Homelessness: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

When I was the assistant manager of the local KFC, on nights when I'd have the closing shift, I'd keep the store open for an extra couple of hours, after the rest of the staff had finished up and gone home. Why? Because there were homeless people who were digging through our trash, looking for food that was perfectly edible but had been thrown away for different reasons (it needed to be sold or discarded by the end of the day, it needed to be sold or discarded for so long after it was cooked and held at temp, etc.). Before I'd started working there, they were coming into the area where we stored our garbage bins outside and rummaging around inside of them, looking for something -- anything -- to eat. So what did I do? On nights that I'd close the store, I'd finish everything like normal, put away all the money, make sure the restaurant was clean, the staff had finished their jobs and cleaned their stations properly, and then send the staff home. And instead of locking up the store, I'd let the 20-or-so homeless people in the town (it's a pretty small town comparatively speaking to Seattle and Tacoma, which are only a few dozen miles away) come inside the store. I'd have set aside the food that we hadn't sold or were supposed to have thrown away for the length of my shift, and I'd pass that out to them, along with cups to get something to drink from the fountain. I'd let them sit in the dining area and rest for a little while, so they could relax and charge their phones. I'd leave the bathrooms open so they could relieve themselves. And when they were finished, and after they'd had a good meal, I'd tell them they had to be out of the store by midnight, and every single one of them would be out of the store by midnight; no complaints, no fighting, no arguing. Just people grateful to have been treated like people. I've told people this before. And the first question most people ask is, "Weren't you worried about being robbed?" And the truth of the matter is, I wasn't. All of the money had been put away in the safe and was untouchable. All of the food that was there was being given freely. There was no reason for any of them to want to rob the store or me. And after they'd leave the store, I'd go back over the areas where they'd been sitting, clean the surfaces again, clean the bathrooms again, make sure there wasn't a trace they'd ever been there, and lock up the store properly. Before I started working there, there had been a couple of break-ins at night in the months prior to my hiring, one person had been robbed at gunpoint, and our trash cans were being raided almost every night. After I was hired, there was nothing; no attempted break-ins, no violence towards the staff, and the trash cans were kept clean. Hell, most days, we wouldn't even need to clean the parking lot of the detritus that normally accumulates. It would be spotless every morning after I'd finished my shift. I gave up about two hours of my life every night, five nights a week. In return, a couple dozen people or so were happier, they were more able to get back onto their feet with a hot meal in their bellies, and our store was safer and cleaner than ever. There's no downside to helping those who are less fortunate than yourself. After all, you're here to make the world a better place for those unborn and yet to come. That starts with at least a little decency and respect for your fellow human. Good luck out there, people. [EDIT 11/18/2021] Wow, this is getting a lot more attention that I expected a comment on YouTube would get. Since I wrote this, there've been new comments virtually every single day, so I feel like it's a good time to address some of them (feel free to let me know if there is anything in this addendum that wasn't covered or you'd like answered; I'll take the time to respond when I can). - I didn't get fired for this, and the owner of the franchise never addressed what I was doing while I was working there. I eventually left this job because the owner (who is also the manager of the KFC) had unreasonable expectations of staff when it came to coming in to work on days off, when other people had called out, because there was a snow storm and the store should have been closed for the safety of staff and patrons. If he ever discovered what I was doing, he never mentioned it directly to me, and there was never any inquest done that I'm aware of. - If there had been any official investigation about what I was doing, I would have happily fought like hell against any sort of reprimand or punishment for not only doing what was right, but also doing what made sense. Our garbage bill was based on weight; if less food is being disposed of needlessly, then there is less garbage to be thrown away. Quod erat demonstrandum: Whatever was spent on additional detergent, soap, paper towels, and toilet paper used in excess of normal business operations was offset by the additional savings from giving away literal hundreds of pounds less of "garbage" (i.e. perfectly edible food that was otherwise set to be disposed of because it couldn't be sold to the public). - What I did doesn't actually cross any legal lines when it comes to food safety. If you're unsure about this, there is a program on Food Waste by Last Week Tonight that covers "Good Samaritan" laws in accordance with food. It's actually not illegal to give people food that has passed its mandated expiration (in accordance with food safety / ServSafe guidelines); it's only illegal to make people PAY for food that has passed its mandated expiration, because that is then false advertising (as in, selling an inferior product for the normal price despite the product being inferior in some way to what is expected by the customer). - I've tried to go through and make sure that everyone who spoke in agreement or support of what I did received a like for their comment, just so you know that I see you, I respect you, and I appreciate that you took the time to respond. That's important in today's world. It's a lot easier to voice concerns and criticism, but stay silent when you approve of something. It's worth remembering that, if you want to foster good, encouragement goes a long way. Never be afraid to let yourself be heard. Still wishing you all nothing but the best. Stay safe out there!

My mom and I were homeless when I was a child. It was genuinely one of the most traumatic things that ever happened to me, she had to fight tooth and nail to get housing, and I almost ended up in foster care. We’re all closer to being homeless than we are to being millionaires.

Playing "it's raining tacos" to annoy and harass sleeping homeless people is an especially cruel song to play to people who very probably do not have access to daily food sources.

