Need somewhere to stay by late-June

Arrea · February 25, 2013, 05:25:57 PM

H-Hello... Uhm.. I.. I don't know how to do this.. Uhh... Well... I need somewhere to stay for a while, as I'm being kicked out of my current living area at or around graduation. I have a rather pitiful amount of funds squirrelled up by skipping meals, but it's nowhere near enough for even a month's rent. I've tried (unsuccessfully) over the past few years to land a job, but I've been inable to get even an interview, so I would only have a few weeks' worth of food on the streets... I've been searching privately for somewhere to stay for a quarter of a year now, with no positive resultys.. Uhh... Anyways... Eesh, this is harder than I thought it'd be... v.v I should just list things off...

-Expectations & Requirements
--I need my space; No forced or sudden physical contact, unless I give consent, as I suffer from social anxiety, and due to my upbringing, I have a tendency to cower/flinch at sudden movements towards me... :/
--Stable environment; though I've lived in a very unstable environment all of my life, and have accustomed to it, I need to recover
--No illegal drugs in the environment

-What I have to offer
--Though I have no money at the present moment, and likely the future, I am willing to do all the cleaning and other various housework
--Moderate cook, and has Foodsafe certification
--I would be searching for employment to the best of my ability, and would repay the acquired debt as soon as I have the funding
--Friendly, though timid, and willing to make friends with whomever I'm roomed with

-Some notes about myself
--Suffers from Social Anxiety, and moderate depression, unmedicated (Though I try to keep a very upbeat and cheerful demeanor around people)
--Interested in Games, literature, art, poetry; math, physics, chemistry (and other sciences)
--Timid, and is slow to trust people, but would do anything for those people who I count as my friends
--Aged 17, 18 in Late-August
--Good at problem-solving, and intelligent
--Has L, but hasn't been able to get the practice required for my N

I.. I hope I've done this correctly... I've never done anything like this before... Well.. Uhm... I'd need somewhere by late-June-ish, if I'm even legally able to, and I'd search for work immediately afterwards... I.. I hope i did this right... -squirms timidly- S-So... I hope to hear from someone in the thread, or private message... Thank you very much for taking the time to read through my entire lengthy message, and I'll be eternally grateful if anyone decides to give me the opportunity to prove and all... -curtseys- I'll check back regularly...

Vanilla Skunk · February 25, 2013, 06:32:00 PM

Hi there.

I remember being in a similar situation when I was around your age. Only trouble is, I didn't have available in that small town what we have here.

What you can do now to try and stabilize your situation with having a job and stuff, is speak with some staffing services. Try Manpower, Drake, or Adecco. Manpower has been very good to me, and they will try to fit you in with whatever you're good at, but most of the work they have is warehouse, or manual labour jobs. It's a good way to get some experience onto your resume, and experience is what a lot of jobs are looking for when hiring off the street.

Because you have Foodsafe though, they can probably set you up with a prep cook job somewhere like the Keg.

Give them a try. If you need any help, you can bug me for support and advice.

Regarding your ad, you have not mentioned your target home location. Where do you want to live?

Arrea · February 25, 2013, 06:48:23 PM

Quote from: Vanilla Skunk on February 25, 2013, 06:32:00 PM
Hi there.

I remember being in a similar situation when I was around your age. Only trouble is, I didn't have available in that small town what we have here.

What you can do now to try and stabilize your situation with having a job and stuff, is speak with some staffing services. Try Manpower, Drake, or Adecco. Manpower has been very good to me, and they will try to fit you in with whatever you're good at, but most of the work they have is warehouse, or manual labour jobs. It's a good way to get some experience onto your resume, and experience is what a lot of jobs are looking for when hiring off the street.

Because you have Foodsafe though, they can probably set you up with a prep cook job somewhere like the Keg.

Give them a try. If you need any help, you can bug me for support and advice.

Regarding your ad, you have not mentioned your target home location. Where do you want to live?

I live in the middle of nowhere, so getting employment is pretty much out of the equation; we have 300 teenage students in the area, and approximately 15 job openings anywhere, my stuttering through handing in my resume doesn't help much either.

It doesn't really matter where I live; I would be content walking to ALberta and Edmonton for a place to stay, as long as it's shelter, and somewhere I can get a job. I'm out of time, options, and getting desperate.

Vanilla Skunk · February 25, 2013, 07:28:08 PM

Alright then, where abouts are you currently? I'm going to look and see what there is for agencies in your area.

Arrea · February 25, 2013, 07:34:40 PM

Quote from: Vanilla Skunk on February 25, 2013, 07:28:08 PM
Alright then, where abouts are you currently? I'm going to look and see what there is for agencies in your area.

Agassiz, about 45m drive away from Chilliwack.

Vanilla Skunk · February 25, 2013, 07:38:28 PM

You're near Chilliwack?

