The Fading Dream of Retirement | Hard Earned | ENDEVR Documentary

previously on hard earned everyone came here would I have struggled with drugs all those years by the time I got sober I came home to a daughter and I hadn't seen in six years that's one of the reasons why I want to finish school to give him something to surpass to not say well you didn't go to college why do I got to go to college [Music] and tonight a news story Percy and Beverly Evans see their retirement dreams fade after losing their middle class jobs [Music] [Music] toilet [Music] [Applause] living this harder but I know there's hope for me praying for a change to come one day saying God can you please give me something [Applause] to believe [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you when we first bought the house we enjoyed it we were making enough to keep up with everything now it's not moving I wonder why why you know I could shop when I wanted to at that time we had horses of course we had a couple of horses we can travel but we can't do it now Percy and Beverly Evans bought their house 13 years ago for seventy nine thousand dollars the blade is sharp too I know it they're now behind on their mortgage payments that goes in the back yeah oh wait it didn't click and I'll just chop it by hand try it one more time okay now I was here at the game would have never been like that back then them days we made sure everything was up to par when Percy worked here this building housed the opportunities industrialization Center or OIC a large Social Service Agency they taught carpentry Machinery auto mechanics typing they started building homes for low income myself I was a facilities coordinator and I was over security over the vendors coming in and ordering supplies and that's what Bev worked that's what she was uh the case manager and I had case loads of maybe three four hundred made sure that they went to the training program authorized child care for them it was very fulfilling when it went under it hurt a lot of people it hurt the community and hurt the employees and uh it hurt me Percy now works the night shift at a Suburban Mall contracted through a temp agency right now where I'm working at I'm a cleaning I just clean clean uh technical clean technicians you want to call it I'm a cleaner salary is eight dollars an hour just above minimum wage but you gotta do something you know try to keep your head above water that's what I'm doing [Music] that's why I see bouncing around 45 I was at about fifty four thousand dollars now that their income has been cut in half the couple is having trouble with their medical bills their mortgage and other expenses and Percy doubts he can retire anytime soon [Music] Milwaukee it was one of industrial capitals now the big team jobs are gone they're gone [Music] in Milwaukee today it took just 19 minutes for the 133 year old slits Brewing Company to go out of business companies like Alice Chalmers have had to lay off thousands of workers unemployment is 13.4 percent in Milwaukee the highest it's been since World War II [Music] the economy is up so we're having to deal with the consequence of success and the tech industry has really boomed there seems to be this divide between the techie community and and everybody else whether they're both the people with middle and low incomes meaning under 99 000 a year can't afford to keep up with the rising costs of Housing and free the average price of a single family home in Silicon Valley topped one million dollars demonstrators blame tech companies for driving up rents living here potatoes Hilton Kennedy and Diana Gonzalez have been living in a shared garage inside this trailer park one of the last bits of affordable housing in Silicon Valley now they must move because the former tenant is returning and they need more space for their growing family Familia okay here three three hundred dollars you know in the studio [Music] [Music] this wouldn't [Music] until they find an affordable place Hilton and Diana will camp out on the floor of their friend's living room [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign how was your break it was good all right well anything special oh I got married well that's pretty special it is well that's more than I did this correct it sounds wonderful you look um you look pretty happy all right so we're looking at math yes looking at math Jose Mourinho needs a final math class to graduate with an associate's degree in radio communications all right so this is it one class one class he has failed three prior math classes I've been waiting for what's next my wife when I first met her she was pushing me to go for my bachelor's okay I don't know school was definitely not my forte if I go to bachelor's but I had to go through another math class or would just be classes specialized in the degree iron no you would you would have to take higher level math let's talk again closer to you know as math is going on we are very close to graduation one course is very close thanks so much Rose appreciate