Welcome, Al. Hope you find all you need here. I suspect that you will. Stay strong, and learn. You will do just fine in the long run.

 

I'm confused.

You plan to be homeless?

 

: I plan for the distinct possibility, at the least. For years, I've been fascinated by homless living, and I would like to try it, though. Is that bad?

 

They say you will only regret the things you did not try... I was homeless a year in my 20's and learned plenty about the kind of people I didn't want to end up like, the drugs I didn't want to be on, the sort of things that happen that can't be undone and where not to be when it rains for 3 days in a row....

 

Get an education. Learn a skill(s). THAT is job security.

 

I was homeless in regards to not having a home or an apartment. We lived for the better part of 2 years scrambling from hotel to hotel, moving our worldy belongings in the back of a broke down bronco II, losing some along the way. I was fresh out of the service and had a good gobberment job ( DoD Fireman). Problem was credit (got in a bad spot had to do the B-word) and it ruined me.
No matter how many times we tried, we could not get approval for any type of housing, at least not without a sizable security deposit. I would have been fine if it was just me but I had two toddler age kids and a young wife I was trying to put thru school. Hardest 2 years of my life, my marriage was stressed but proved that it was strong. I would not wish that life on anyone, the few trips to the food pantry has really cemented my need to store in times of plenty.
Education is going to be key but add certifications, that makes you stand out in an over-crowded room. Any idiot can get a 4 year degree but it takes brains and persistance to get a CSP, or NICET or your CHMM. Try a technical school, welders are still getting hired like gangbusters, in Houston they can't turn them out fast enough.

 

Apologies in Advance

• I don't have a wife or kids, thankfully.
• O'er the past 3 years, I've taught myself how to program computers. I mostly just work on a fighting-game, with the skill.
• Sleep is mostly a diurnal pursuit, as I work graveyard (8pm - 4am) at “Mac D's.” I've been scouting for spots, and've got a short list going.

The idea of a boorish nine-to-five has never appealed to me. Part-time kitchen-work is great for a guy like me, really: the scratch from that can get me everything I want (which ain't much), and I can damn-near always find somewhere to go, in case of unemployment. :thumb:

My main concern, right now, is finding as many rest-spots and food-sources as I can. Clothing's important, as my job requires a uniform; and I think laundromat-money and a good backpack would fix that much. I could get a lock; and claim one of the lockers at work, for my uniforms…? Is Febreeze as much of a friend as I think it is? I've learned that Pinellas-county homeless qualify for food-stamps, and I've had great experiences with that. Proper budgeting (buying real food, etc.) will leave enough scratch for end-of-the-month munchie-runs! :

Something I've learned is that job-security is worth its weight in gold, and since job-security is an immaterial concept.… My family has been on the brink of the street for a decade, and we've done everything we were told to do. Give me a Harvard-stamped Ph.D. in anything, and I'd still feel uneasy. Trusting the roof over my head feels like trusting <political-party you despise> with the White House, you dig? I don't want this sense of vulnerability to keep lingering over me, and learning the streets is the most direct way to get rid of it.

***​

Um, sorry for the text-wall, folks! I get carried away, sometimes. : Well, here's my list of priorities:

1. Food
2. Sleep
3. Hygiene
4. Internet (all kinds of taken care of)

What am I overlooking? Am I oversimplifying the issue?

 

• The idea of a boorish nine-to-five has never appealed to me. Part-time kitchen-work is great for a guy like me, really: the scratch from that can get me everything I want (which ain't much), and I can damn-near always find somewhere to go, in case of unemployment. :thumb:

• 
  
  Time to grow up son. All of us at one time or another in our lives have (or will have to) do work that we don't like. That's called maturity.
  
  Eventually, through perseverance and bit of luck, you can find the right niche for you. I see no reason to be stuck for long in work that you hate.

 

self imposed misery, not for me. good luck

 

Personally, if that's the route you chose, go for it. I sincerly wish you the best. The problem I DO have is that you are volunteering to be homeless with the plan of sponging off of the rest of us (food stamps). That is pretty low in my opinion. Some people need these services, that's fine, this is different.

 

Clearing a Misconception



:thumb: Oho, it's just an emergency-measure! Remember the job I mentioned? I do work. But, if all else fails, I'll have the option of receiving government-aid. Isn't that what it's there for?

: I'm sorry to have given the wrong impression. The funny thing is that, with my current job (the only one I could find), I would need food-stamps if I tried to get an apartment (currently crashing with parents, after losing former residence)! Ha ha! The cost of rent and utilities would tax my pithy wages beyond considerably! I'm not going back to living off ramen and saltines, I tell you; not unless I get something very, very good out of it. Really, being homeless is the best chance to not leech of the public, it seems: am I the only one that sees the humor in that?

 

You are only 20, you have your whole life in front of you. Join the military (Air Force is pretty safe) or learn a trade, try to do something with your life. Time goes by so fast and it's easier to try to establish yourself when you're young, don't waste that time.

If you are dead set on being homeless do yourself a favor and...

