Ever live on the streets?

I'm having problems at home and am thinking about leaving and going out on the streets or something. Anyone ever lived that way?

 

yea it is realy uncomfortable esp.in the city ny, bos ,philly s.f. ive been without real home in all of them .try to seek a cheep alternative like food not bombs house or squat,,,go downtown to east village "abc norio is anarchist bookstore ,i know there is no real squats left in ny , but maby the kids will give you ideas !also needle exchange on like d +4 in alphebet city does young homeless outreach...volenteer there while your still housed to see what its like as well as have friends when or if you do!

 

it has never been my first choice for many reasons. but when it is the only path that appears open to avoid perpetuating aggressiveness it is reality and an honorable choice, though few see it that way and you cannot expect people and the children of people who only know mtv, their next beer, and selling insurance to pay for it, to do so.

many people you meet will be adicted to something or have other mental challanges. the pretense that everyone is there because of them is a grossly inaccurate misperception. many aquired these problems AFTER becoming homeless, and NOT everyone who is homless has them. but you WILL see these things and have to deal with them.
there ARE souplines and shelters. each have their own limitations. most are run by 'christian' organizations and in many cities those are the only ones that are defacto allowed to. in a few cities other (and i personaly feel better and healthier) alternatives exist. community rather then religeous or idiological based soup lines and shelters, but these are rare, and not every city has them.
most smaller towns have little or no provision for homeless ness and herd the empoverished into the cities.
the last i heard food stamps and general assistence still exist, but qualifying for them can be something of a nightmare.
a home that is a negative influence is not better then the streets. but the streets ARE a risk and a challange. but then so too are a lot of families.

 

Three words:
CHEAP STUDIO APARTMENT
(or a roomate situation)

Will run you about 300 a month with the utilities included in some places
(obviously not nyc, but look in connecticut or new jersey? They're few but they're there.).
If you work for a Labor Ready (they'll take ANYONE), or a telemarketing firm (another too easy hire usually) a few days a week will cover your basic expenses.

It's hard to get a job, etc when you're homeless, better bet is to stay a step above homeless until you can figure out what you're doing with your life...and working part time should still give you plenty of time to go hang out and smoke pot n hit up soup kitchens to get real right there in your face advice on what it's really like to be homeless.

 

TerminalMadness, I haven't lived on the streets for any appreciable length of time, I usually prefer to camp outside of cities when I don't have a house to live in, since it's generally more safe and works out better for me because if you camp by a water source such as a river you have water to boil tea and rice and whatever else, usually don't have to worry about cops ragging on you or getting jumped while you sleep. I think being homeless in the city can be alright so long as you ; know the layout of the city, when you go to a new city it will take a good while to figure out where the soup kitchens are and what times you can acquire food, the shelters(most of these aren't safe, you have a whole bunch of people in one room, a lot of the time there are some who won't hesitate to take your stuff or assault you), can take a while to get to know some of the friendly homeless people (be careful tho there are many thieves about and people who prey on the homeless) and finding places to camp out in the city. I personally don't like living in close proximity to rich people who are so ignorant and indifferent to poverty so a rural or country situation is more uplifting for me, you can always bike or walk into a city to get your food if you need it. Communes and doing work on an organic farm for room and board are always options as well...Squats are cool but not always easy to find but having some kind of community in the city is an asset,

Sources of food are soup kitchens, food not bombs(excellent), food banks although it's usually only once a month at most places, dumpster diving, you can also pick vegetables from fields and gather wild edibles and hunt/trap/fish if you are in the right location...If you are going to do a lot of walking I think one of the most important pieces of equipment to have is a pair of good shoes, I learned this the hard way, through blood blisters and swollen feet, I think tire sandals used with socks are the best and most comfortable footwear but I also have a good pair of hiking shoes. I find good quality cloth hammocks useful to get you off the cold ground, although a good sleeping bag or thick wool blanket or two used with whatever other insulation you have available work fine too. It takes a while to get used to sleeping in the cold once you first start out, woolen clothes and socks work the best for sleeping outside, cotton doesn't keep you warm.

