Oaklanders Hard-Pressed to Find Housing Even with Minimum Wage Jobs
Stacey Harris is on a mission to provide for himself and his son in this challenging economy. As a single father who is also struggling to find stable and affordable housing, securing a good job makes all the difference. Harris and his son are among the thousands of Oaklanders who have been homeless. He and his some have sometimes stayed with friends.
Along his journey to find stable employment, Harris has visited the career center at the Oakland Private Industry Council (PIC) where counselors provided him with support for resume development, transportation costs, and encouragement while he looked for stable work. With help from the PIC, he was able to enroll in truck driving school.
“Between taking care of my son, trying to find work and trying to find stable housing,” he explained, “to say it’s challenging is an understatement. It’s not easy finding stable living conditions in Alameda County. I just want to be able to take care of my son.”