General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This message was self-deleted by its author [View all]daredtowork
(3,732 posts)If you give them $1000 (which probably still wouldn't be enough for an apartment plus first and last month rent around here), where will they get the rent next month? The landlord won't even rent them the place because they will want proof of regular incoming income.
I agree that faith in the future is an important part of helping people pull themselves out of poverty, but you can't just tell them they are thinking illogically and order them to have faith in the future. You have to look at why they are thinking the way they do. And often their thoughts ARE logical for their circumstances. They may not always put priorities in the same way a person who is looking at them from a better situation in life would want to impose priorities, but that does not make them less rational.
Let me give you an example. Let's say I have an appointment at the Department of Rehabilitation at 9:30 Monday. The counselor has a strict policy of not seeing you if you are 15 minutes late. Holding people to that standard is an important part of work readiness, and if you don't prioritize seeing that counselor and maximize your chances of getting that job, you are "illogical".
At 8am I am forced to call the pharmacist because they left me message before they closed on Saturday that they wouldn't have some antibiotic I needed for a procedure on Thursday. There was a phone tree and hold time - this bit of bureaucracy costs me 20 minutes. Because of this delay, I decide to take the bus, even though I can't afford it. However, the bus passes me because I was sitting down at the bus stop (I'm disabled). Therefore, I have to try to walk. My disability is such that the faster I try to walk, the more pain I'm in, but I know I know my "rationality" is being judged on this, so I push it any way. When I arrive, I am 18 minutes late and disheveled. The DoR counselor deigns to see me but lets me know she is making an exception and points out that I can't show up for work looking a mess.
Were the decisions I made irrational? Not from my perspective. But they were from the DoR's perspective, since they were projecting a list of priorities on to me with getting a job being at the top. However, in the moment, just getting to the appointment somehow was my priority, and I suffered a lot to get there.
True story, by the way. I have many similar ones.