For many years, the skilled trades and blue-collar positions, such as those in construction, have been considered a pathway to stability. Each job, no matter how small or meagerly compensated, has the potential to help one escape poverty.
However, for those who have experienced homelessness, the workforce barriers they face, especially in the trades, can make a steady job and paycheck elusive. While studies show that employers in the trades or manual-labor spaces like construction are more likely to hire homeless individuals than those in other sectors, stigma and other roadblocks remain.
For the unhoused, employment is rarely straightforward, and even if housing is secured, the road back to regular employment is often littered with obstacles. In the trades, construction and other “entry-friendly” sectors, homelessness remains a stigma and a formidable barrier to achieving financial stability.
As affordability and wage disparities continue to widen in the United States, we will see how economic systems have largely failed homeless Americans.
Evolving blue-collar challenges for the homeless
The reasons for homelessness are plentiful and can shift over time, depending on a variety of factors such as the job market, housing affordability or even the availability of affordable healthcare. Even if we factor in higher local or state minimum wages, people would have to work an average of 116 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market value in most areas of the country.
While the average blue-collar worker in America is paid around $25.00 an hour, many employers in the trades still rely on day laborers and underpaid help. Those who are experiencing homelessness or were recently unhoused may flock to these underpaid positions because of a lower barrier to entry. Although these roles may provide them with an income, however unsteady, these one-off, day-labor positions simply continue the cycle of poverty in most cases.
The issue has shifted from a short-term housing crisis to a long-term affordability and workforce access crisis. While the need for supportive services has not changed, the focus may have. Experts today understand that employment, healthcare, neurodivergence and community connection are all intertwined, leading to higher instances of homelessness.
Sustainable stability may depend on integrating not only employment pathways in the trades into initiatives to end homelessness but also other services such as mental health support and skills development.
Compounding employment barriers
Even when housing is secured and a person is working, there remain barriers to establishing a long-term position. Gaps in work history on one’s resume, a lack of reliable references, a lack of transportation, limited access to technology, skill sets that have fallen behind and health challenges can all contribute to ongoing issues with securing and keeping a job.
Housing instability is one of the most misunderstood pieces of the employment gap that can touch every facet of a person’s life, from getting enough sleep to staying physically safe, something imperative in many blue-collar jobs. Employers who see a lack of work history, lack of transportation or a spotty job history are likely to view a person as unreliable, or at least as a considerable risk when staffing a job site with tight deadlines for construction, plumbing, electrical or other blue-collar work.
The key to change may lie in education and teaching employers how to view this particular community. Instability can be a difficult hurdle to overcome, but it can also teach resilience, adaptability and resourcefulness. Employers may find that the “street smarts” the unhoused bring to the interview table may be a necessary asset for their organizations.
For example, a participant came to us after years of housing instability with a patchwork employment history and no recent references. But with targeted job readiness support and employer partnerships, he secured a full-time role in building maintenance. Within a year, he not only retained the job but also advanced into a higher-paying position, reinforcing how quickly perceived “risk” can translate into long-term reliability with the right support.
Stigma and rewriting the homelessness narrative
Stigma surrounding homelessness remains pervasive, shaping who may get hired for blue-collar roles on construction job sites or in warehouse positions. Employers in blue-collar positions may be more likely to associate homelessness with drug use, mental illness or interpersonal conflict. Despite programs that exist to provide job training, housing support and employment opportunities, employers may still be reluctant to hire those who have experienced homelessness for anything beyond a day-laborer position.
To vanquish stigma and rewrite the narrative, organizational leaders must make it a point to learn about homelessness and common workforce barriers. Employers need to see firsthand that many of the potential employees they are ready to dismiss are actually dependable, creative and committed people.
In some of our own cases, employers who were initially hesitant to hire individuals with lived experience of homelessness have become repeat partners after seeing outcomes firsthand. Once given the opportunity, many of these employees demonstrate strong attendance, adaptability and commitment, which helps shift assumptions over time.
By partnering with local nonprofits that provide job training and connections for unhoused individuals, employers can begin to reframe their view of the homeless population.
A workforce that understands homelessness
Various groups are working hard to change the narrative around homelessness. The conversation surrounding workforce gaps and homelessness has shifted from an emergency need to a deep dive into economic justice and belonging.
Being inclusive of all potential employees, including the unhoused, benefits not only the individual but also the economy as a whole. People who have personally experienced homelessness bring unique skills and perspectives to the working world. Eventually, those who are unhoused but were given the opportunity to work will change the face of work as we know it, lowering dependence on public assistance and filtering it back into the economy as formerly homeless people change their lives.
Ending homelessness for good isn’t just about providing people with a physical place to stay. It is instead about unlocking access for all. Only through fair wages, supportive workplaces in the trades and instilling the dignity that comes with meaningful work will the cycle of homelessness and job insecurity be broken.
Tori Lyon is the Chief Executive Officer of Jericho Project, a New York City–based nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness through permanent supportive housing and comprehensive, person-centered services. She has been with the organization since 1996. Under her leadership, the organization has developed more than 550 units of permanent supportive housing, launched a nationally recognized Veterans Initiative, and significantly expanded its reach—more than quadrupling the number of people served since 2010.
Opinion pieces from industry experts, analysts or our editorial staff do not necessarily represent the opinions of Fierce Network & Broadband Nation.