Bill Atkinson was sleeping in his car after falling behind on rent.

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.”

  • waldenA
    22·
    2 months ago

    I understand the point of the article 100%. Teachers don’t get paid enough. Student loans. Medical debt. Predatory lending. The list goes on. It’s the system that we live in (in the US and a lot of other places, I’m sure).

    This person’s story has a “shock” factor so it makes for a good way to spread the word about low teacher salaries. I just disagree with the low pay being one of the only reasons for him to him live in a car. There were many events and decisions made that lead to that result. People end up living in cars for a variety of reasons, no matter if they make $25k/yr. or $300k/yr. It all has to do with staying ahead and making good decisions. Shit happens, be ready.

    It can hard to communicate tone with text, so I understand if I came across cold or harsh towards the guy. It’s just a story as old as time, and I’m a huge fan of budgeting so I mention it whenever I can.

    • Lavitz@lemmings.world
      21·
      2 months ago

      No bud I get the tone you’re bringing to the conversation and the lack of empathy for the situation.

      • waldenA
        21·
        2 months ago

        I know we’re going back and forth here, but that’s ok. I’m very empathetic to his situation, and it’s a situation shared by many. A lot of people don’t want to hear solutions or preventative measures, they just want to go “awww” and wait for things to hopefully get better. That’s a different type of empathy vs. my desire to affect change on the mans life. I want him to have a much better QOL. Pay is only a small piece of the puzzle.