Posted on 08/30/2017 10:09:57 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A professor teaching at San Jose State University who can’t afford a place to live in the South Bay tells KPIX 5 she is spending most nights sleeping in her car.
Ellen Tara James-Penney is adjunct professor at San Jose State.
She teaches four classes of English 1-A and has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree.
That has not kept her from becoming another member of San Jose’s homeless population.
“With what I make at San Jose State, I can’t pay $2,000 a month rent. Can’t do it,” said James-Penney.
Her take home pay is about $2,500 a month. Her usual routine is nearly constant motion.
After classes she parks in library or Walmart parking lots where she grades papers.
“I sit there until it gets dark. Then I sneak into a neighborhood, park there, then go to sleep,” explained James-Penney.
She says when people find out they are shocked.
“Because there is a stereotype, and that stereotype is drug addict, alcoholic, lazy,” said James-Penney. “I just asked my students, and that’s what they answered.”
Glen Peterson works with the San Jose branch of the Christian nonprofit organization CityTeam. He calls it the changing face of homelessness.
“Not everybody is in a position to have jobs that pay them enough to keep up,” said Peterson.
When CityTeam first started helping the homeless 60 years ago, clients tended to be mostly men with those stereotypical addictions.
That is not the case anymore.
“People in this situation are now right alongside us,” said Peterson. “They could be in the next cubicle or teaching your children. It’s a tremendous challenge for us.”
James-Penney used to be an admin in high tech, but was laid off in the dot-com bust and was forced to live on her savings.
She went back to school and paid tuition with student loans.
“I’m $143,000 in debt. And I’m in my 50s. But I pay that loan back every month,” said James-Penney. “That is mandatory for me. But that chunk I pay also affects how much I can afford in rent.”
She also supporting her husband — who is unemployed — and their two dogs.
“I fight to stay positive in my thinking. Doing my job, caring about my students. But it wears on me,” she said.
She keeps her car neat and her belongings are minimal to avoid being detected.
But deep inside her roof rack cargo carrier is a cast-iron frying pan she doesn’t use, at least for now.
“Just like my mom and my grandma used to have,” said James-Penney. “I hold on to this because it’s the hope that someday I’ll have a home again.”
San Jose has homeless shelters.....they don’t allow dogs.
Get a job somewhere else or get a home in Salinas or Modesto.....enjoy the commute
No sympathy
It is absolutely true that adjunct professors are paid peanuts. It’s a decent job for retired educators or people who want extra pocket change for taking a night class, but it’s not the pay a tenure-track (or even a full time lecturer) would make.
So she has a poor choice of careers, caused by overpaying for a degree with poor job prospects, and unwilingness to move somwehere where her salary matches the cost of living.
P.S. A few minutes of google-fu found an apartment near San Jose for less than $700/month.
Yes, get a roommate or four roommates. Then move to Morgan Hill, Gilroy or even out to Hollister where it is a LOT cheaper to live. I’ve known many people commuting out that way. You can carpool with other people living down that way (and be a super good liberal by carpooling to save the planet).
OR, go back to school and learn something that pays well. She’s an adjunct professor in her 50s — I’m guessing she doesn’t do research and publish, so she doesn’t get recognition and advancement.
Life is rough, petunia. Deal with it. Sheesh. What a whiner (but she’s a democrat, no doubt, so it’s to be expected).
And why isn’t your husband working? The economy is absolutely booming right now and anybody with a pulse can get hired.
I often wonder how in the world these stories get written. How did the author even find this person?
Just look at the posts on this thread; many people have come up with a whole LOT of great ideas and yet, she hasn't come up with even one, to get her in a better place.
I’m gonna take drug addict for $2000 Alex.
She makes 28K a year and she bought a home on that? Where does she live Tijuana? Does she live off 89 cent tacos?
I guess you’ll be paying her property taxes too when they come do.
“My daughter graduated from college two years ago, makes $28K per year, and just bought her first home. “
What do houses go for in your neck of the woods that $28k/year can afford one?
#16. Did you say that Janet Napolitano is in “drag”?
I would believe that.
Now where are my glasses?
Move to another state and teach high school English. She could probably start at $50,000 in Texas with her experience.
She needs a goal. One day...a van.
and why is the husband not working ???
get rid of the dogs ...that’s two expensive mouths...
are they all living in the car ???
I’m not against people having pets just don’t whine to me that you have no money...cigarettes, pets, unnecessary purchases... cut down..put the husband out to work or just put him out...
There is probably more to the story but theres plenty there now...
A Van, down by the River...
Thumbs up...like
:)
Question not yet asked nor answered :
Bachelor and Master's Degrees in what?
She has one-—her unemployed husband. :-)
The first thing she needs to do is find a job in a low cost (yes, with cold winters) area when apartments can be had for a quarter of the cost.
Who in the hell would spend 150 thousand on an education to get a job that pays 28 thousand a year??? My goodness she could manage a fast food joint and the starting pay is 35 thousand a year no higher education needed, just work hard for a couple of years and BAM if you are worth anything at all they will promote you!!! These people are IDIOTS !!!!!
Everyone here thinks there must be more to this story but as far as her salary goes, her situation is pretty typical for “adjunct professors”.
Unmentioned is where the husband and dogs live. My guess is they have a home, but it’s further than she feels like commuting on most nights.
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