The Official Modest Needs Blog

Jobs & Gas: Can't Win for Losing

Take a gander at a hard-to-take lead line from a story about the current economy:

"Gasoline rose to a five-week high after two reports showed the U.S. labor market may be stronger, indicating that job growth may accelerate in the second half of the year and fuel demand will improve."

Let that sentiment sit with you for a moment.

Kinda messed up, isn't it? Just when people are slowly starting to get back on their feet, the fuel they put into their cars to get them to their new jobs becomes more expensive. Two steps forward, one step back?

I understand the concept of supply and demand, but I also understand the drive for the most profits possible. The two ideas are certainly compatible, but that doesn't make the fact that as people are getting new jobs gas prices are climbing any easier to stomach.

In a recession, people often take jobs a much farther distance than they would normally take, just so that they can have some income. Take a job 45 miles away, add in an increase in gas prices, and you've got one frustrated new worker.

For the working poor, there is too frequently this "can't win for losing" trap that prevents them from moving forward. It is expensive to be poor.

[Which is why the Modest Needs New Employment grant is so great. And hand up for people who just need a little lift to get back on their feet.]

Have any of opted not to take a job because it would cost too much to commute there? Let's hear your stories.

[Photo by Dave Wild]

Can You Afford Gas to Get to Your Job Interview?

When people say, as they often do, "People are poor because of the bad choices they make," I get irritated. Okay, fine, I get irate. The fact of the matter is that poverty is a trap, an almost irreversible one, and one that a vast majority of people are born into. As the saying goes, "It's expensive to be poor."

Take for instance this tale of an Illinois woman who, due to rising gas prices, sometimes literally cannot afford to drive to job interviews:

Before a recent job interview, Alicia Madison climbed into her 2001 Ford Explorer and realized her gas tank was empty, just like her bank account.

Unable to afford gas for the 25-mile round trip from her Glen Ellyn home to the Naperville business, Madison was forced to reschedule. She now relies on gas vouchers issued by a nonprofit agency to drive to interviews.

[...]

"If you have to work two hours just to pay for the gas to and from work, that's a big disincentive," Savage said. "It certainly narrows down your job search."

For people like Chicagoan Nicole Harris, 42, who lost her job more than a year ago, soaring fuel costs have changed the calculus of unemployment. Harris lives in Hyde Park, and when she sees job openings now, she asks herself a series of questions: How much am I going to make? How much will I spend on transportation? Can I commute, or will I need to relocate?

Most of the jobs in her field — instructional design — are located in suburbs. Since losing her job, she has subsisted on contract work, but her last short-term position barely covered the cost of the commute, she said.

This is what I mean by trap. Once you are without an income, behind on bills or struggling to make ends meet, it can be a vicious fight to get oneself out of the hole.

How about you? Have you been unable to afford the gas that would get you to a job interview? We want to hear from you below.

[Photo by Guy Haley]

The High Cost of High Cost Gasoline

The segment of the population that Modest Needs serves are, by and large, those who live from paycheck to paycheck. Those for whom an unexpected expense, especially a large one, can cause everything to unravel.

For some people, that might be the ever rising cost of gasoline. Especially if the only work they can find is 45 miles away. Or if the only vehicle they can afford is an old one and not the most fuel efficient. Or if a sick child or family obligation requires many hours on the road. That 4+ dollars a gallon can cause an unforeseen slip into poverty that can be impossible to escape.

And while taking public transit, moving closer to work, opting to bike or trading in your car might be a wise option for some, it simply isn't reasonable for others, many of whom have budgets so tight they could snap at any moment.

So, tell us: How much is the cost of gas in your area? How much has it increased? And how is it affecting the finances of you and your family. We'd love to hear from you in the comments.

[Photo by Marshall Astor]

The Trikescapades: A Story with a Happy Ending

Today, a little story about human kindness and community generosity that will warm even the coldest, blackest hearts.

Ten days ago the Application of the Day was from a wife whose husband suffers from MS. They had traded in a life insurance policy so that they could buy a recumbent trike, a vehicle that allowed this man to be independent, healthy and mobile. It changed his life for the better, in numerous ways. Until that trike was stolen.

 

The request from his loving wife was truly touching--it's obvious how much she cares for her spouse and was upset over the loss of quality of life.

Much to the delight of the staff here at Modest Needs, we recieved a phone call from the wife to let us know she'd like her request pulled from our site. That is because after she wrote about the stolen trike in her local paper, a t.v. news station picked up the story. That piece generated enough donations that this couple now has two recumbent trikes. Now this couple can ride together.

Watch these touching video stories about how the town of Des Moine stepped up to aid a neighbor in his time of need. You'll be happy you did.

 

Gas Prices Climb at Christmas Time

Outside of only the most urban of areas, people depend on their cars to survive. The majority of families and individuals must have a vehicle if they want to be able to remain healthy, feed themselves, get an education or remain employed. Cars are crucial for most Americans--without one they don't have a livelihood.

At Modest Needs, we see a great number of people who are seeking help in order to remain or become mobile. Maintaining a vehicle can be very expensive, and the largest of those expenses is the gas that makes them go.

Unfortunately, gas prices are back on the rise. Motorists are pulling up to ever increasing fuel prices at the pump, and some analysts think a gallon will be $3 or more by Christmas time. In some places it already is.

