Many people across the US have it rough, as insurance premiums and everyday goods prices have shot up over the past two years. But some people have it even rougher, such as one 26-year-old Washington man who is employed yet homeless. He moved from Houston to Seattle at the start of 2025, as he was originally from Washington state. With around a decade of customer service experience and a background in audio engineering and music production, he still struggled to make ends meet in Texas.
However, after moving to Seattle, things didn’t get any better. Posting to r/SeattleWA, he shared his story about starting at a pet hotel, which didn’t pay too badly compared to Texas, but “That job is exactly why the system had nothing for me,” he explains. Every organization or resource in the city for homeless people “runs on a schedule that assumes you don’t work.” In other words, he couldn’t get the help he needed because he had to work to support himself. “That’s not a scheduling conflict, that’s being locked out completely,” he exclaimed.
Many places assume that, because he’s homeless, he must be addicted to alcohol or drugs, which he claims he’s not. “That’s the part that’s hard to sit with. The thing that was supposed to mean I shouldn’t be in this situation, having a job, being sober, actually trying, is the same thing that disqualified me from getting any help,” he complains. Despite doing his best to get on his feet, the system treats him as someone who’s “unqualified” for assistance as a homeless person.
The homeless Washington continues, sharing details about what his day-to-day life looks like, as well as how no one he works with or meets assumes he doesn’t live in a home, as they do. “Can’t be the only person who’s hit this exact wall, the too functional to qualify but not functional enough to actually be okay thing,” he concludes.
Fortunately, the comment section was full of people sharing resources that could come in handy for the man’s situation. From free showers and food kitchens to YMCA recommendations, everyone did their best to send suggestions and positivity with OP. That said, it’s a sad reality with how Seattle’s system for helping the homeless is set up. In summary, as one person puts it plainly, “It’s a real catch-22 that you need regular work in order to get back on your feet yet the demands of that same work render the social services you’d otherwise rely on inaccessible.”
