Hardship: none of my business or a problem?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

So, it’s been awhile since I’ve ever posted. I finished Pathophysiology with a B. Very hard class, but it was interesting.

In previous posts I might have mentioned I was on section 8 while doing pre-reqs. Just recently, I lost my section 8 support because I was considered making too much money as a CNA. Yes, I bought a white cargo van because if I got a room for rent, that would only inflate my responsibilities from nursing school and I have financial problems I’m trying to responsibly take care of. I’ve got no kids and no spouse responsibility, so I am, as Filipino nurses call me, a cowboy. I can pull it off.

Well, today I was told by maintenance at my facility that I have to move my vehicles out of the parking lot within 24 hours because of the owner of the facility. She’s Korean and stupid wealthy. She has a 10 bed mansion that she never stays at that she would never know you were there if you stayed according to an RN. The DON who has poor English speaking skills says I cannot be there when I’m not scheduled. Say something about it being against the law or something. It’s not against company policy because no one ever mentioned it during orientation. I respect the property, but apparently that isn’t enough. I went to my HR and she said, “I can ask the owner to see if you can pay her $100 a month in rent to park both vehicles here at the facility like she pays the church down the road for extra parking since she only listens to the sound of money”. I said ok. HR called me and said the owner said no.

Is it petty the owner doesn’t want me taking up two spots in the very back of a facility where I’m not parked at a red curb and I’m not parked in a handicapped spot and I’m not bothering or hurting anybody? The facility pays the church down the road $100 a month I guess for employees to park that I towed my daily driver car and cargo van to and Thursday I speak with a pastor about parking there and see what he says.

Im sure most responses on here will be very unsympathetic so I hope some will understand what I’m trying to do. I take the nursing entrance exam May 6th. I passed the HESI for UNLV last year but didn’t make the cutoff. So I changed schools and had to take Patho as a pre-req requirement.

Just to get an idea of what it’s like living in a van: I don’t make a mess living in a van, I shower at a gym down the road, I keep myself clean and presentable. People have told me the way I pull it off, I don’t even look like a van dweller. We have a locker room in a bathroom for employees in the back away from the nurses station where I keep dental hygiene stuff to brush my teeth and use the restroom if I need to. I keep all my waste contained in clean trash bags. Always. I never leave trash on the ground and I never dump liquids. I always use receptacles.

I’m trying to handle my problems like a responsible adult, yet I can’t. I thought buying a van would help me tackle my problems. Of any kind. Also, my van I recently bought has a temporary moving permit that expired because I had a check engine light come on. My other car, my daily driver, had a check engine light since last October but I never got around to diagnosing it because I didn’t know about financing for tows and engine diagnosis fees. Both vehicles have expired registration and automatically fail smog because of check engine light. I can’t move them very far or risk $1,000 fine by metro police.

My facility implies my car can be towed out of their hands by another tow company without saying the tow would give me a warning first. Isn’t that considered grand theft auto? What’s funny is they can see the temporary moving permit on the van windshield has an expiration date and they use that as an example against me, but the other car that has expired tags, they can’t tell.

If if you were high up in the food chain, would you have a problem with an employee who comes to work clean and decent, but lives in a vehicle due to financial problems? Showing up to work on time and clean?

My DON currently does not help nurses or anybody for that matter. The only thing she looks at is call lights when she slowly walks down the hall with her cankles and her iPhone in her hand with her hand leaned back as if she were lazily strolling through the park and doesn’t even answer the call lights. Just says in her thick Filipino voice while pointing at them, “answer the call lights”. The DON before her kept nurses and CNAs in line and even helped CNAs with their runs as if she were a CNA. I never got to work with her, but I’d love to be a fly on the wall to see what she was like.

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

You are fixating on the wrong things. No one owes you anything. This includes an employer. Right to work doesn’t mean you can’t be fired. Just because there isn’t a specific policy doesn’t mean you can’t be terminated for cause. I mentioned in your other thread you can be terminated and arrested for trespassing because you are on private property- when you are working you basically have an invitation to be there. When you are off the clock you don’t. You chose your current life’s path- it is on you to do so within the law.

Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.
20 minutes ago, LovingLife123 said:

Wait, wasn’t there a post about this last week?

Very similar.

Specializes in school nurse.
11 minutes ago, SaltineQueen said:

Very similar.

Almost identical, except for focusing on the firing question. Same race-baiting, even after all the feedback from last time...

Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.

You can be fired for anything or for nothing! If management see's you as a distraction, trouble maker, always late, not a team player (just fill in the blank with anything they like) they will (and do) find a way to get rid of you. It is not discrimination unless it fits the legal definition and even that is very hard to prove because management knows how to create a paper trail. I think your main problem lies in the fact that you believe that people should act a certain way and they don't. You need to move past this, let it go and move on with your life, nobody owes you anything. Everyone has troubles whether you see them or not. Concentrate your energy on your own personal situation instead of how you perceive others are treating you. You have made some choices since your last post that sound like you are moving in the right direction, just keep going forward. Stop judging others real and/or perceived actions/attitudes and do what is right for your situation. Employers will use you up and spit you out, yours is certainly not the first and wont be the last. Don't expect anything in return except the paycheck. Maybe you can find a cheap place to park the van, have you looked on want-ads, maybe hotels/casinos that have RV parks, regular RV parks/campgrounds etc. There are places you can go for the evening to study as well, public places like the library, coffee houses etc. The negative energy you are expending on situations/issues that you cannot change are only hurting you! Please look into yourself, lower your expectations of others, and concentrate on the positive attainable ways to improve your situation. You can do this and you will be a happier better person for it!!

23 minutes ago, LovingLife123 said:

Wait, wasn’t there a post about this last week?

This post includes a specific question about whether the state work laws might protect him from being fired for disregarding the instructions of his boss, parking illegally and trespassing.

Between how far out there the question was, and the OP taking yet another opportunity to highlight the ethnicity of his perceived antagonist, I thought it was a troll.

But, I am pretty sure sure he is serious.

He seems to honestly want to know whether despite being unable to afford housing, he should hire a lawyer to defend his right to stay overnight in an unused room, park two vehicles on premises 24/7, and without a hint of irony, protect him from discrimination by the owner he calls"short, old, ***y, and stupidly wealthy Korean lady"

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

Maybe your employer is worried about the liability of employees being on the premises outside of work hours. Or maybe she is Evil Incarnate. It doesn't make any difference to your situation. The premises are off limits to you and you have to make a new plan. Like many workplaces, it might be better to fly under the radar.

Unless you want to pay for a legal place to permanently park your van, expect to be hounded from place to place. There's a reason more of us aren't embracing the vagabond lifestyle: too much stress and uncertainty.

I wouldn't spend any more energy and thoughts on your employer. She's only one in a long line of people who will be a PITA. Best focus your attentions on ways to make your life livable and doable. Wishing you the best.

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
8 minutes ago, hherrn said:

This post includes a specific question about whether the state work laws might protect him from being fired for disregarding the instructions of his boss, parking illegally and trespassing.

Between how far out there the question was, and the OP taking yet another opportunity to highlight the ethnicity of his perceived antagonist, I thought it was a troll.

But, I am pretty sure sure he is serious.

He seems to honestly want to know whether despite being unable to afford housing, he should hire a lawyer to defend his right to stay overnight in an unused room, park two vehicles on premises 24/7, and without a hint of irony, protect him from discrimination by the owner he calls"short, old, ***y, and stupidly wealthy Korean lady"

Actually, this isn’t a new topic for OP at all. There was a rather long thread over on the break room side a while back.

https://allnurses-breakroom.com/go-fund-me-white-cargo-t171957/?tab=comments#comment-1552864

14 minutes ago, hherrn said:

"and without a hint of irony, protect him from discrimination by the owner he calls"short, old, ***y, and stupidly wealthy Korean lady"

How is that considered racist? At least I'm not calling her a slanty eyed gook. Pff. ?

That notion seems to follow this post and the previous one. There is no notion of racism. There is no intent to racism. The previous post didn't notify me of replies by email like I wanted it to, but a lot has happened since that post was posted so the replies on the previous post had to be viewed manually. This one just has to do with legality of wrongful termination (financial? or mental illness?). No one owes me anything and I'm not saying they should. I work as a CNA, I try to bring this facility more positive reviews because right now it has 1.5 out of 5 as well as a majority of others in my city. I pay my taxes, I file my taxes, I try to keep my vehicle in good repair, I don't dump waste on the ground, I brush my teeth like a normal person does, I do my laundry like a normal person does, where is there a free ride, but a parking spot in this? Just one measely little parking spot. I feed myself like a normal person, my hair is groomed and not Einstein-ish, my face is shaved and kept short and clean, you couldn't even tell I lived in a van. I choose to to do things as if I were an RN I want to be. I still pick myself up everyday and do what I need to do to live civily. Once again, where is the free ride in this? Out of everything I've said, I still do normal ADLs like everyone else.

