why don't they just get a job?

Previously, I mentioned my work with AECH, a faith-based group dedicated to ending chronic homelessness in Wichita.

One of the criticisms that AECH members frequently hear is that people wouldn't be homeless if they would just get a job. In reality, most homeless people want to work, but for one reason or another -- or for a combination of reasons -- they have been unable to hold steady employment.

What are some of these reasons?

• Lack of education or transferable skills
  
• Mental illness
  
• Inability to adjust to civilian life after serving in a war
  
• Drug abuse or alcoholism
  
• Past criminal record
  

These and many other factors can keep a person from holding a steady job. Becoming homeless only exacerbates the problem. If you're homeless...

• You don't have a bathroom. You can't shower or groom for an interview.
  
• You don't have an address. Employers can't contact you to set up an interview.
  
• People don't know where to find you. They can't help you get the skills you need.
  

Why don't they just get a job? The answers are varied, as varied as the individuals who find themselves with no place to lay their heads. Their situations are as unique as each individual is. But the reality is that in a nation where one out of every seven people lives in poverty, it is inevitable that some people won't be able to keep the bills paid, won't be able to keep a roof over their heads.

If the answer were as easy as creating enough jobs to keep everyone fully employed, that's what we would do. But it's not as simple as that. There's no magic cure. If people are going to move from chronic homelessness to steady employment, they will need help getting there. That's why AECH has proposed to build a 24/7 transitional center with support services available. The first step in solving the problem is understanding the problem to be solved.

Why don't they just get a job? This facility is the first step toward helping them do just that.