Homeless situation...It is "NOT" going away. Could you "survive".?

[Sourdough]

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: No rants about what a superior human you are. When I see people "blanket" trashing homeless people. I figure that they consider themselves to be vastly superior.

I have never understood how some have zero empathy and consider themselves superior to those homeless. Yes, a fair amount of homeless have drug and/or alcohol abuse issues. I would be willing to bet that on a percentage bases, people living in safe homes have on percentage bases much higher percentage of substance (alcohol & drugs) abuse.

Translated living in a home and safe in that home "DOES NOT" mean drugs and alcohol are never abused. So, I am asking nicely that you not turn this thread into your negative opinion of homelessness.

Can you honestly assess your personal ability to function and survive being homeless. I don't know why but I find myself asking that question a lot.

Speak to anything about homelessness other than how superior you are as a human.

https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/12/27/us-homelessness-spikes-18-look-alaskas-numbers/

 

[Sourdough]

As a child we (family) were often homeless. Sometimes the family was illegally squatting in a dwelling, the police would chase the whole family out.

I ran away at late age15 y/o and never returned home. I lived in what was then called a "flophouse". Maybe 15 to 20 one room, just a sleeping room, and nothing else, just room for a tiny cot. One bathroom on each floor, that everyone on that floor used (Male or Female). Hitchhiked all over the East Coast.

I often wonder if I could do that now.

 

[Pearl]

I'll jump in......if federal property taxes would have been allowed ( Obama's fourth term), MANY of us would have been homeless!! That would be a major LAND GRAB, your property with all your stored 'preps' would be gone!! So who is capable of survival??

 

[Pearl]

I have a good friend who was homeless for a while after a bad divorce! He got a job at Walmart, slept in his truck, joined a gym for $10 a month (shower), and frequented a coffee shop for food and wifi! He's on his feet now....thought it out properly and made it workable while he didn't have an apartment! He now has a roommate who pays most of everything, my friend cooks and cleans for a good part of his rent!

 

[UserNameTaken]

I never considered myself homeless, but after our condo in a ski resort burned down when I was 16, we ended up "camping out" for about 6 months. It was a whole fiasco I've blogged on before. Basically 12 units burned, my mother was the property manager and got fired the next day. Then we got behind and our truck got repoed a couple months later. There was no help, no red cross, the FD literally put the fire out and left us sitting there with the pile of stuff we saved from the burning building. We were like, "Well, guess we'd better go find a place to camp."

We weren't actually homeless, we still had our beach house, but it was leased out, so we were stuck. We both got new jobs, and I started cutting firewood with a couple of friends. My mom was eventually able to buy an A frame cabin and we had a home again before it snowed too much. She started her own management company and within a year we were running 400 rental ski condos with 20 employees.

Years later, after my Army discharge I lived in my VW Pop-top for about 6 months in the Florida Keys. I was technically homeless, but I had a job (or two or three) and it allowed me to save money. I eventually moved in with some co-workers across the street from Jimmy Buffet and got to know Hunter Thompson, who kept his boat at a marina where I ran the dive shop. Later I bought a houseboat and lived on the original houseboat row. (Book coming one day...)

The days of living in my van "down by the seashore" were actually pretty good times. Mel Fisher's son Kane (of the treasure galleon Atocha fame) lived down the Row on a big two story boat. There was Homer, who'd throw coconuts at the tourist "Conch Train" until the cops came and arrested him for drunk in public. He'd be home the next day. Then there was Kathy - she was one of the "mangrove people," who like Homer, lived on decrepit old powerboats tied in amongst the mangroves. She was my GF whenever I had twenty bucks or some beer. It ended pretty abruptly a few months later, when one day I woke up and there were a bunch of police at Kathy's boat - except we learned her name wasn't Kathy, it was Heather. It turned out she had killed a guy in a bar in So. Carolina by hitting him with a beer pitcher. Key West is the end of the line for a lot of people, there's just nowhere left to run.

Of all the down on their luck homeless, famous celebrities, and interesting characters I encountered in my days as a beach bum it was different than being homeless now. Nobody left trash piled up. Some I guess had drug, or mostly alcohol problems. We did a LOT of drinking in those days. And sometimes a square grouper would float up on the shore and there'd be some "happy" days. But it was a different feel than what I see today. My advice if you want to be homeless, find a tropical island, beats the heck out of Chicago in the winter.

Anyway, y'all will have to wait for the book for the really good stories.

