So I worked for a non profit as a homeless youth advocate and was communicating with a young client about how they should have realistic expectations regarding getting their own apartment on the wages they were making.
It was this kids first job. They were working at burgerville…partime. there was no way in hell they could have afforded an apartment in Portland Oregon at that time. Especially because this happened during the highest rental increase in the city's history. My rent literally doubled in that year alone.
The conversation went like this:
I said that I'm a professional on salary and even I can't even afford my own place because I don't make enough money too and that they would be making less than me.
I Got called into the office and was reprimanded for making the company “look bad”.
I said “what makes this company look bad is the fact we make wages low enough that we qualify for the services we are offering homeless youth”.
2 months later I was let go. Haven't done social work since.