the help anytime one of the things that struck me about him is that I don't think he had a lot of confidence but I think he had a lot of determination I was very careful to put him with supportive professors because it's very easy to get discouraged that's why we started combat to college program for veterans [Music] I did two tours in Iraq it was difficult for me trying to readjust because I'm seeing things that messed me up inside the Knights of not being able to sleep you learned in Iraq that you stay alert and you stay alive it doesn't go away they tell you to keep your head on a swivel out there so when you get into school you don't want to be in a room full of people you don't know you want to put yourself in a position where you can see everything in a corner or by the exit [Applause] used to be when we would say this student needs preferential seating we were talking about sitting in the front of the room so you could pay attention now we're talking about sitting in the back of the room everybody is in the back of the room next to the door [Music] all right in the count of three I'm going to take picture one two three all right [Music] I think we have to understand that people are not going to come back for more the same [Music] this is what it's come to oh since we don't take applications at the store you have to apply online oh okay apply online I just drove 10 miles coming and after five months of looking for better work Emilia stancati is doubtful that she can afford presents this is what I've made since December 1st we're gonna get experience these are like six and seven hour shifts Sunday I went to work for 38 dollars Monday Tuesday Wednesday off Thursday 36 dollars Friday 57 dollars Sunday twenty dollars I left sick and then they punished me and told me to take off Thursday because I had a bad attitude and I disrespected the manager well yeah yeah I did and you know what for this kind of money I really don't give a [ __ ] and here's my Monday eleven dollars and I should put 67 cents because he made sure to let me know that I did have 67 cents coming so I went to work got up at four o'clock in the morning went to work at 5 30 got home at 11 30 12 o'clock with 11.67 cents in my pocket you're going there in a good attitude yeah please honey thank you how are you good I can't apply anymore please I can't do any more footwork than I'm doing I would love to go back to my construction job what I would give oh sprinkler fitter for years until she was laid off during the recession you imagine I wouldn't even know what to do go to work for 49 an hour it's important to me today and my points are making in an hour I don't even talk to one guy called me last week I didn't even answer them I couldn't I couldn't even bear to tell him what I was doing in life and they put me on new medication because I thought you know God my depression is like really really bad and blah blah blah and uh they put me on this new stuff and I just I had a horrible reaction to it and uh when I called the doctor to tell them he said you know Amelia why don't we just take you off for a while and see how it goes and I thought of medication I mean from the time I was 13 I was either on dope [ __ ] up or I've been on antidepressants so I've never really had a clear head you know what I mean I mean it does affect your emotions you know you become disconnected now all of a sudden the last two weeks I'm a babbling mess crying all the time but I can't stand all this healing stuff I mean who wants to feel all this are you kidding no wonder I was on medic I was medicated all these years I can't handle this feeling sad and feel you know I know my girlfriends are all laughing they're like feelings oh my God the feelings after all these years who the hell knew you know what I'd really like for a resolution is to have a little peace and be a little bit more content with whatever life sends me you know make the lemonade out of lemons instead of stomping on the lemons and throwing them at people you know I don't have a husband that left me a pension or you know my future which is like getting like really closer and closer and closer of old age scares me because um I don't want to struggle you know and I don't want to work when I'm 70 75 and it doesn't look like I'll be able not to so sucks so yeah trying to be happy with that is really hard foreign foreign trimester expecting twins a recent ultrasound found a life-threatening complication Hilton has to take a day off work without pay to see a specialist okay again um UCSF is Hilton have there's one placenta and that's where the complication comes that may end up in the Twin to Twin transfusion syndrome so they have one placenta with one baby having a lot of fluid and the other baby being much smaller and having much less fluid but the little one is so little that's what really concerns me so early it's just too early Arena okay foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Laughter] [Music] chiquitas [Music] if we get to babies out of this pregnancy it'll be