 

[Amish Heart]

Guess I was homeless for a total of 3 weeks when I was about 14 and took off because I was mad at my mom. It wasn't pleasant. I was hungry and dirty. Had a sleeping bag. Could I do it now? Don't know.

 

[Mountain trapper]

My kids took off when they were young and were "homeless". I've always called BS on that. They had a home, a nice home and were provided with whatever they needed. They made the choice to live like bums. Of course they finally wised up and came back home and have been doing very well since.

I can't imagine any situation that would ever make the wife and I homeless. Everything that we have is paid for. Plus we have more than enough put away to cover our expenses for the rest of our lives.

 

[UserNameTaken]

Could I do it today? Probably if I had no other choice. I do occasionally think it might be fun to hitchhike cross country again. Maybe to Montana or something. I think I'd stay in nice hotels with an in room spa, though instead of the hobo jungle. Maybe Uber to the freeway onramp instead of walking... LOL

One of my life's regrets is not getting to "ride the rails" back in the day. I hear it's a felony now.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Could I do it today? Probably if I had no other choice. I do occasionally think it might be fun to hitchhike cross country again. Maybe to Montana or something. I think I'd stay in nice hotels with an in room spa, though instead of the hobo jungle. Maybe Uber to the freeway onramp instead of walking... LOL

One of my life's regrets is not getting to "ride the rails" back in the day. I hear it's a felony now.

My great grandfather was a railroad detective. He always carried a gun and a club. I guess he used the club a lot tossing bums off the trains.

 

[Haertig]

Part of prepping is taking into account potential homelessness. Either you prep to survive homelessness, or you prep to avoid homelessness.

I could not survive homelessness. I am not prepped for it in any way, shape or form. Not mentally, not physically, and not equipment-wise. So I pray my preps to avoid becoming homeless will hold fast.

 

[Peanut]

Do it now? You do what you have to do. Long ago... thanks to jimmy carter the steel industry crashed, found someone to take over the note on my mobile home, lived in my car til the bank finally took it. Homeless for a few months, slept where I could, sometimes on the street. When I got work it was offshore. I hitch hiked 600miles to work then 600miles back. Took the train to new orleans when I could, only had to hitch another 300miles to work.

Then again, thanks to jimmy c., the oil industry crashed. Had a roof(s) stayed with various friends. Finally lived in an old abandoned house a few months til I found work. Tired of ending up hungry every few years I went in the military, no longer an option.

Finding work with my health isn’t an option. On the other hand I have a life time of unique skills that’d keep me from starving and access to thousands of acres I know like the back of my hand.… Wouldn’t be pleasant, wouldn’t want to do it for very long. How long would depend on luck, every hunt or fish trap doesn’t return food. Slip on a log and break a leg? Or happen to meet the right person that changes all the circumstances… "audentes Fortuna iuvat" Fortune favors the bold… attitude is every thing!!! Attitude makes good Luck! Or destroys you!

 

[lonewolf]

I could have been homeless after my first 2 marriages collapsed, but I found myself a room in a rented house both times and lived there for awhile until I could find better accomodation.

 

[Magus]

Here's the book I wrote on it. I had a heads-up and knew I was going to be starting hard so I prepared.
I could probably make it with no warning, however, but I don't want to test the theory.

 

[old tex]

Could I survive homeless, NOPE. Looking back at my life I've realized that I couldn't even survive on the money that I made in the poor days (& live like that). I've grown old & soft & I like the life I have now.

 

[Morgan101]

Could I survive if I was homeless? At my age it would be tough, but I think I could. If there is a common theme I see in all of these responses, and I would include myself in the group, everyone is of sound mind and body, and everyone is willing and able to work. You find a way to get back to work, and climb out of the hole.

I have worked many jobs in my life, and have a lot of skills to fall back on. I am not opposed to doing whatever needs to be done to get a paycheck, and get back on my feet. Sounds like everyone here has done the same thing. Substance abuse is a part of the homeless problem, but the unknown but expected part is mental illness. How many of the homeless cannot work due to mental illness? Compound substance abuse with mental illness, and you have an individual who can't work.

 

[Pearl]

My kids took off when they were young and were "homeless". I've always called BS on that. They had a home, a nice home and were provided with whatever they needed. They made the choice to live like bums. Of course they finally wised up and came back home and have been doing very well since.