There's no law to tell people what to do with their money, just like there's no law to tell people how to live. I'm actually shocked California can still criminalize vehicle dwelling even though the federal government recognizes it as a violation of the 8th Amendment: The Eighth Amendment (Amendment VIII) of the United States Constitution prohibits the federal, state, and local governments of the United States, or any other government, or any corporation, private enterprise, group, or individual, from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments, in any part of the US, on US property (i.e. a US embassy), or against any US citizen, or any resident of the US.

I don't expect anybody to give me anything. I'm more ashamed of accepting anything from anybody. If I graduated nursing school tomorrow, not only would I no longer work for my current employer, but I would not live in a van anymore.

"Why not get a place of your own or share a room?" Because I had a roommate in the military and he used and stole from me that was given to me prior to boot camp. The guy was a MMA fighter also and I swore to never have a roommate for any reason either because they're lazy asses and you can't hit em or shoot em, or they're professional combatants capable of killing with their limbs. Escalations I want no part of and won't help me get to my education graduation any sooner. Society wants people contained and confined with other people to make ends meet. Why? This is all common sense.

5 hours ago, Pixie.RN said:

My opinion: being "responsible" about your debt is making you irresponsible with your life. Living in a van and half-living at work is not normal behavior. I fail to see how firing you would be considered discrimination.

As a veteran, have you reached out the VA for additional assistance or resources? If you are using the Post-911 GI Bill, you are being paid monthly for housing. If you are using Montgomery, there is likely excess above your tuition that might be better spent on housing.

Once I get into nursing school, I will use the GI Bill. I take the nursing entrance exam next Monday. My fingers are crossed so I can get into nursing, use my GI Bill before it goes bye-bye, and finally make some real money so I can feel comfortable.

4 hours ago, hherrn said:

Anybody who judges you for living in a van is a moron and should be ignored. But, this is your choice, and you need to sort out a better plan. Yup, it sure would be nice if your boss wanted to help you with this. Since she doesn't work something else out.

I have lived out of a Mazda truck with a cap. I would have killed for the luxury of a van.

Regarding the legalities of right to work. I don't know much about it, but I could probably think of about 1000 fire able offenses not explicitly covered by policies regardless of state laws. Now if you lived in a "Right to use company facilities to enable one to live in a van and graduate school" state, you would be golden. You don't.

By the way- if you are too broke to live inside, you can't afford an attorney.

Last, but really not least:

In your last post you mentioned the ethnicity of your boss. You got a pretty easy pass on that, with some folks pointing it out. Here it is again, along with her lack of English proficiency.

Please explain to me how this is different than if you wrote that you were being underpaid by your stingy Jewish boss, or any of a number of other hateful stereotypes.

I don't know you or what's in your heart. Just know that the language you use is the language of bigots. And all anybody here knows about you is what you have written.

When I first moved to Las Vegas, I was recently fired from a trucking company and living out of a Mazda Protege sedan prior to getting section 8 housing. Lack of english proficiency isn't a racial judgement. The whole place almost has people who have a english language malfunction. Either they don't care to practice speaking it or don't care about it at all making it difficult for them to interpret situations.

5 hours ago, Emergent said:

Speaking of the Philippines, since you mention Philippino nurses... My son, who lived there for awhile, and married a gal from there, says many people live like you are. They are the working homeless.

In the US, because of our wealth and social welfare safety net, homelessness is mainly limited to the mentally ill, and addicts. Therefore, if someone is living in a van, they are really looked down on. In the Philippines, you would be higher status than many because you have a van!

I guess I qualify for having a mental illness. I was tested by the VA to see if I have PTSD [when I was living in my Mazda]. I was screened and diagnosed for mild PTSD, but I'm sure it's a lot worse now.

36 minutes ago, Beldar_the_Cenobite said:

I guess I qualify for having a mental illness. I was tested by the VA to see if I have PTSD [when I was living in my Mazda]. I was screened and diagnosed for mild PTSD, but I'm sure it's a lot worse now.

Please accept this in the spirit it is intended. If you believe that your condition has worsened, perhaps you should go back and be reevaluated. If it has worsened, younhave to take care of this, and yourself.

Best wishes.

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