a miracle [Music] [Laughter] about my Palomino cream you smart he was a Cow Horse a Workhorse I fell in love with him and here I am with cream at a Fourth of July parade I gave cream away I just couldn't afford it but cream with my heart cream style still back there yeah yeah there's Queens right here creams is empty yeah Percy visits the stable where he used to board his horse if people have him like him then right oh they love him it's good absolutely love them we'll see that's amazing kids if I could have sold them I'd have given you the money but I couldn't no you couldn't sell them horses were starving all over the country you know hard times hit me too as you can see what have we got here 16 horses out of 32. half a barn it's colder in here yeah it is foreign [Music] not as good as cream but I'm getting there [Music] only thing I really have left a pair of Spurs which you gave me I know you sold the trailer I sold a trailer so uh the Saddles and the only thing I can do is just sell sell sell that hurt so I just had to walk away I know it's hurt I won't I mean I knew it hurt because you didn't come no I couldn't didn't come around I couldn't I couldn't I couldn't I couldn't do it I just couldn't do it it just you know what I right now is it's okay Percy it's all right but uh hey I'm waking up every day yeah I got a chance like I said if there's a will there's a way yep and uh I love them horses I love what's happening a lot of people around them I know that things are not good for you yeah you know but you know to get away you certainly can come out I hope it doesn't be this cold next time oh it won't it'll be warm are you around no no don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry [Music] you got to keep each other strong okay all right Percy bye now [Music] or maybe it's time to go outside and have a cigarette I just did I have another one this party was not going to go this year I decided I wasn't going to have this party because I couldn't afford to have this party just the whole Christmas thing sucks this year we have a filter I think you need one in there yes you do no you don't you still need them wow we don't have a filter so just how about a pitcher it's really Kelis my Christmas parties usually aren't like this are they like a little off oh you're not here this early so you don't know you come in when I put my face on yeah what's up good to see you you know what I've never been in the struggle that I'm in this year ever it's gonna get better every year Amelia throws a Christmas party for a group of friends each woman contributes to the gift grab aloe socks an ice gingerbread antibacterial soap decorative Lantern s [Laughter] With God all things are possible very nice very nice thank you very much what is it it's a spoon holder it's empty [Laughter] oh my there's lots of makeup thank you oh she stole the lantern now you guys you can only steal it twice oh my makeup bag I have to go steal someone else's house or you can pick it up again I'll pick another gift maybe I'll get some more makeup [Music] [Laughter] [Applause] [Music] how many times you go there [Laughter] take care away all right let's clear the hallways let's go clear the hallways Elizabeth Moreno works as a high school guidance counselor expenses from her recent wedding to Jose have put the couple in a tight Financial spot right now that I have a little bit of down time and not when I say little the office is not a mad house right now I tend to do a little bit of my bills and I keep it here because I usually get paid and this is my little payment book I put away 400 for Christmas presents for everybody um have 21 people on my side of the family so I'll put an amount that I got paid and then I'll deduct and then I know what what I'm left with Thursday night I took Aiden to McDonald's three dollars or 71 cents 27.03 that was Sushi last night forgot his wallet and I have to separate money for the student loan and I separate money for my eyebrows because I would have caterpillar eyebrows if I didn't get them I gotta pay this Chase credit card I could tweeze them but I I'm very tedious about that process if I could just separate twenty dollars you know that's not looking pretty Banta now I'm gonna pay the Liberty Mutual I don't have login so I guess I'm gonna have to cut a check I think there's some stuff that hasn't posted yet yeah something I didn't want to have to do but I guess I'll do it because that's stamps worst thing this morning I cracked my screen okay so I'm gonna write down done mine is 175. which leaves me to pay my American Express supposed to be 250. [Music] I'm ashamed and embarrassed guys yeah there's 587 dollars that's something I should have seen so I'll be with 49.31 so guess what Christmas money you've now been lowered you've now been lowered foreign [Laughter] [Music] [Music] hey dude how you doing is that a dinosaur what kind of dinosaur is it Triceratops all right Percy and Bev and their extended family gather a week before Christmas for an annual gumbo feast I make a big pot