The Homeless Survival Guide

reply to post by 38181

This will be painful but you need food stamps and government subsidized housing. Use soup kitchens food pantries and call the churches in your area and explain your situation. Not all of the churches help people in trouble. Many of them are just social clubs It is worth while to wade through the hyppocrits to find the people who are able to help.Since you have a child consider working in a day care center or as babysitter. As a last resort you may need to consider a childrens home/orphanage. Those homes take in the children of people who no longer can care for their kids .Consider the child's home option only if CPS goes after your kid. Good luck!

I spent many years traveling around the usa homeless , keep in mind that homlessness is a state of mind, unless you are out of your mind, You should consequently "LIVE in your body" if you keep that idea in mind you will not feel as destitude as you actually are. people help those who help themselves......I traveled homless for 6 years, I chose to have those hardships still waiting to write my book, from hitch hiking, on car, boats and trains, owning cars, camping, to living in commune and ashrams and all that HIPPIE(Happy Individual Person Pursuing Individual Enlightenment) stuff Rainbow gatherings, the grateful dead tour, phish tour, and my own down and out ness, but i had survived. My parents booted me out at 18, and moved to south America (Foreign Service)but at 17 I went sailing on a tall ship and learned the rule of the road, being homless in the Carribbean, working my way back home , and I did the number one mistake, booze, ive been sober for 10 years now, if you homless you will be lonely, getting freind is paramount to surival but not necessary, and trust no man just your self and god(higher power) and your family.
let me tell you my story but first here are some hints to Surive:
first Food:
Pizza Hut and any pizza place throws the old pizza dough out. find out when and dumpster dive. make a oven with stone and brick and bake.
be honest ...example when i was hitch hiking , first dine and dash if you must but it is better to call the manager over and ask point blank, "I have money for coffee, i am willing to do some work for a meal, (may get luck and not have to) then throw the curve ball, and tell them I dont want to be dishonest and eat and run on a full stomach, do you have any returned food?" that works well
Churches and community centers, if you on the streets fins a camp. to put food, if you have a car bonus go to every church and ask they always have a pantry.
Social services, Food stamps, tell the social worker you want emergency expidited and you will get at least 119.00 in stamps, use them or sell them most people will buy them $.50 on the dollar. if you strapped for cash.
All you can eat buffett places get some cash and eat , and or panhandle.
Pan handling: dress clean, look good , and act like you lost your wallet and ask any person walking by for two bucks for the bus,train etc. I know a guy in Sanfrancisco who was making on average 300.00 dollars a day this way. if you need a prop use a old credit card that looks damaged, and dont look desprate. or be creative stand in front of a coffee shop and ask for spare chang for coffee, or just say you got a buck im a little short. the secret is self confidence. and never do it in the same place.
getting work: this is proven and mine... if you have a sense of work and knowing how to work... go to any hardware store.. go get a piece of card board and write" traveling need work" in big bright letters, i have pulled weeds from gardens, cleaned rain gutters, worked on construction sites, done all kinds of handy many jobs, but there is a trick...
I love yachts, and sailing, I can make money any where, here is how, get a bucket and soap and cruise the local marina and wash boats???? with in a few days, charge 30 buck of so , also invest in some good sponges and Simple green aramad hammer super washing soda and T.S.P. (trisoidum posphate|) if you have other skills you can move up to varnish work and whatnot..
living: Remember the bureau of land management will allow for you to camp legally for 15 days but you must move your camp more that 50 feet, and if you pack it in take it out, you can find BLM land some time 50 miles or so from a major city.
you are only limited to what kind of work you think you can do, if you try and earn it people will help you. I have so many more hints and help give me feed back and ill give you more, right now I live in Kuwait a half a worl away, and have many more International homeless survival tips,