The timing couldn't be worse. People are still struggling with unemployment in a recession that isn't going away any time soon, and higher gas prices are only going to cause more desperation for those already digging their way out.

When you feel inclined to give this season, why not reach a hand out to a hard-working person who is on the brink of losing a vehicle? Or to someone who is driving on dangerously bald tires? Or to a father whose broken car is keeping him from getting to work? You can browse requests for help by keyword, and forever change the life of a family in need.

So, how much is gas where you live? And have you seen fuel prices jump drastically in recent days?

We want to hear from you.

[Photo by Jessica Mullen]

How One Man "Pays it Forward"

This video is from a couple of years ago, but the message is as inspiring and as relevant today as it was then. CNN profiles a man who, at random, fills the tanks of drivers who stop in at a local Chevron for gas. All he asks in return is that the do something nice for someone else.

Watch and smile:

The Cost of Driving on the Working Poor

This week we addressed the topic of car dependency and public transportation and how these things affect lower income families in this country. I asked that the Modest Needs community share its primary mode of transportation in this poll, and 63% of you who responded (thank you!) use a vehicle as the number one way to get around. [See results of the poll.] 

Just in browsing through the application at Modest Needs, so many of which are requests to help fix cars that are crucial for their livelihoods, but so in disrepair that they are risking their lives by continuing to drive, that providing transportation services to those in car-dependent areas will help the working poor by directly impacting their access to basic necessities: education, jobs, medical services, social services and more.

Here are an assortment of stats on public transit and the working poor:

• For every dollar spent on this [public] transit, rural communities reap about 3.1 dollars in benefits. [source]
• The poorest fifth of Americans spend 42% of their annual household budget on the purchase, operation, and maintenance of automobiles, more than twice as much as the national average. [source]
• According to the Federal Transit Administration, two-thirds of all new jobs are in the suburbs while three-quarters of welfare recipients live in central cities or rural areas. [source]
• Low income people typically have older cars and unexpected repair costs.  Because of credit problems, they are often subjected to sub-prime loans with higher interest rates.  These predatory lending schemes could result in car repossession, worsening credit, and a lack of transportation to work. [source]
  
• Over 90% of former welfare recipients do not have access to a car. [source]
  
• While cities like New York and Washington, DC have extensive rail and bus systems that provide late night and weekend service, most metropolitan areas typically do not offer adequate services during second and third shift hours. [source]
  

But more compelling than numbers, are the shared stories from commenters about how car dependency affects their lives:

I lived without a car for over fifteen years while paying off loans from college, and supporting myself. I have no family that I'm in contact with (abuse history), and have supported myself the whole way. The only way I was able to survive the carless years was that I was single and childless, and at that point not disabled. It was horrendous. Most mass transit companies have cut back service to the point where no buses run after 7:00 PM, so if you work late and miss the last bus, you're out of luck. Service for the disabled is frequently horrible, i.e. in Sacramento, people who require seats or who are in wheelchairs can be denied service at any time if the bus or train is "too crowded"...

The answer isn't simple. Nashville put in the Music City Star, a rail system that transported workers, primarily, from the suburbs to the downtown area. Despite density in population in that area, the train never really took off. It's often only filled to 10 or 15% capacity, even at busy times of the day. Perhaps that transit system isn't broad enough to motivate people to go completely car free, because well, the area is too spread out. People *must* have a car, so they might as well drive it for the convenience, even if a train is available.

Are you happy with your transit situation? Do you wish you had better access to public transit? Would you support the building of mass transit in your area with an increase in taxes? Or could you never give up your car?

Speak up below.

[Photo by Michelle Brea]

How Do You Get Around?

When I lived in Nashville, I had a job as a server at a bistro a mere two miles from my house. Despite the relatively short distance to my place of employment, I never once walked to work. Not once.

I couldn't have even if I wanted to. Even if it was the weather was perfect, I'd have had to amble down a four lane highway with no sidewalk, dodging oncoming traffic and loose gravel spit in my face.

Then I'd have to walk on the freeway overpass.

After that lovely stretch of road, I'd have to navigate a 3-lane exit ramp with no pedestrian pathway to speak of. No, thank you. Especially not in the dead of summer. Or winter. Or in the rain.

Unfortunately, without a car, this is the option for most people. The sad fact is that most areas in the United States are not friendly to people who wish to walk. Sidewalks are scarce, especially the more rural the area. Most towns in this country are car-dependent communities that all but require a vehicle. Often more than one per family.

Cars, often times, are not optional, and they certainly aren't cheap. The cost of gas, insurance, repairs, maintenance, tolls and more add up fast, especially for low-income families, who now more than ever live in increasingly rural regions that require a car.

A large number of Modest Needs applications come from people who are driving cars in dangerous disrepair or who can't get to work due to a break down or who can't afford a new truck after an accident, but they have no choice. They have to get to and from work, and without a car, that can be nearly impossible. Taking the bus can take hours, if it comes at all. Even in big cities like Los Angeles, citizens must sit in grueling traffic due to a lack of public transit options.

We are going to talk more about transportion, poverty, and car-dependency in future post, but first I'd like to take a poll to get an idea of how the Modest Needs community gets around:

Thanks for your participation, friends!

[Photo by Geof Wilson]