Will you take a homeless as your maid?

I want to. My house is not really set up for it. The average house in the US is not set up for it.

Live-in house cleaners aren’t really that big here. Most people who have house cleaners have them come once a week to once a month for a few hours. Live-in nannies are slightly more common, but again, most people don’t have the funds or the room. So no, but not because they’re homeless.

Slavery is illegal in my neck of the woods.

@Cruiser Who said this is about slavery?

Having a person work for you for no wages is slavery, unless they have specifically stated that they are a volunteer, therefore expecting no remuneration (or in this case, shelter, food, etc.).

@JilltheTooth Assume that these homeless people want to work for you on their own will. I forgot to state that.

I would pay a wage to be clear, since it came up. Maybe $100 a week, and of course they have their food provided in my home.

Not now, as the circumstances are not appropriate.

About 12 years I kind of did though. A friend had a co-worker that was currently living in an apartment with three other guys who were moving on in different directions. This guy needed a really cheap place to live. I just bought my first house and also took on a job that would mean being gone two weeks at a time.

We met for lunch and cut a deal. I would pay the mortgage, and he would pay the utilities. The guy ended up moving into the house before I did. It was sort of creepy at first, but it ended up working out well. He would fix stuff around the house, mow the lawn, provided drop-off and pick-up at the airport, etc. Eight years later, he had paid off his college loan and saved up enough to qualify for getting his own place. It was a win-win situation.

For sure. I would let someone live in my room and feed them and let them use my spare computers. All I would really want out of it someone to talk to all day that knows to leave me alone when asked.

I manage to clean up my own mess.

@cruiser. I think it would be considered slavery if you forced someone to do things or stay against their will or abused them. If they are doing it simply to have shelter, food and clothing, than you are paying them.
They are not required to stay if they do not want to.

No, I would not. I just finally got my daughter to move out 2 years ago. It would be like getting another kid back.
Maybe if I had like a cottage or seperate living quarters so I could set hours and times they would be around so I can be alone when I want too. But I really wouldn’t see how keeping them around as cheap labor would help them.
If I had the room I would just keep them around till they found a job where they could afford to support themselves and move out. I would probably set a dead line. However, there are too many crazies in the world so I’m not sure I would have someone that close to me.
I guess I would just rather start a group home for the homeless.

I would have to say no. I’m comfortable with giving food, clothes, respect and whatever I can afford for their services. But I cannot or would not shelter anyone I do not know well. I’m very leery of people…sigh!

Well, I’ve done this a couple of times. One worked out very well. The girl was highly motivated, helpful and was back in her own place within 8 months. The other guy drained all my resources and did absolutely nothing but argue with me for 4 months before I kicked him out.

So, it can work to benefit both parties but there should be some agreement in writing about what you and the other person expect from the arrangement.

I don’t think it slavery if they are living and eating in your house! Room and board is a form of salary and yes, I would want one!

No. I don’t have the means to board another person in this house, and I also have no need for a housekeeper of any sort. (Most of you already know how anal I am about cleaning, without hired help.)
I would hire someone for other reasons that they might be skilled at… gardening, fixing my washing machine, something like that. I would pay, them, though… just like anyone else doing a service for me.

I couldn’t bring someone under my roof and around my family for more than an overnight I didn’t already know well. All the other stuff would be no problem for me though if I had a house that would accommodate.

Not really slavery if the person is free to leave if he-she wants.

If I trusted him/her for sure.

@Anonymoususer and to others saying it’s not slavery because you are giving them room and board and they can leave whenever. Think about this. If they have no cash at all, how will they leave on their own volition? At first, they can likely just leave the way they came—just walk out. But after a few years of living with you, they may not want to be homeless any more. But they have no cash to live anywhere. They won’t be able to buy food or clothing.

Think about it more.. If this person gets sick, what can they do for medical care? What if they become incapacitated and can’t work as a maid anymore? They won’t have any savings or any means of supporting themselves. If they were immigrants, you could threaten to call INS on them if they tried to leave against their wills.

And LOTS of slaves lived in the house with the owners. They all got free food and a place to stay. And just because these hypothetical homeless people won’t get shot if they leave the house, doesn’t mean that it could be extremely difficult for them to leave if you didn’t treat them well.

This hypothetical situation happens a lot to people without documentation, and it’s barely a step above slavery.

Slave or not, I’ll take one. ;)

I wish I could do that. If I do it I know that I can help a family getting some food and clean clothes not to mention shelter and regular meals. To bad it’s impossible at the moment or else I’d end up with to many bad reactions from the ones close to me.
I wouldn’t consider them slaves / maids / help. They’d become friends who could do things I don’t have time for.

@keobooks At first, I agreed with your post, and to a certain degree, still do. After thinking about it though, most, if not all, of the people on Fluther wouldn’t invite someone into their home with the intent to make a downtrodden person a slave. The intent would be to do a bit of bartering to help them get back on their feet. At least, I would hope so.

In a situation like this, agreements are made on the front end. A time limit is set. Tasks and offerings are negotiated. I told my housemate that he needed to get renter’s insurance even though he wasn’t technically renting. I wasn’t going to pay for his belongings in case there was some type of disaster. Tornadoes are common here in Memphis.

It doesn’t take that long to clean a house, especially when one is in it every day. What it does provide is an opportunity for a person to live in a bit of comfort while looking for work. It gives them a temporary address until they are able to get back on their feet. They would have someone who would hold them accountable to keep looking, as well as be a cheerleader.

When Hurricane Katrina hit and so many people were left homeless and headed this way, I briefly considered taking in someone. The problem was that I was on the road almost every week and didn’t feel comfortable about it. I still harbor a bit of guilt over this decision.

I won’t take anyone as a maid.

I have often exchanged room and board for housework.It is a common arrangement.