1. Buy an old minivan to live in, tint the windows AND put up curtains so no one can tell you're in there.
.
2. Get a membership to the YMCA so you can take showers as needed.

 

why would someone plan to be homeless. im a college student/ single dad of 2 kids, part time job and we live in a nice house, trucks paid off, no debt. its not that hard, maybe you shouldnt have smoked that much grass in high school, or did you finish. have fun but i would pick somthing else as young as you are you never know you could be pretty successful of you would try

 

Hmph!

I've been deliberating on my response to the last few posts, trying to address them in as intelligent manner as I am able, but I've got to take some time out to say that I don't smoke anything. I'm a near-complete straight-edge; wholly complete, if soda's caffeine doesn't count.

 

It's called skills dude.

Get some.

People will pay more for skills.

Oh, and if your worried about being homeless...

Buy an acre in BFE... many places you can find under a grand an acre.

Lots of sub $4,000 cabin plans...

And you have a 'hunting cabin' or a bug out retreat, and are never homeless....

 

@hawkbern: 'Salright. :thumb:

 

what kind of education do you have

 

I was homeless in St. Pete about four years ago. Clearwater Beach isn't the place you want to go. Too many cops giving you a hard time, especially since they passed that no pan-handling law. Downtown is where you want to be. There's plenty of places to get free food and a dry spot to sleep(highway overpasses). I was only homeless for a couple months during which I worked full time and lived out of my truck. I was a couple years older than you then. I now own my home and would never go back. It's a rough world out there and If you can avoid homelessness please do. If you can't then think of it as a set back, not a new lifestyle.

 

Military has *great* job security.

Also, a friend of mine tried the homeless thing for two weeks during one of his summers off. He said it wasn't as bad as he thought it would have been as far as provisions went, but the people made the whole going horrific.

 

Alfonso:
It seems that you are throwing the white flag- well, almost. You are seeking to find out how to handle defeat. That is good that you are getting ready for something but I'll have to mark your plan with a red pen and tell you to resubmit it.

You are young enough to go to school and learn a trade. Remember that you won't like everything about a job or about school. You learn to enjoy life and do like I did; become optimistic that things will be fine if you do the right thing. I lived through Jimmy Carter and we as Americans- supposedly the ones who wanted welfare and didn't value our heritage- fired his butt.

Enough movie pep talk. What I'm trying to say is that you need to plan to WIN. Yes, I prep with foods. I don't want to make it an obsession. Winning means having a plan but most of all it's implementation. You won't like getting up, studying the worst of topics, or working for someone who treats you like a jerk. That nonsense is a rite of passage you need to go through on the way to success.

You can go to tech school for little or nothing. Then you can get a job and work on a college degree.

Someone told me any idiot could get a 4 year degree. That is true as a whole. But it is not true for majors like Engineering, Accounting, or health care. I got a BA in Communications. Giggle giggle. I was marooned in Podunk. A four-year degree is just an extra oomph to get you promoted. It is nothing more except for the more technical and mathematical careers I mentioned. I would shoot for vocational training and then get certifications in the industry (such as MCSA for information technology or whatever means you can do the job better than the next fella).

I don't want to hear you talking about wanting to be homeless anymore. You're too good for that. Yes I want you ready for whatever contingencies are out there but remember this; tell yourself, "I will NOT participate in this recession".

One more thing; if you don't have people skills or good grammar you need to change that. Both of those are needed otherwise all the brains in the world are worthless. I should know.

And turn off the radio and turn on the books! Now we can play the Notre Dame Fight Song.

Let us know how it's going.

 

What the hell is wrong with you man. Get a grip and pull yourself together. You live at your parents house and are 20 years old with a part-time job. Thats is the perfect storm to be able to put yourself though school with ease. Wanting to be homeless is about the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. Go to school, get a career, make a life. WTF

 

al you are only 20, assuming you have a clean record, i'd join the Air Force. You sound like the sort who doesnt like dirt or marching 30 miles with a 50 pound pack, so why not sign up? there may be a waiting period since the Air Force is a very popular service (and has the most chicks by the way). But you get to choose your job training and if that isnt enough you can pony in to new GI bill for more and better training, and even take training courses, which they will pay for, in something else all while you are in in uniform. If you have the chutzpah to live on the street you can do a bit of marching and military discipline (and the air force is easy as it gets in this department). This is my advise to you, you are too young to go all cynical and give up on the stupid system since there is plenty of time for that later bahaha.

 

If you want to experiment, okay. Being homeless is fine, but the REAL homeless are the problem.

You are wading into unfriendly waters. It can be a very dangerous environment.

What's your real motivation? To get away? To not work hard? To go on an adventure?

Whatever it is, find a safer environment. A lot of homeless people aren't there by choice. So, they have a much different mental approach than you will.

They can mean serious business.

 

Think before you act. Sometimes people don't realize you can make a decision and it can lead you down a disastrous road from which you never get off...you go down a road and you can't go back.

Think about it. Don't look at things/situation short-term look instead long term. Hang in there.