There's a job there, where they train how how to fix computers over the phone.

http://careers.stream.com/Content.aspx?MenuId=57

If you apply now, you might get the job by the time you're booted.

If that occurs, there are government assistance programs that will allow you to get yourself settled while you wait for your employment to pay you.

tokar · February 25, 2013, 07:45:21 PM

@ vanilla - being of slight build, yoshi is not physically built for heavy labour

i know this doesn't help now but near me there is a new supervalu opening up. go online and search out supervalu (part of the loblaw group) and apply there.

most fast food places hire on a regular basis, plus for a better job, you will have to apply in places that most people don't think about (the keg).

try catering services, meals on wheels, and other areas. not being old enough to drink does limit your possibilities. bakeries, old folks assisted living residences, and more.

good luck

Vanilla Skunk · February 25, 2013, 08:01:40 PM

@tokar - I'm unhealthy underweight skinny. I know I should be eating a lot more than I currently am, but I just don't... but I have no trouble doing the jobs that Manpower used to send me out to do. Becoming accustomed to a style of work is exactly that. It took me a few years to be able to carry anything heavy at my body mass. Working in a commercial kitchen, you have to learn how to take the heat, which is something I could not handle right now, just to provide an example.

Besides, it's not like they're making him lift stone structures by himself... they assign based on lifting limits. If you can't lift more than 20 lb's, they send you to a restoration job where you're peeling pages apart in wet books, and putting them in the freeze dryer. That's still considered manual labour. They once sent me to an assembly line where I'm packing vegan ingredients into sausage tube... that was a smelly job, really easy, and paid okay, but not my cup of coffee.

@yoshi - Another thing to do, is check with your local HRDC office and see about an Independant Living allowance. It's like welfare, but it's designed for teenagers that are still attending school and don't want to live with their parents.

Arrea · February 25, 2013, 08:10:36 PM

Quote from: tokar on February 25, 2013, 07:45:21 PM
@ vanilla - being of slight build, yoshi is not physically built for heavy labour

i know this doesn't help now but near me there is a new supervalu opening up. go online and search out supervalu (part of the loblaw group) and apply there.

most fast food places hire on a regular basis, plus for a better job, you will have to apply in places that most people don't think about (the keg).

try catering services, meals on wheels, and other areas. not being old enough to drink does limit your possibilities. bakeries, old folks assisted living residences, and more.

good luck

We don't have any of those things, and I've tried harrison, the nearest feasably-reachable area

@Vanilla - 45 minute drive is a 3 hour bike ride there, then 3 hours back for me... Or more, depending on traffic... I have no transportation
@Vanilla - I don't even know wher one of those would be... I don't think we have any at all...
Never heard of an HRDC office... v.v I think I understated the severity of my social anxiety...

Vanilla Skunk · February 25, 2013, 08:12:11 PM

I'll do a little more research on the government assistance options for you tomorrow. It's nice to have a 'safety blanket' so to speak.

Arrea · February 25, 2013, 08:40:07 PM

Quote from: Vanilla Skunk on February 25, 2013, 08:12:11 PM
I'll do a little more research on the government assistance options for you tomorrow. It's nice to have a 'safety blanket' so to speak.

I guess, but I don't have any backfall right now, my current options are 'die on the street' or 'die by my own hand', which is why I was so reluctant to post here, as I know nobody would be willing to house me until I can get stable employment, it was really more of a symbolic post that I'm out of options, and give up on trying in my area. I've never had much luck regarding people. v.v Sorry, I'm a bit depressed at the moment, as I've thought further about what I can do.

Vanilla Skunk · February 25, 2013, 08:48:43 PM

Well, that's the whole purpose of trying to find out the government assistance info... to get you that safety net.

Arrea · February 25, 2013, 08:53:01 PM

Quote from: Vanilla Skunk on February 25, 2013, 08:48:43 PM
Well, that's the whole purpose of trying to find out the government assistance info... to get you that safety net.

Would the government even support a 17-year-old male that technically has a place of residence, even though it's hardly habitable, and is being removed from said place of residence shortly?

Vanilla Skunk · February 25, 2013, 09:42:26 PM

16 is the age of consent. I think the package you're after is called Independant Living. Never been on it myself because when I was your age, I lived in Saskatchewan, and this is a provincial package.

There are other teenagers around Surrey that are on it.

Arrea · February 25, 2013, 09:49:52 PM

Quote from: Vanilla Skunk on February 25, 2013, 09:42:26 PM
16 is the age of consent. I think the package you're after is called Independant Living. Never been on it myself because when I was your age, I lived in Saskatchewan, and this is a provincial package.

There are other teenagers around Surrey that are on it.

I wouldn't be able to move anywhere until I graduate, as there are nil places to live here, and a move would severely disrupt my studies