This is a long overdue and timely subject. WE all know how stressed our nation is, and the world. There appears to be NO IMMEDIATE answers, or any one person who can"LEAD" us out of it. We are facing a force 5+schitstorm, and it will destroy many livlihoods, and send many into the streets. Homelessness will be rampant, and crime will be severe as folks lose it all, and are left pennyless. This may be one of the reasons why our government has been quietly building gulags all over the country.
They know BIG TROUBLE IS A BREWING.
I hate to see it coming. But, coming it is.
The sharing of this type of information, is a good thing for those that wouldn't have a clue of how to cope on the down and low.
Another subject that compares to this, are the HOBOS that ride the rails. There are web sites that cover this subject. Lots of useful info there.
Also, talk to any old timer in a Vets facility, nursing home, etc. who lived through the depression of the thirties. You'd be amazed at the stories they can tell you, about how to survive out there with nothing.
Much of our slang today, is based on the vernacular of those times.
Never being homeless myself, I cannot add much to this post.
But it is a worthy subject.

If you are willing to work, and work hard, there isn't a need for you to go homeless. In rural areas it would be maybe, but not in a city environment.

Your post really covered on how to survive well. Thanks.

reply to post by fleetwingq8


Fleet that was some encouraging stuff, there! I wanted to give you a banana sticker, but hope ya dont mind settling for a star.

I am curious about how to make an oven, though. I imagine its simple but I cant visualize it. Heck, it takes me 3 hours to cook minute rice.

I think Im going to invest in the US Army Rangers Survivalism Handbook.

I am usually homeless once a year, I have slept in a homeless shelter before. It wasnt like one of the big ones but apparently it was or is a major supplier of narcotics in the area. The whole place makes people hi the moment they step in. I have slept on park benches before, I tried joining the army and had no where to go so I just slept on the park bench in San Diego by the old Navy barracks. I was homeless in Atlanta too and went to the homeless shelter there it was nasty, slept behind a mercedez dealership in 30 degree weather. So just imagine some dude walking down the street with an Army suitcase with a bunch of nice clothes begging for money. Apparently I have a disability I am not really sure.

Originally posted by kthulu
reply to post by fleetwingq8

 

Fleet that was some encouraging stuff, there! I wanted to give you a banana sticker, but hope ya dont mind settling for a star.

I am curious about how to make an oven, though. I imagine its simple but I cant visualize it. Heck, it takes me 3 hours to cook minute rice.

I think Im going to invest in the US Army Rangers Survivalism Handbook.

well to make a brick oven, well find houseold bricks in urban area and cement, but pratical means in the wilderness, Gather stones large twenty pound stones, arrange them in a circle, find local mud, clay works best, a little sand and line if you can find it, mix a mortar and build it like an igloo, , hake a shelf for old iron cooking pots, have a hole in the roof to vent , when you start it get a 4 foot camp fire going, to get long burning coals, put them in the bottom of the oven this will also heat the mortar, dry the mud out and in 8 to 12 hours you can get it up to 350,

As far as city dwelling the safest way oil barrel, and propane bottles like from a grill, many citys have public barbcue pits,
for instance i had food stamps went to the store pan handled for change bought a STeak, in Palm springs, CA. started the grill next to the golf course at sundown, cooked dinner, ate it left, threw my trash.
lets get to Urban warfare survival:
Look if you are that hard up and are on drugs or drinking you just wont get out of the hole. stealing when you back is against the wall, always try honest means first.. I have been in jails all over America picked up for petty stuff, regarding homelessness,
in 1997 I was in Virginia Beach, and it was October and real cold outside,
I knew of a hotel that closed for the season, and was due to be dismantled in the spring. The Princess Anne Hotel. well what I did is scaled up the side of the hotel Balcony to balcony until I found a open door, went thrugh the whole hotel all the t.v. etc were gone, but I went to the front desk and the Maids room and aquired the Master key for the rooms and the exits,
the following day I went and gathered the homless Kids from the street, that were sleeping in bushes and car parks and the pier. gave them all rooms and turned the backup pump on to the hotel and they got showers, well three days later I went there to check everything and everyone was cool and did not destroy the rooms, Some inspectors arrived to remove the H.V.A.C. and found a girl in a room but they were trying to sexually harass here so I stepped in through the suite door. they knew they were busted , they call the cops in, and they busted the kids for tresspassing and I got the breaking and entering. I did jail time even after offering to work for the owner of the hotel, and apoligezed , he still presses charges.

the hard lesson.