As a formally homeless woman, I can also add the complication of just being female. Period products can be very difficult to come across and a lot of shelters and programs are run by religious organizations that aren’t really all that interested in helping homeless women. Thank you for shining such a bright light on serious topics.

One thing John didn't get into, but could have mentioned: How we treat those of us without homes also affects domestic violence in a big way. If you don't have a way to leave a situation without risking freezing to death on the streets, you'll stay, even if that involves getting beaten regularly.

I’m currently living in my car. I have a job at Wendy’s working as much as I can. I want to get a second job but my driver’s license is listed as my previous apartment where I was evicted from. I can’t update my license because of the real i.d act which requires me to have a physical address. I have a P.O. Box that I thought I could use, but that doesn’t count anymore (at least in Florida). Without that drivers license I’m stuck in the single job making enough money to eat fast food and live in my car barely. If I ever have a medical emergency or a car accident/theft I’m screwed. My town has 3 shelters, two of which are women or family’s only and the last one has such a big problem with theft and vandalism that I won’t touch it with a ten foot pole. Hell I just got the vaccine because I needed to have a valid i.d just to get it till recently. Thank you for shining a light on this John

My wife was homeless at one point. She worked 3 jobs and put herself through law school while couch surfing and depending on the kindness of strangers. People desperately misunderstand the state of homelessness in this country.

"You wear your bias like a badge of honor when you see my history. You judge me for having children, for needing assistance. You hate me for wanting the stability you take for granted and why, because you didn't like looking the other way when you saw me on the street or is it simply because I make you uncomfortable and your discomfort is enough to disqualify a person from the American dream." -kiana Scott Powerful words. Excuse my terrible grammar i was just disappointed I didn't see anyone else mention her.

To all of the team at Last Week Tonight THANK YOU! This is the first time a national show has addressed how public perceptions influence policy change. The show also hit every talking point those of us working in the sector try to communicate. We are grateful. YOU ARE AWESOME!

Screaming "go home" at homeless people might be the single most idiotic thing I've ever heard about.

“Far too often stories focusing on homelessness only talk about how it affect people with homes when it is the people without the homes who need help” That absolutely blew my mind, spot on with the accuracy

The concept of "homeless veterans" really tells a thing. If they do not respect enough their so-called heroes to grant them decent living conditions, I can't even imagine how rthey think of the rest of people that, for one reason or another, find themselves in a situation of indebtedness or just not making enough money to pay rent

As someone who was homeless its absolutely the most dehumanizing I've ever experienced. I was beat multiple times while sleeping, sometimes from police sometimes just random people, had food and drinks thrown on me, had the police cut my sleeping bag into pieces, and even now that I own my own company work every day and support my family and in fact own a house I've been mocked or shamed by people who found out. I am just as human now as I was then and yet stray dogs are treated with more kindness than I ever was

As a veteran myself, it really grinds my gears that we have those in government, who don’t dare increase spending on social programs but have ZERO hesitancy to increase spending on the military, police, and jails/prison. Their excuse to not supporting social programs seems to always be “we cannot afford it.” Problem is we can afford it. We just have our priorities out of whack.

I was a caregiver to my father for 5 years until he passed away due to Parkinson's disease and related dementia. I suffer from childhood ptsd as well. Since my father's house was sold, I've been sleeping in my car with my dogs at rest stops and inexpensive federal campgrounds, the latter with a half-price discount access card. To enter a shelter, I've been told I must give up my dogs—who are often the only thing keeping me going. I wouldn't give up on my Dad and I won't give up on my dogs. I made a commitment to them, and I won't break it. I don't do drugs, I don't smoke or drink. I live this way because I'm on disability and can't afford to rent anywhere that allows dogs, and I have no rental history and at the time of my Dad's death, I was credit invisible. Homelessness isn't a choice—you become homeless due to a lack of choices.

I just left an abusive marriage and am now living in my parents' basement. I never even considered that I am homeless due to domestic abuse. What an eye-opening moment for me. Thank you, John Oliver. And I know that I am lucky enough to have a soft place to lay my head being with my parents, but it is not where I want to be, and I am not in a position to afford my own home at this time.

My wife and I were homeless and addicted to meth and heroin for 5+ years. Then we finally got a housing voucher through Boulder Housing Partners in Colorado in jan 2019 with this same exact housing first model. Now on Christmas of 2021 we have had our apartment for almost 3 whole years! I'm working. We have 2 vehicles and our drivers licenses (something I had never had until now). We have been sober for 2+ years and my wife's 2 daughters (my step daughters) just moved in on the 6th permanently and we just had our first Christmas as a real family. The housing first model absolutely works! Especially if you want to better your situation. I do understand from being on the streets for so long that some people just aren't ready to start healing yet but one of the main reasons for that is because your still experiencing hardship on a daily basis. Once that is eliminated (as much as it can be) it can give people the motivation and hope and resources they need to want to get better.

"despite Tyra's best efforts, homelessness is still a huge problem in this country" almost got me killed...

Fun fact: raccoon turds can look like they came from a human. When a tent city springs up, the amount of animal-accessible food goes up, making a trash panda population boom possible. People don't generally poop on your lawn, homeless or not, but I swear raccoons do it just to screw with you.

"Far too often, stories focusing on homelessness are presented solely through the lens of how it affects those with homes, when, in reality, it is obviously the people without them who need the real help." ~John Oliver