[indiana joe]

the homeless have a uniqe lifestyle it's not only drunken old men and
mental patients anymore it's whole families that survive all year in all elements.
we pay hundreds sometimes thousands of dollars learning to survive.
i'm thinking with a little money or food,both you could follow theese people in their daily life to see how they survive or just dress the part and do as the natives do live a week or weekend see how they get food, shelter,water.
how they keep warm in the winter.have you ever been homeless before ?
what was your expiernce durning this time?what do you urban folk think?

 

[BudgetSurvivalist]

Bums live off of the foolish generosity of others. If the SHTF there won't be people giving you a damn thing in reward for your clever cardboard sign, nor would there be soup kitchens or shelters, and committing a petty crime would most likely get you killed instead of the 3 hots and a cot you were hoping for.

 

[mgd_only]

homeless are a great case study in Ingenuity. i followed a bum that lived in the old market district of down town omaha for a weekend. needless to say i learned a little here and there it was worth it. like bread bags keep your feet from getting wet put on sock, put on bag, put on shoe. seems like a duh type thing but i just didn't think of it.

 

[Maverick88]

I pulled 5-6 months in my car, and I learned alot from my experience. I learded alot of survival and evation skils, but most of all I learded how to keep clean and presentable witout modern amenities.

I think one of the points of the poster of this thread may have been trying to say is it's not all jobless bumbs that don't live in houses. I've heard of many people that had good jobs that lived out of thier car for much longer than I did. Homeless doesn't always mean poor drunk with a card board sighn.

 

[Maverick88]

homeless are a great case study in Ingenuity. i followed a bum that lived in the old market district of down town omaha for a weekend. needless to say i learned a little here and there it was worth it. like bread bags keep your feet from getting wet put on sock, put on bag, put on shoe. seems like a duh type thing but i just didn't think of it.

I've heard some strange techniques for survival used by the bumb side of the homless comunity. One that comes to mind is wraping hamburger meat(probably stolen) in news paper, then lighing it and tossing on the ground. I would rather use more practical means to cook meat but I thought it would be a laugh for you guys.

 

[awildchipmunk]

If ya get some catchup from a fast food joint. Most have a hot water dispenser, all ya need is a cup, you have cheap tomato soup.

 

[indiana joe]

I pulled 5-6 months in my car, and I learned alot from my experience. I learded alot of survival and evation skils, but most of all I learded how to keep clean and presentable witout modern amenities.

I think one of the points of the poster of this thread may have been trying to say is it's not all jobless bumbs that don't live in houses. I've heard of many people that had good jobs that lived out of thier car for much longer than I did. Homeless doesn't always mean poor drunk with a card board sighn.

exactly some are hard workers that just can't make it and too proud to seek goverment assistance they would rather live out of car, tent
or empty houses not stealing begging deadbeats but useing their brain to survive a bad situation till they can position them selfs in renting or buying
a home.with all the forclosures i'm sure there are more and more everyday.

 

[Brother Number 4]

If ya get some catchup from a fast food joint. Most have a hot water dispenser, all ya need is a cup, you have cheap tomato soup.

for some sick reason and I'm going to give this a try.

 

[Normann]

Like your idea Indiana Joe, when the time is right i may just try this street survival...and big respect to all that are doing it for real.

 

[mongo]

Lived in a van (no, not down by the river) for almost a year. I was working, but not making enough for rent. Learned to wash up at health clubs (sign up for free tour, listen to pitch, workout a bit and shower up.) In a pinch, I could clean up at a gas station or truck stop. Couple times a month I'd get a fleabag hotel room.
Winter is a pain, a good -30 degree sleeping bag was a must, got lucky and found one at a resale shop.

Being older, I'd opt for a small motorhome (~25') and live in that.

 

[test]

We have a new addition to our small town. There's now a guy who stands on the corner by the grocery store with a sign that just says "FOOD".
Not you're normal " will work for food", just "FOOD".
The other day I stopped at the liquor store on my way home and he was buying a pint of Vodka with cash.
Guess it's OK to spend his money on booze, but somebody else should buy his FOOD.
All I've got too say is " fu*k that as*hole", hope he can find his thumb on the end of his arm and go somewhere else........

