job for almost a year and then got fired. He started making mistakes, then slacking off and finally missing work. He had "Petered" out and couldn't handle the job.

I always found his experience both inspiring and tragic. It was a good thing for teenage me to see first hand. He was given a chance, but couldn't make it last for whatever reason. That, to me, is the homeless situation in a nutshell. Social programs can help and are necessary. But for some, it just won't work no matter what.

I also think of this guy every time I see someone holding a "will work..." sign. This guy wanted a job and got one. And he didn't get it by holding a sign.