A teacher who launched a GoFundMe to help him afford a place to live has put a spotlight on teacher salaries as the new school year begins.
Bill Atkinson, a fourth grade teacher in Austin, Texas, said he began living in his car this summer when his previous living situation fell through and he could not afford rent on his $54,000 annual salary.
“No matter how much I borrowed or scraped, there was no catching up, because I just did not make enough to cover rent – because I was so used to living paycheck to paycheck, I didn’t have anything in savings to try to cover rent for a couple months,” he told “Good Morning America.” “So I tried to get a place, [but I] was having a hard time finding a place I could afford on my own.”
You got the facts straight and came to the logical conclusion but is it necessary to armchair quarterback his hypothetical financial situation?
The guy in the article is very open to sharing his financial struggles and asking for help, so I’m confident that his feelings wouldn’t be hurt if he reads what I wrote.
My goal was for someone else to read my comment and have it kick them into gear to get their finances straight. Maybe someone out there is researching how to budget right now after reading it, and that’s a good thing.
So yes, it’s valuable to speculate and discuss hypothetical financial struggles so that we can learn ways to avoid getting into a similar situation.
I know the point of the article is “teachers didn’t make enough money” which is true, but the point of my comment is “people don’t become unhoused while holding a steady job unless some mistakes were made along the way”.
I’m sure that’ll happen. Keep on preaching the good word of if you’re houseless it’s your own fault. Thanks bud!
Did I touch some sort of nerve? Why is taking about budgeting getting such a harsh reaction? Lemmy is really disappointing, sometimes.
A person can experience homelessness for a variety of reasons. This teacher is without a place to live because he is being turned down for having bad credit. Don’t get mad at me for there being credit bureaus in the US, I can’t change that.
Atkinson, who is currently teaching at NYOS Charter School, said even after applying for places that he could afford, his application was denied due to bad credit.