of gumbo well I mean a big pot of gumbo but you know stuff is so expensive now you go to the store thinking got something and by the time you get this and that it's you know money's gone the couple gets 147 a month in food stamps recently reduced due to government Cuts we start buying shrimp and sausage and stuff like in the summer and keep it so we can have a lot of it at Christmas we don't give out Christmas gifts for the grandkids because you know with our Blended families it's too many don't be eating up nothing all we gotta do is move them over there first you've been an excellent stepfather to me I don't even consider him a stepdad I can't consider my dad I can always go to Percy like my father said when they came here he could walk out one job and go to another job you know and there are people on the corner have signs we're hiring uh and we'll pay you to come work pay you just to sign this here we'll pay you but now we haven't flipped the economy over when the factory economy was running the city 60s 70s 80s nothing replaced that economy I can name a bunch of right here in Milwaukee yeah caterpillar Briggs and stress Briggs and Stratton all the some of the main right and now they outsourced and we don't have that economy just stabilize the family well this is this dinosaur's gonna get nobody has bounced back from the recession that we had unless you were rich middle class citizens none me and my wife have decent jobs and we still live paycheck to paycheck for my mother and my stepdad it's hard it's like really really hard you know it's harder to sits because I know the struggles and I can't help them gonna be during that time as much as I possibly can I helped my mom here and there with medications but you look at that mortgage you looking at car insurance health insurance and I don't know how my mother functions sometimes with the load that she has to carry yeah you want to say what you're thankful forever opportunities I'm thankful for being here today being able to eat around my family being able to go to college and doing well thanks for my mom to do what she's done with us four boys single two jobs second and third shift first and second shift I was catching a cab at five years old with my money in the envelope with the house key peanut butter and jelly now you don't know that's where you came from foreign [Music] first of all I want to thank God for letting me be here today just to be amongst all the people I said to my father I said I want to be like you he said I don't want you to be like me and I didn't understand why at that time they run a life I asked him why don't you want me to be like you know he said I want you to be better than me better than you better than you will succeed okay [Music] [Music] I hope this was Annette tonight if this is it tonight the only thing you can hope for is that everybody's in a generous mood you know this year has just been really weird days that never thought would be slow here have been slow last Thursday I mean last Thursday was probably the slowest day I've seen here in five years but you know what people don't have money I mean this is a luxury a couple of days before Christmas you know their choices are pretty simple going out to eat are Christmas gifts on top of her full-time job at a chain restaurant in downtown Chicago Amelia has worked one shift a week for 24 years at rosangelos a family-owned place near her home Rosie's is there's no way to get in there full time people would trip over each other and try and get days there I mean this one's a little sister that one's a little brother I mean everybody there's no room Amelia has lots of regulars but tonight brings in a new couple Hi how are you good good would you like something to drink diet coke with a lime Pepsi is that okay I know I want to cook I want a Coke with light I left her on the jewel for you it might be a while though he might be dehydrated by the time I get back are you okay I'm all right Heineken you need a you need a mistletoe hanging over this thing get out of here do you know how much editing they have to do on this thing every other oh my God one days when they asked me to do this I said let me tell you a couple things about myself I said I swear a lot I smoke a lot I talk like a truck driver I ride a motorcycle I eat enough chocolate to put myself into a comb I said so if you're still interested be my guest yeah I don't want to come back because you're discriminate against sue you kicked the little girl you kissed the guy you didn't kiss me you didn't hug me oh my God I won't tell your husband that you're making out with the customers out here there wasn't even no tongue involved oh my God see that do you see what we put up with see this I'll be wiped out tomorrow I won't be able to wake up I'll be over sleeping they're gonna say to work what time I get up at four in the morning yeah yeah Jack four in the morning yeah what time you start 5 30. that's when I go to bed foreign Works Elizabeth joins his extended family for Christmas Eve is it from Santa