Business of Sex Offenders
I came out of my last drug rehab into 1/2-way House. However, the owner's business model mostly offering sex offenders exiting prison an address for the nominal sum $200. You see, sex offenders MUST have registered residence where they stay each night or it's a felony. In the case of Alabama, if a sex offender doesn't have a valid address or residence 6-mths prior to their release, the State will add 10 more years to their sentence.
Once at the 1/2-way house they were slaves to the owner or staff while the "client" was always under threat of eviction for any reason at any time. As I wasn't a sex offender that threat held no sway over me. Eventually I became part of the staff due to my education & knowledge of tax prep. I often worked 16 - 18 hours a day just for an $85 a week bed to keep from being on the streets homeless. The gay owner often preyed upon the "clients" who were vulnerable, so I saw some strange shit -- especially since this was a "Religious-Based Program".
I learned the differences between Sex Offenders & Sex Predators. Someone can catch a sex charge for urinating in public or knocking up your 17-yr old girlfriend when you're 20-yrs old, but molesting an 8-yr old you are baby-sitting makes you a Sex Predator. So, it was up to me to do background checks because our 1/2-way house couldn't take Predators. Well, the owner got strung out on Oxycontins while at the same time making his drug dealer House manager. I figured it was time to go.
I decided to return to the university before the 1/2-way House got busted by the police again & found another cheap 1/2-way house not far from the college. Unfortunately, this one took both sex offenders AND predators. I thought; wtf-ever, it was within walking distance (a few miles) to the college, so I stuck it out until I got arrested for hitting one of the perverts making jokes about little girls walking to the bus stop ... I hit the roof, and him! The guy I'd hit had been arrested for "Injuring Genitals of a Minor" & was recently released from prison. He told the police he wouldn't press charges if I only apologized. I couldn't do it. No way was I going to tell him, "I'm sorry." So, I spent a month in jail.
Ironically, I had to justify this before my acceptance to enroll for the first semester. I got into the unviersity after a meeting with the Dean's Board, began classes & eventually got a job with the VA helping Homeless Veterans get work. It was great too. I had access to professional social workers, psychiatrists & academics at the same time. I was homeless four times in my Senior year at college though, but quitting was not an option.