Waiting...and waiting...but at least it's nice weather here in Phoenix

Last week, Phoenix experienced a severe cold snap. Overnight temperatures were in the freezing range, and daytime highs struggled to reach the 40s and 50s. Pipes froze and burst and people's cars were sliding on black ice. not a fun time - but this week, things have greatly improved, and daytime temperatures are now flirting with the lower 80s. This is what Arizona should be like.

At the present time, I am basically waiting for someone to hire me. I have sent on average 10-15 resumes a week since the beginning of December. From those, not one actual interview, and I had to turn down one call center job  prior to the interview because the hours were too early for me to get to the jobsite on the bus.

However, I am highly hopeful, as I have sent about 7 or 8 graphic design/production-related resumes in the last two weeks, which in my opinion is a phenomenal and encouraging number. I am still waiting to hear from those, and hopefully I'll be able to post a "breaking news" update.

The remainder of the positions I am applying for are telephone customer service jobs (my "secondary" industry). At least one company rejected my application, which is discouraging as those type of jobs many times will take almost anyone off the street. One thing hurting me is that I never stay in these jobs longer than a year, and employers are looking for some stability, especially the "better" ones in this field. But I'm thinking that it's a "numbers game" and someone will take a chance on me based on my skills and training.

Waiting for a job to open up - and I am moderately confident someone will hire me at all at the age of 43 - is, in the words of Tom Petty, "the hardest part" of this current homeless experience, because until then I am stuck in CASS, stuck with a handful of people who are making an effort to improve their lives and get back on track, but also stuck with so many, many more people who may never work another day in their lives - and some who don't plan on doing so, as they expect to live on disability payments and subsidized housing. So many other homeless people I have met just don't seem to care and prefer to smoke spice and consume other drugs of choice and sleep on the streets, under freeway overpasses, and they are content with that. They seem to have given up on life. This is tragic and sad.

Therefore, as much as possible, I leave the Human Services Campus and the surrounding area for a few hours every day. Having a monthly bus pass is very critical to this, as well as having food stamps and money to get breakfast and lunch away from this environment, and be among "regular" people as much as possible. I like to go the the main library in downtown Phoenix as well as the Chandler Library, the Tempe library and the Mustang Library in north Scottsdale. I eat food in the various supermarkets, but it would be nice to have actual money sometimes for a burger.

There is some degree of urgency as my stay in CASS is limited to a maximum of 180 days, and the target time for employment is 90 days, so hopefully something will happen for me as we move into February.

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How you can help:

Donate to my page on GoFundMe:

http://www.gofundme.com/1h55l0

Also consider a purchase from my online stores:

http://www.cafepress.com/msreedstore/8804422
This features Michael Sheldon Reed branded items!


http://www.scribd.com/doc/109413184/Never-Be-Afraid

http://www.scribd.com/doc/109414338/We-Are-All-Related

http://www.scribd.com/doc/109465740/Take-the-Road
These are my downloadable art posters in PDF format.

Thanks and stay tuned for updates.

Waiting

I'll post a more detailed update in the next couple of days. Right now I'm hanging in there. I am still staying at CASS and simply waiting...waiting for a lot of things to come through, most notably a new JOB, whatever that is. Several resumes and appplications are outstanding. In the meanwhile, I'm still taking donations. Even $5 will help. Biggest needs: (besides a job): money to do laundry. I can get it done for free at Andre House, but doing it at a laundromat or at CASS in our laundry room is 25 times easier. Also, I would like to get another monthly bus pass soon (about $28) and a few bucks to get lunch and various supplies (earplugs, deodorant...you'd be surprised how important the little things are when you are homeless.)

More to come, stay tuned.