Adelle Hartley's tongue-in-cheek signs don't convey just how down and out she is.
'Will code 4 latte," reads one sign held by the 39-year-old Australian developer as she begs for money in Sydney, Australia. Hartley is out of work, has no money for food, but still has two things she holds dear — her website and a Facebook profile.
"It's not that expensive to have a mobile these days. I've held onto it because people who know me sometimes get in touch with work," Hartley told NineMSN.
According to NineMSN, Hartley's last work contract ended six months ago and has since been homeless in Sydney. She spends $10 a day working from an Internet cafe, the same amount she spends on food.
"I'd rather be connected than have a place to stay," Hartley said.
She recalls mixed responses from passerby.
"One guy came up and yelled at me the other day," Hartley told NineMSN, later adding, "Generally people are nice, and every so often I get approached by someone with some freelance work."
Hartley isn't the only homeless person who manages to stay connected. A poor man known as Grant the Polite Guy reached success with a a blog he started to direct donations to those in need, including himself.
But access for the homeless is strained for many. A report released by Open Access Connections in July of last year surveyed 89 homeless men and women about their access to Internet use. Complaints of long wait times and time limits on use were reported by some, and less than half reported accessing the Internet at all.
More recently, The Huffington Post's Gerry Smith reported on the concerns of the homeless and poor about being left behind in the digital age due to lack of Internet access.