I liked your guide. I have been on the street for just over a year and it was nice to hear from an educated, non-drug/alcohol addicted homeless person for a change. That's the category I fall into, as well. I also have a few mental issues - depression, OCD, etc which is how I came to be out here. I absolutely refuse to accept any assistance dollars (even though I could probably get some) and I have never panhandled, not even
when I had to go a day or two without food.

During the time I have been out here I have encountered only three other homeless people that I had anything in common with and this, after having traveled all over the US. It gets lonely. Non-homeless people routinely blow me off because they think I'll try to hustle them. Even church volunteers seem unwilling to risk having a genuine conversation. When no one else is around I talk to myself - out loud! Not because I'm crazy, I just need to hear myself every so often. I think that must be a good part of the reason we converse with others so we can affirm our own feelings, beliefs, and points-of-view to ourselves.

What you said about street people being able to sense fear is so true. I have learned to wear a "poker face". I've lost count of the number of times I've been threatened for no apparent reason and have been sucker-punched a couple of times. I go out of my way to avoid "the herd" and prefer to sleep outside where there are no others. I steer clear of shelters (especially the ones in big cities) and only go to churches to get food and showers.

The street is gruelling and monotonous. I have really come to despise this life. If I ever get off the street I promise to never take things for granted again.

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


I'm not a fan of this new Anonymous posting capability that ATS us offering, so it's a big thing when I tell you that you are the first Anon poster I have starred.

Here's a quick note I thought of last night when I was making dinner.

DON'T drain your canned veggies! All the vitamins are in the water. If you can't stomach drinking it, then perhaps do what I did last night. I put two packs of ramen noodles in a dish to be microwaved. Instead of adding all tap water, I drained the veggies over the ramen, and then topped it off with the tap water. But don't throw in the veggies until the ramen is done. They're already mushy enough. Throw them in after the ramen is done, and they'll be warm enough just sitting in the broth for a minute.


[edit on 5/23/0808 by jackinthebox]

I think most people are only a few wage packets away from being homless.


Lose your income lose your home.


Here you go Robbie Williams' ............wanna really help and make a diffrence?............get these fellow ATS members off the streets.............you got 80 odd million pounds thats almost 160 million dollas........build em a house.







[edit on 23-5-2008 by D/amigO]

reply to post by LLoyd45


Thank you so much for sharing your experiences Lloyd! And thank you to all others who provided information! Everyone's experiences will be different. Lloyd, you managed to keep your dignity through such a difficult experience--I admire you! Never underrate dignity! Even animals have that. It is as essential to life as shelter and food. I have not been homeless yet, except for about four days a year when I go out and pretend (no way even near the real thing, LOL, but useful practice). Your and others' advice rings so true.

Pat

Originally posted by jackinthebox
Here's a quick note I thought of last night when I was making dinner.

DON'T drain your canned veggies! All the vitamins are in the water. If you can't stomach drinking it, then perhaps do what I did last night. I put two packs of ramen noodles in a dish to be microwaved. Instead of adding all tap water, I drained the veggies over the ramen, and then topped it off with the tap water. But don't throw in the veggies until the ramen is done. They're already mushy enough. Throw them in after the ramen is done, and they'll be warm enough just sitting in the broth for a minute.


[edit on 5/23/0808 by jackinthebox]

Actually this doesnt sound to bad!!!
I'm going to try it and give my review as far as cuisine gos.
Good call, JITB!

reply to post by kthulu


Better to avoid the microwave if possible. Use the stovetop if you have one. Maybe even hot tap water to cut down on the cooking time.

[edit on 5/25/0808 by jackinthebox]

I was reading another article and thought I would mention that if any of you find yourselves wayward, but you have only enough money to get by for a few months, consider moving to where the rent is cheaper.

I was reading an article about how apartments go for $1500 where this guy was homeless. If he were here in Dallas, Texas, apartments go for a lowball of around $600 an you can find cheaper if you look. Just poking about on craigslist I found several in the $400-$500 range. Not a 5 star but its nicer than a cardboard box.

