Comment by khaki54 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by khaki54 | Hacker News Reader

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There is approx zero chance that you can get a homeless person to do labor for 20 minutes, let alone the 2-5 hours this would actually take. By and large homeless are in such despair that they won't invest in activities that will benefit them in the future.

If by some miracle this actually took off and all the bikes were now in use by homeless, non-paying customers, bike rental companies would implement blocking measures so they could actually get revenue.

If the author used his resources and energy deliberately to get even a single homeless person back on track through conventional means, it would have a better impact on the world than this which is probably a net negative, all things considered.

In America, about half of the homeless population is employed. "Homeless won't do labor" is a common misnomer.

I think you have a limited of view of what being homeless is actually like? Walking around 30 miles a day (because there is nothing else to do and, sometimes, you may otherwise freeze to death) with your belongings in a backpack isn't exactly easy.

> There is approx zero chance that you can get a homeless person to do labor for 20 minutes, let alone the 2-5 hours this would actually take.

And yet homeless people do labor. In fact routine living often requires much, much, much more labor when homeless, than when housed.

They even have jobs. I worked when I was homeless (but was fired when they found out). That was long ago. Since then it's more difficult to find work; job portals erased most job opportunities. Of the few folks willing to give you work, you have a segment who take advantage and act in bad faith.

Wow. What was their justification for firing you because of your lack of housing?

They didn't offer one. It came out I was living in my car and was told that day I wasn't needed any longer.

When I started working there I was still living in the home I was born into. One day my mom, sister and I were suddenly given 2 weeks to vacate (it's complicated).

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