 

[test]

A friend of mine was doing work at a shelter. On his way there he saw a homeless man with the sign "Will work for food". He stopped and told the man that he would pay him to come work at the shelter with him. The man told my friend to "F off". I also have met homeless that aren't even homeless. Now this is smart but messed up... four men rent a house together. They wake up get in one guys car and he drops each guy at off ramps around the city. Then he parks the car at the mall and walks to the nearest off ramp. They each have their own role. One is in a wheelchair, one is a vet, one is homeless and the other was a victim of a mugging. all of them are healthy wealthy, men. These are the ones that make it so hard for the real ones to get the help they need.

 

[BudgetSurvivalist]

exactly some are hard workers that just can't make it and too proud to seek goverment assistance they would rather live out of car, tent
or empty houses not stealing begging deadbeats but useing their brain to survive a bad situation till they can position them selfs in renting or buying
a home.with all the forclosures i'm sure there are more and more everyday.

Bums are like morbidly obese people. Sure, you have the few that honestly can't help what they are because of glands, or genes, or whatnot. But for at least 95% their situation is both preventable and correctable, they just have to get off their asses.

 

[harhey]

Their is a great article that can be googled , its called the Joy of being homeless. It provides you with an inside look from a person who lived on the streets for quite a while.

 

[aramchek]

There's a difference between bums and old-style hobos. Some of the hobos simply didn't stoop to the basic indignity of paying rent/mortgage/taxes or working for someone else. They traveled the country by hopping trains, had their own symbol language, and basically picked that lifestyle by choice. Maybe they're the western equivalent of gypsies, an un-conquerable subset of our culture. You could never throw one of these guys into a factory assembly line or office cubicle like an animal in a cage (like me, for that matter).

So I'd say we need to draw a distinction between bums by circumstance (genes, alcoholism, etc.) and bums by choice. The ones who've managed to do that deliberately, and I suspect there are some still around today, probably are very good urban survivalists.

 

[thorjeep]

Just a thought:

Survival manuals are based on the people that live off the local land (American Indians, Polynesians, Bedouins, Aborigines). How about the people who live off our land (Society).

There may be some very useful knowledge there

 

[Ka-bar]

i used to be a manager of a pizza joint and living next to the santa ana river bed here in cali, where bums are more than plenty. i have had my fair share of bum encounters on a daily basis. the majority of the bums that came into my establishment were your tipical beggers lookin to get a free meal. they were filthy and reaked of alcohol. they did not get a thing from me. i had 3 regulars (bums) that would come in that were decent people. they were well kept, didnt stink up the place and 2 of them always asked if they could do the dishes, sweep, or take out the garbage at the end of the night after hours (couldnt have them working in the store while food was being prepped) for in exchage of a pizza. i had no problem helping them out. 1 bum (chris) was the most mentally normal bum and was only a bum for the free life style. he was always clean shaved and always had his pit bull (lady) with him. he worked under the table here and there at various locations to earn cash and always made sure he had dog food for lady. these 3 guys were all great people and i am glad i had the oportunity to help them out and to get to know them.

 

[tnrick55]

soup

for some sick reason and I'm going to give this a try.

don't forget the salt and pepper.if the crackers are out you have it made.:thumb:

 

[dix0r]

i used to be a manager of a pizza joint and living next to the santa ana river bed here in cali, where bums are more than plenty. i have had my fair share of bum encounters on a daily basis. the majority of the bums that came into my establishment were your tipical beggers lookin to get a free meal. they were filthy and reaked of alcohol. they did not get a thing from me. i had 3 regulars (bums) that would come in that were decent people. they were well kept, didnt stink up the place and 2 of them always asked if they could do the dishes, sweep, or take out the garbage at the end of the night after hours (couldnt have them working in the store while food was being prepped) for in exchage of a pizza. i had no problem helping them out. 1 bum (chris) was the most mentally normal bum and was only a bum for the free life style. he was always clean shaved and always had his pit bull (lady) with him. he worked under the table here and there at various locations to earn cash and always made sure he had dog food for lady. these 3 guys were all great people and i am glad i had the oportunity to help them out and to get to know them.

i actually had a similar experience working at a pizza place (also in soca in fact)l. i still see the guy occasionally but unfortunately he seems to be going downhill... he seems like he's now drinking or doing drugs and isn't nearly as 'together' (relative term i guess) as he was. but i like the way you handled it anyways!

 

[Lamb]

1 bum (chris) was the most mentally normal bum and was only a bum for the free life style. he was always clean shaved and always had his pit bull (lady) with him. he worked under the table here and there at various locations to earn cash and always made sure he had dog food for lady. these 3 guys were all great people and i am glad i had the oportunity to help them out and to get to know them.