Jackinthebox, how are you? I hope you're doing well. I tried your recipe for Ramen and the juice from a can along with the vegetables and I add a new ingredient every time. Todays add: beef jerky cut into bits. Wanna guess where I learned that from?

reply to post by kthulu


I threw in some dried mango slices today that I found at Dollar Tree.

reply to post by rourke


Rourke, you aren't the only one in your situation, and there is help available. It's not easy to find, I know. There are people who run charities aimed specifically to help the working homeless.

I know in California there are some businesses that will let homeless women in cars park in their secure parking lots overnight. They have to be out by 7:00 a.m., but while they are there, they know they can sleep safely, that others just like them are sleeping in cars all around them. Maybe there's something like this where you are. Some RV camps and parks also let people like you - homeless but employed, park there for free. It's safer than trying to find a hidden parking space or parking in alleys and such.

If you're posting here, you obviously have computer access; check Freecycle and CraigsList for your area. You might be able to find a garage apartment or a "mother-in-law" apartment someone will let you use in exchange for say pet sitting or watching their house while they're on vacation or something.

Check bulletin boards in community centers, libraries, laundromats, churches, and homeless shelters (but don't stay in a homeless shelter, some are very good, but most are so understaffed it doesn't matter how good they are, you'll still get hurt or sick or have things stolen). Talk to the utility companies, sometimes they have programs to waive deposits for working homeless just getting re-homed. Talk to apartment managers, sometimes they can waive deposits and even temporarily reduce rents to help you get a home again. Check with the State or County Housing Department, you may not qualify for their Section 8 housing (and the waiting lists are usually very long anyway) but they may know of landlords who will work with you outside the strictures of Section 8.

You're not alone in your situation, and there are people who want to help you.

I'm Noddy from www.gallimaufree.wordpress.com

Im a 25 year old female, and I just became un-homeless if that makes any since. I think that being homeless is Gods crule way of teaching us to be humble. I remember being homeless when i was in the 3rd grade. Me, my dad, my step-mom , 2 little sisters, and my step-brother. I din't go to school for a long time, and when i did i ended up repeating the same grade. At first i was ashamed of it, but then God started blessing my family. We moved into a real nice appartment, got a cadi, and everything. Through out all of this my dad would tell me "Never think that i have it all because in a blink of an eye it can all be taken from you," and even when you don't have it all thank God because he woke us up this morning, and thats a big thing in its self.

I became homeless again when I was 17 years old, then again at 22, and agan now at 25. Each time, I noticed that I would have a good job, bucu money, nice clothes...(etc)...and through out all of this I forgot God. Not once did I say thank you Lord for anything. It was just get up go to work, party afterward sleep then wake up and do it all again. Now im not saying that because you wake up and say this stuff that instantly things will change.....cause it didn't for me. I had to be totaly humble. Now I have a good job, a nice house, and I go to church. No I don't party any more and every morning I thank God for who he is in my life and what he is doing for me. Slowly but surley.

Always remeber: In Everything Give Thanks

Peace and Blessings

Interesting stuff. I am in Belgium and my english isn't very good but here is my advice. I'm college educated, middle class background and made good money. Was involved with a buseniss that went wrong and before you know it, you are all alone.

It was an interesting experience. The bankmanager who is no longer friendly. They seize everything you've got. You end up in an empty appartment knowing that they will kick you out withing two weeks.

What to do? I contacted social services and they just told me to seek a place to be. But how to do that with no money? I got tired from all their BS and told her "get me an appt or I will camp in your office". She got scared.

She arranged a place in a shelter and I stayed there for 6 weeks. It was hell. Drunks, drugusers, etc... These people steal whenever they can. The bottom of the barrel. Just horrible.

But, after that I moved to an appt and applied for every benefit I could get. You have rights, look into it and get whatever you can. Housing, welfare, it is all there for free. Know your rights.

reply to post by rourke

wow I really feel for you,if you need any help I can offer no problem.im in the lebanon pa area,lots of work [email protected]