no wait wait wait wait wait let me take a picture of you guys going on paper save the paper for next year wow wow he's working three to eleven guys this is what I wanted wait it fits him he'll go into it yeah Jose calls his sister to wish the family a Merry Christmas do you want to come to my house uh well we're here talking chilling actually you could be in this conversation because how come it doesn't do the face time that's exactly how it is but um Jose's mother has to leave the celebration early to go to her job at a local hospital don't work too hard take it easy [Music] we work all the time and never each other so it was difficult [Music] that was from Angela's party oh Amelia spends Christmas with her daughter son-in-law and only grandchild Anthony oh no we we push it to see who goes first you got one get out of there no oh don't touch it anything Anthony wants whatever he wants to do she'll do she'll play probably trouble that's her favorite board game to play with him he kicks her butt every time look who's losing now free with my daughter I was gone for the first six years of her life dealing with my drug addiction [Music] so with Anthony I try to be present when I have Anthony it's just me and Anthony oh Mimi's are people who play a special part and all the Treasured Memories We hold within our hearts thanks for being the best Mimi ever love you little man thank you so much oh my God I love it oh you're such a good kid um I guess I'll have to give you yours what is that are you kidding me here you got an iPad I don't even know how to use these things hold on oh yeah it came with a charger financially no she probably should not have bought the iPad she definitely did not have the money but she would rather spend that money on Anthony there was no way you would have stopped her from buying it um when it comes to him that's what she does Macy's gift card thank you do enough shopping there and then that's just makeup that I don't use yeah oh perfect I actually needed to go and buy this that's pretty cool sweet thanks so at least you don't have to buy eye makeup yeah you're way too cute so you had a good day today huh you have a lot of gifts we got him in these Middle School the Worst years of my life and then the other one is how I survived bullies broccoli and Snake Hill starts middle school next year so so we're gonna like tell them how to survive bullies we know how to survive bullies call Mimi yeah yeah oh yeah what Amelia really wants for Christmas is a break from winter weather so she can ride her motorcycles stored in Nicole's garage I've exhausted it in a while no just cold I dusted during summer almost every other day she bought the bike when she had a construction job and was making five times what she makes waitressing God I love my motorcycle I wish I could take this like right now I'd be out on this thing now that was her first bike the Sportster cigarette in the mouth her Harley glasses black shirt jeans that's my mom [Music] her papa and her sitting on the bike that's a big deal I love that Amelia got her own bike because she didn't like being a passenger so it's it's Independence it's the freedom to get up and go [Music] I have a windshield I put it on once we rode to Milwaukee with the windshield on I couldn't stand that windshield and I get the [ __ ] out of me for bugs and rocks then you stop and people don't tell you go to the bathroom and you're like why was everybody laughing when you realize what they were laughing because you have dead bugs all over your face you got a couple on your teeth [Music] Amelia has talked about the possibility of selling the motorcycle to pay some bills and to do some things but I don't know that she's at that point [Music] foreign and Diana are moving to East Palo Alto the move comes at a bad time just two days ago they had another ultrasound is [Music] regresso subscribe [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] they chose this house which they'll share with another family because they thought they would need room for the babies [Music] Hilton and Diana's share of the rent is one thousand fifty dollars per month more than three times what they paid to live in a garage foreign [Music] it's not a fussy [Music] [Laughter] next time on hard earned [Music] 15 an hour I told Walgreens I quit we heard news about Hilton's babies I asked him I said you want to take a week or two off and you said I need to work foreign [Music] but right now we're about chapter 13. capitalism bro capital [Music]

Channel: ENDEVR

Views: 451,465

Keywords: Free documentary, documentaries, full documentary, hd documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), Business Documentary, working class, poverty documentary, social inequality, income inequality, income inequality in america 2022, income inequality in america, working class documentary, low income, low income documentary, hard earned series, minimum wage, retirement

Id: UWLlyQb-tp0

Length: 47min 21sec (2841 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 29 2023