FAYETTEVILLE, Ark .— Chris Pfaff, 38 years old, is a clerk at the EZ Mart in the Shell gas station on Martin Luther King Blvd. Pfaff is working but he is currently homeless. He grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Arkansas after dropping out of high school his senior year Pfaff is aware that he does not need a high school diploma or a GED to get a job, but he is actively trying to complete his GED test by utilizing the internet and practicing test-like questions in his spare time.
Chris Pfaff is currently living out of a tent, and has been for nearly two months. “It’s not easy. You have to fight everyday to try to get a shower, you have to fight every day to try to get your laundry done, along with everything else,” Pfaff said. He made it clear that he does not let the current quality of his life affect his mood or attitude about life when he comes into work on a daily or nightly basis. “I come in every day with my head up high,” he said.
He makes an hourly wage of $8.50 and his responsibilities include stocking the coolers, making sure the coffee is hot and fresh for the customers, keeping the floors are cleaned and mopped, working the cash register, and making sure the bathrooms are cleaned. Although he does not have a problem going to work with a smile on his face, he admitted that sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel, representing stability and peace, is further away some days even if it seemed easy to reach the day before. “Some days it feels like a long stretch to get to the end of that tunnel,” he said.
This graph shows that cashier and clerk wages vary very little on average, no matter where one works in the United States. Occupational employees, specifically clerk and cashier workers, have hourly wages that rise $3 above minimum wage on average in the United States. This puts and keeps workers, like Chris Pfaff, below the poverty line if they depend on this single job for income.
Pfaff gets to and from his job by driving his truck. “I slept in my truck for over a month one time. It’s not very comfortable,” he said. Prior to working at the EZ Mart, he worked at McDonalds as a griller and at Tyson but had to stop after developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in his right wrist. This resulted in him seeking a less physically demanding job at the EZ Mart.
Pfaff believes that Fayetteville could improve the living conditions for the homeless community by providing more subsidized housing that does not include an extra utility bill to pay. “Not everyone can afford to pay the electric bill on top of our other living expenses,” Pfaff said.
Pfaff and his coworker have been passing out flyers for Walk a Mile in My Shoes, which is a “march to bring awareness to the rising cost of living and individuals experiencing homelessness in Northwest Arkansas”, taking place on April 8th. Attached to this flyer is a questionnaire asking the participants to answer seven questions about their opinions and experience on observing or being part of the homeless community.
Chris Pfaff’s contact information:
(240) 452-2215
devilman0979@gmail.com
Ann Claire — I think this is an awesome story because you are displaying how the homeless are included in our minimum wage data. I believe you are the only person in our class who has found someone who is working and is also currently homeless. I think this adds great credibility and diversity to the data we are using. I also love how I can hear you asking him questions because I am able to transport there. Awesome job, keep it up!
I like the details in this story. Specifically, the info about his carpal tunnel syndrome caught my eye. Even though he probably just said this info during the interview process, little tidbits like that always interest me and serve to move the story along. Instead of Pfaff just being a typical homeless individual in the workforce, he’s now a guy who’s had to deal with health issues and other things that could delay or hamper his ability to find relative success in life. As readers, we fully understand that because of the way you painted the picture.