Alex is in his mid-thirties and a new client at St. Francis House. He moved here a little over a year ago to be near his father and quickly got a job with a local company. “The hourly wage wasn’t great, but I got thirty or more hours every week, sometimes even overtime, and it was enough to get by.”
Alex brought his father to St. Francis House where he gets help with food and sometimes prescriptions. This time though, Alex also became a client. “I have a job, but I’m looking for another one. I’ve never used St. Francis House for anything before. I never needed to.”
So what changed? The company Alex works for raised its hourly wage by $2.00 an hour. “We thought that was going to be a large weekly increase. But instead, hours got cut. I only worked three hours last week and none this week. So I’m employed, but I’m not making any money. And I’m looking for another job.”