I so admired Keith. My last month or so working at The Downtown Chapel, he would get on the phone each and every morning and make calls like these. I was often downstairs doing office work, right next to the public phone where Keith would set up base each day. His quiet persistence on the phone with countless potential employers soon became the soundtrack for our mornings together.
If he ever got discouraged, he rarely showed it. After pulling for him from a distance for several weeks, I finally worked up the courage to talk to him about his job search. One morning, as he was refilling his coffee, our eyes met. I took the opportunity to encourage him, “You know, Keith, I couldn’t help but overhear you making some inquiries about jobs last week; I just want you to know that I’m rooting for you.” As I watched him turn my words over in his mind, he smiled so quickly, if I had blinked, I would have missed it. He quietly thanked me, sat to finish his coffee, and then left.
A few weeks ago, I ran into Keith on the bus. He was on his way to the library to look online for work. It has become my habit to try to remember where I have seen “help wanted” signs around town, or to try to remember places that I’ve heard are hiring, so that when I encounter someone looking for work, I can offer a bit of encouragement and a new place to look. It became apparent to both of us just how bad the job market is right now when the only place I had noticed in weeks, he had already checked out, and they had apparently received about 85 applications for one on-call position. They had stopped taking applications and had not gotten around to removing the sign from their window when he stopped in earlier in the week.
Today I do not know how Keith is doing, yet I cannot help but picture his face each time I hear about the unemployment rate falling, or how the economy is slowly improving. We hear on the news and read in the paper that our recession is turning around, that we are moving out of the woods.
Just a few days ago, I listened to a report saying that “first-timer” filings for unemployment compensation have decreased. As I heard this, I thought of friends recently laid off, and of friends who had been looking for work for months. As if he had heard my thoughts, the reporter then noted that it may be some time before companies start hiring again. But that was just the end of the story, a brief mention before moving on to the next headline.
I am still waiting to hear the story about the new jobs that will be created, or about companies lifting their hiring freezes. It may be a while before I see the impact of these economic changes in the lives of those around me. Until then, I wait in hope with friends searching for work, and when they begin to breathe a little easier, so will I.
By Sally Martin, Contributing Columnist
Sally Martin is a student at Portland State University, and a former pastoral assistant for The Downtown Chapel of St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Parish
