What about your personality would make you stand out among your peers? Have you ever been told something like you're very kind, caring, thoughtful, something like that?
Homeless people w/phones? That is a new one for me.
I feel like most homeless people have phones because its kind of necessary for life in this day and age.
And clarifying misconceptions like this is what the OP can bring to the class.
Yea possessing a phone at some point is one thing. Holding onto a phone and not pawning it for drugs or sex or a place to sleep is something else.And clarifying misconceptions like this is what the OP can bring to the class.
The vast majority (94%) currently owned a cell phone, although there was considerable past 3-month turnover in phones (56%) and phone numbers (55%). More than half currently owned a smartphone, and 86% of those used Android operating systems.
Studies examining cell phone use among homeless populations have found surprisingly high rates of ownership. For example, a study of East Coast homeless youth found that 78% of their sample owned a cell phone and half of these youth received the phone as a gift, whereas 44% purchased the phone themselves (Jennings et al., 2016). Among a sample of West Coast homeless youth, Rice et al. (2011a) found that 62% of young people owned a cell phone and of these, 40% reported having a working phone. Similarly, rates of mobile phone ownership among homeless youth in Colorado revealed that approximately 47% of these young people owned a phone (Harpin, Davis, Low, & Gilroy, 2016). In terms of phone payment plans, 38% of all youth reported having a monthly contract for their phone, 23% purchased minutes for their phone as needed, and the remainder of youth did not own a cell phone (Rice et al., 2011a).
If you've got a phone you have paid off, it's much more valuable as a device to access the internet and contact people than it is as currency. Pawning jewelry makes sense, you can't eat a ring. Pawning a phone that you need to get a job or find a soup kitchen or call 911 is less likely. Homeless people aren't idiots who only care about drugs and sex. They're people who are struggling, and many homeless people actually have jobs. You can get a basic phone plan or minutes for super cheap, and it's much more valuable than you realize.
1. That's not what I said
1. That's what your comment insinuates - that they value drugs/sex over having a phone.
Now you're getting bogged down in the details. The question is how many homeless people possess and hold onto a cell phone.
Typically shelters only have one phone line and it is for staff
Having a job does not mean you can afford health insurance or doctor visits. The types of places that are willing to employ homeless people are not exactly white collar 9-5 jobs.I realize that phones are essential to networking, obtaining gainful employment, and being somebody in the real world. No one has to explain this to me. However the facts are that you just plain don't see homeless people walking around with phones (especially smartphones). Whether they hide them in their pockets/pantlegs/hats/etc. remains to be seen
Also re: the original post, if the homeless person has a job, they likely already have access to/ability to afford resources like health insurance, sliding scale clinics/regular doctor's offices, suicide hotlines, and transportation to mental health clinics that can hook them up w/more comprehensive social services (through a case worker).
Well you have to pick a side. Either homeless people are worthless addicts who pawn their phones at the drop of a hat, or they all have jobs and access to the resources you mentioned above. Maybe there's a middle ground, but you're contradicting your earlier post:
Like I am aware that it is valuable to own a phone. Ok. Also aware that eating a ring is not the greatest idea, and can tear up your insides unless you just pass it...if a homeless person gets a job, they're going to probably invest in housing first, not a phone. And then they're no longer homeless.shotgunlagoon said:
Those studies were examining current possession of a phone (not necessarily a smart phone). A large portion of these people end up with different phones/numbers, but that could be because they were using a cheap disposable flip phone, or had another working phone come into their possession (e.g. through gifting, federal/state programs, etc.). What's important is that despite this turnover, a large ("surprisingly high") portion of homeless people had a phone with them when these studies were conducted, presumably when cell phone possession was at a 'steady state'. I can only hope that the different research groups did not conduct their surveys shortly after Oprah-style phone giveaways in their respective regions. And given that many people also purchased their phone themselves, I suspect their phone is for personal use rather than to sell/exchange the now-used phone for something of greater monetary value.
Huh, you been to nyc? The homeless watch movies all the time and hook up their phones on link city WiFi. It’s very common in shelters that I’ve worked at all throughout the city, to see those who are homeless with phones. Even those sleeping on trains pop out a smartphone, from their bag when others aren’t looking to protect themselves from being a target. I’ve been homeless and had one.I realize that phones are essential to networking, obtaining gainful employment, and being somebody in the real world. No one has to explain this to me. However the facts are that you just plain don't see homeless people walking around with phones (especially smartphones). Whether they hide them in their pockets/pantlegs/hats/etc. remains to be seen
Also re: the original post, if the homeless person has a job, they likely already have access to/ability to afford resources like health insurance, sliding scale clinics/regular doctor's offices, suicide hotlines, and transportation to mental health clinics that can hook them up w/more comprehensive social services (through a case worker).