If you're feeling bummed have a mini-trip and go visit some relatives by Greyhound bus-change of scenery for a few days. Have plans and goals and Nomad, 2nd is spot-on..acquire skills.

Example, you are interested in computers-can you study this more and do this as a sideline? Teach others? Ok, you have the MickeyDee's job...remember, we all have to start somewhere in life-we may not like what we work at but we can use it as a stepping stone to better. Can you acquire a skill and use it for cash? Example, I can fix your computer for a lot less than a repairperson for less $$$ if you pay cash..get the drift? Then use this $ for preps or for your plans. Look into this J. Luna mtd. on this board on privacy. Brainstorm for some ideas.

Look closely at those homeless folk. Most are ex-cons/chemical dependents and have little urban survival skills. If you want to be "homeless" take some survival courses with your money than if SHTF you will have a better chance. Any disaster there are survivors-look at New Orleans or the folks over in the Balkans/Sarajevo.

ask yourself,
if the SHTF, what are those homeless going to do? They survive on society and handouts..what will they do?

 

Go around on a bicycle and observe those homeless. How good are their survival skills? Do they have any? Do they get beaten up as they sleep? Are they drugged out of their mind/drunk as they sleep on a park bench? Observe and learn.

Google homeless in your area and read accounts. Are there any survival skills you can learn from the homeless in your area? Volunteer for a day at a church/mission feeding center and pay attention to the types of homeless. Befriend a fairly normal looking homeless person and tell them you are a college student doing a term paper. Interview them/pay them/feed 'em Dunkin donuts/McD's and ask them qs on their lifestyle.

How they eat/sleep/go to the bathroom/get clothing/spend their day.

Ok,
most homeless live off of society...missions/free food/clothes/pick up cans/panhandle.

Now if THSHTF,
what options/survival skills do these homeless have?
You see,
that which supported them,
no longer exists.
And therefore,
all these hardworking folks like on this board, with their preps and, no doubt, firepower, will be looking carefully at these "homeless." Homeless does not leave you with a lot of choices. Suppose you want medical treatment?

 

Have you ever seen a good looking homelesss person? No, because homeless living ages you.

I have seen homeless folks over time in a suburb of NY. They hang out all day in the public library and go to the mall to eat fast food/unhealthy junk slop then if lucky get a cot at a shelter for the night then kicked out in the AM to restart the cycle all over again.

Suppose at some point you want to become unhomeless? What do employers think?

Ever see First Blood movie with Rambo/AKA Stallone? Recall the early part?

Rambo is hassled for being homeless/scruffy looking and picked up by the sheriff and we know what happens.

Real life:
I was getting off a train in Greenwich CT and saw a homeless person get off the train-their mistake. As they moved away from the train station with a shopping cart a police car happened by and pulled over and the officer got out to "help" the homeless person.

Another time when I was catching the train after finishing work in Greenwich CT I had the opportunity to witness 2 cops babysitting an unhappy homeless dude-they made sure he got on the train and they spoke to the conductor to let him off elsewhere. That will happen to you too if you are homeless.

I was in a waiting room at Grand Central NY waiting for a train-ticketed waiting room a/c only. Cops came around and tossed out 3 lady homeless-kicked them in the feet if they pretended they were asleep. No ticket-you can't wait here, Ma'am. I have read reports that female homeless are raped regardless of their age...does that give you an idea of the savergery of homeless life?

I have seen plenty of homeless folk in the streets of NY city. Most of them are a surly, hard, tough mean lot...do you understand what you would be dealing with? I knew by sight a homeless Vietnam vet when I was growing up..he was a big guy and could take care of himself. He was shellshocked from the war. He threw coffeee scalding hot in a woman's face because he didn't like the way she looked at him. Cops came and a few days later he was back out on the street.

 

Usually when homeless die your body is unclaimed. First the medical students have a go at hacking you to pieces then your body is dumped in what is called Potter's Field in NYC..out on an island. There you go..nobody ever knows what became of you.

All I ask is that you think and use your head. I have met plenty of foreigners who came to this country with little assets and persevered..do not give up on yourself and do not be hopeless or zoned out. Use your time wisely. This board is a good source of information and there are many fine people here who are rich in life experience. Read.

 

if you want the security of knowing that you will have a roof over you head, and you want to learn skills that will keep you self suffient for the rest of your life, JOIN THE MILITARY!

you are 20 yrs. old and you think getting government assistance is a great fallback idea? wrong! alot of people including myself are afraid of being homeless! you can kick ass or kiss it. thats why everyday when i wake up i bust my ass at work to make sure that i will have a job tommorow. i like my co-workers, and my current career is pretty much garunteed until i retire, but if cuts ever have to be made, i will screw over my co-workers/freinds in a second to keep my job!

if you like the idea of living on the streets, then do it. but don't you dare ask for a hand out, as you will be there by your own choice, and if you get the snot kicked out of you for stealing, good. you will have deserved it.


this might make some people mad, but i am sick of seeing kids with this attitude.

 

yeah right, join the military and become a tool of the gov. to herd the rest of us homeless into FEMA camps. Hey, if ya can't beat 'em...