> I think it's why a lot of people view the poor as lazy (because obviously if they weren't lazy, they wouldn't be poor, right?).
There's a sleeps-on-the-street homeless guy living in my neighborhood. I talk to him on occasion. A couple days ago he said he was bored off his ass, and that he was thinking of getting a part time job. I did not verbally respond to his potential quest for employment, but I did find myself wondering how he'd pull that off. He's perpetually drunk & unshowered. I doubt he could get a job if he wanted one. Are there any attainable jobs for an alcoholic who doesn't have a shower to use?
Lots of outside work, depending on locale. Lawn mowing (depending on the type of alcoholic. Best not to contribute to lost fingers or toes), ditch digging, etc.
Dumpster diving (if it's still worth while, which it might not be).[1] If you're serious about it, it's not really any less of a job than those American Pickers guys.[2]
There's lots of jobs out there, especially if you widen your criteria for "job".
1: I had an interesting run-in with a homeless man at a taco truck almost two decades ago. He was in clean clothes, had a bike with a trailer, and was trying to sell a 49ers jacket. My friends and I started talking to him and he explained that he found a few of the jackets in a dumpster behind one of the big sports stores around, and had a few other things to sell too. He explained that he and a few friends actually had a fairly nice camp (carpeted areas, make-shift shower with water in the day through solar of some sort, DVD player with TV hooked up to solar trickle cell). He camped a little outside the stalled development of a local apartment complex, where they had an agreement with the developers that they could stay there and they would keep people from squatting in the partially completed complex so it didn't sustain damage. He said he was on disability from the military, and liked living outdoors, but would probably rent an apartment for the winter with his girlfriend and friend. Honestly, I left the interaction feeling a little envious of his freedom.
Not many that I can think of. Look out for local drug dealers?
Possible he could find a job that includes access to a shower. I know of once case where that has occurred. It was a job in a warehouse and there were showers and change rooms he could use. I believe he was actually provided with an unused room tucked away somewhere where could stay overnight before someone higher up in the company found out about it and put an end to that arrangement.
"Perpetually drunk" is more difficult and likely a deal breaker.
Finding a shower no, but depending on how long he's been an alcoholic getting sober could be a different story, and alcohol withdrawal is one of the few withdrawals that can be fatal and frequently requires medical supervision
There's a sleeps-on-the-street homeless guy living in my neighborhood. I talk to him on occasion. A couple days ago he said he was bored off his ass, and that he was thinking of getting a part time job. I did not verbally respond to his potential quest for employment, but I did find myself wondering how he'd pull that off. He's perpetually drunk & unshowered. I doubt he could get a job if he wanted one. Are there any attainable jobs for an alcoholic who doesn't have a shower to use?