I can't imagine any situation that would ever make the wife and I homeless. Everything that we have is paid for. Plus we have more than enough put away to cover our expenses for the rest of our lives.

If Obama still had free rein ALL would be taken from us!! You would own nothing!! The second you think that can't happen is the second you underestimated evil!!

 

[Pearl]

Natural disasters create homelessness, North Carolina for example! People are still homeless there and will be for quite some time!! Their property and preps went away quickly!

 

[Magus]

If we respected our combat vets like we should, like with good housing and medcare, half the problem would go away. the rest we could deport and have enough to help our own citizens.

No really, we treat our heroes like used bandages, we should be ashamed!

 

[Mountain trapper]

Natural disasters create homelessness, North Carolina for example! People are still homeless there and will be for quite some time!! Their property and preps went away quickly!

That's the reason that I've set aside plenty of money to make sure that I could always get another place. Everything is replaceable.

 

[Magpie]

Its so damp here I have no doubt I'd end up sick.
I could get food, shelter etc, and be quite 'self sufficient' but I feel the winter especially would be boring- there's only so much walking I would do in a town/city. I think I have enough savvy to get by, and can turn my hand to a lot of things, but would need to be in a built up area, which I'd hate.

 

[sonya123]

Here's the book I wrote on it. I had a heads-up and knew I was going to be starting hard so I prepared.
I could probably make it with no warning, however, but I don't want to test the theory.

started reading some of your book ( I can read fast) , and it's good advice!!

I lived in a car once in my early 20s for a few months in California, so I was homeless too. My very own fault, not blaming " the system" or anyone else for it

One thing: you don't starve in this country, you can just go to various places that will give you food or feed you, some even have places you can stay if you want ( homeless shelters) but I would advice against that. They are full of scary people

One other thing: I panhandled for money ( mostly for gas ) and just dressed decent and told people " hey, I made a mistake , came here from Florida ( had a Florida tag) and now I am stuck and need help getting back home" and many people gave me like $20 ( which was actually a decent amount of money back then)

 

[Magus]

If you live in a city, getting food is fairly easy if you know how.

I think I ate at the shelter twice, but I looted the free food bin every time I went in there!
Yeah, some really scary people!

 

[old tex]

There are a lot of people that are homeless for all kinds of reason. We have a friend of my wife who is homeless living with us now. Her problem is that she was in a wreck & got injured & lost her car at the same time. After a while she got insurance money to cover her car & she bought another but she couldn't work & that ate into her savings. Here it goes into a long story but basically she is back to work & paying her bills & she is waiting for an apartment to open up. Sometimes people just need a helping hand. But sometimes no matter what you do people will never do what's needed to get back on their feet.

Now I know that everyone talks about the reasons that people are homeless & if you don't act like those reasons tug your heart your viewed as heartless. I'll point this out. I remember way back when bankruptcy was the tug your heart story. And the "evil" was medical bills that caused bk. Well maybe I'm not average but back then I saw 8 to 10 people go bankrupt. Every single one of those people had a spending problem (nothing medical was involved). I'm not saying that they are the same thing, nor am I saying that the same percentages are the same between homelessness & bk. What I am saying is that it's easy to get taken in by sob stories & people would much rather tell them than say something negative about someone down & out (& get attacked by others).

 

[elkhound]

When i was younger one of my back up plans was taking a job out west on a ranch..especially a sheep ranch.They use to advert in magazine regular wanting hired hands to live in herder wagons(think gypsy wagons) out in grasslands and so you had a roof over your head plus they supplied your food and pay was $800 a month in late 70's and 80's. I always figured 10 months of that i could pocket everything i made and then start over about anywhere on planet.

The advantages of that situation.....you were watching over food...sheep...you could catch one to milk a bit from udder and if you got hungry for meat...well...have knife so dig a hole and hide evidence...lol...plus having a long range rifle on plains could equal pronghorn and mule deer.

I would want a border collie and a 25-06 and horse or 4wheeler....oh and best binos i could get my hands on...but able to make it with anything if forced too.

Living in this place is just another reason i added to that thread over at sb that someone wasnt having any of it...treeless survival....they could wrap their head it wasnt just at high elevation...oh well..not my problem.

its reason a done my treeless survival thread.

 

[elkhound]

all you need is that teton -35f sleeping bag....and sleeping longjohns.

 

[elkhound]

 

[Amish Heart]

all you need is that teton -35f sleeping bag....and sleeping longjohns.

That looks pretty doable.