Here are some links you may find helpful;

http://b8.ezboard.com/fcacstfrm1.showMessage?topicID=3.topic

http://www.stormloader.com/plainsman/TheJoysofBeingHomeless.htm

http://www.wwoof.org/

Blessings and Good luck

 

I have lived in a homeless shelter before in NH about 7 years ago before getting into an apartment for low-income people.
This year in AZ I have slept in my car, spent 1 week at a shelter, and sorta bounced around at a few friends homes.
I'll be going back to visit family in NH for the Summer, after that who knows I might be camping out....homeless again. So if anyone wants to hang out
sometime next Fall just let me know.

 

Never lived on the streets but I sure have lived in the Bronx. Ugh, homey, don't do that !

Maybe you should move to California first and see how the beautiful people live.

 

Dude, you're 20....Get a job and move out. No reason for you to purposely make yourself homeless. I spent some time drifting around the mid west in my early 20's, it was no pleasure cruise.

Although I did enjoying the freedom and rush that came with not knowing what was gonna' happen next. After about 2 years of working odd jobs for pocket cash and riding some of the rails between Nebraska and Colorado, I got back to reality. I have some amazing memories of sleeping under the stars in the desert and the mountains, walking alone and not seeing a car for 2 days at a time, the people I met while spending 2-3 weeks at odds jobs to save money to keep me going, etc...., but I also remember FREEZING my ass off and not having enough food all the time.

I had a small 1 peson pup tent that I would use when it was raining or snowing, but it didn't really do too much good. I would get hassles from small town, red neck cops, because I had long hair and was travelling with all my possessions on my back. Think real hard before making this decision, homelessness can be dangerous if you don't know how to take care of yourself.

The biggest problem with running away from something, is that no matter where YOU go, YOU are always there........

 

I lived on the streets as a runaway when I was alot younger and most of it was a blast...except when I was nabbed by 2 men and held for 5 days......

I won't go into that now but its even suckier on the streets nowadays.

A suggestion I would offer you is to go to this site and search the classifieds,
They sometimes have farms that are looking for caretakers,sometimes they have communes listed looking for members.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/

To become self reliant is to take control of your life..
teepi

 

right , homeless ain't homeless , it's camping . we got
big brains made for figuring out just that sort of thing about a
reasonable survival . why is there eskimos ? cuz they wanted peace , so they went north where nobody wanted to go .

 

Well, as a young, teen, female runaway, I didn't have much trouble. Someone was always willing to give me something, food or a roof, for a trade...

I was only homeless for a couple of months, late fall, Oceanside, California. And I liked sex, so it wasn't too terrible...

But, I certainly didn't last as long as many have... Where's Shagnasti? He could probably give some advice... Shag? Where are ya?

 

uh i wouldnt go homeless in NYC. fuckin dudes are rough there. you have to stay out of the shelters too, or else you'll never get back on your feet. you got to keep quiet about everything of value you have too. if youre gonna be homelees, you should try travelin, i play music on the streets everywhere i go, and can usually feed myself that way without havin to beg. dont turn to any type of criminal activity. homeless can do one of two things, interupt your life, or change your life. you really dont want to turn into a criminal. just learn to do without alot of things, and take joy in simple pleasures and you'll be able to keep your spirits up. and theres alot of predjudice against homeless, so you have to be careful who you tell. alot of times hippies let me camp out on thier porch, but i never ask to go inside, or use thier bathroom. after a while they'll offer if thier comfortable.

 

Do you have a job right now?
Do you have any siblings who also want to move out or anyone else you know looking to leave home?
I go to school in the Bronx.
Send me a PM.

 

Thanks for posting this.
I will look into this.

 

At 20 you need to get out on your own. Things are probably tense at home because you're not a kid anymore and parents keep hanging on thinking you are a kid. That's if this is the problem. If you know you can support yourself then go. I would not advise living on the streets. Try to find a roommate. To much junk going on out there to live on the streets. Take your passions and build a life on them. Peace.

 

if you gona go street at least do yourslef foavor. hitch a ride to a smaller town, say 50 000 poeple or so. and one that has warm winters adn good suply of fresh water

i couldnt live in the newyork aria even if I had mony, Id go nuts. . I hate big cities. too much devolopment and too many people. id like to sqaut in a shack on a derserted lake. become known the hermit guy who comes to town once a month . I enjoy my solittude.

 

One word: Soup.

When your on the street, soup is your best friend. You can go get a pound of mixed beans at the market for only 66 cents. Beans that will keep you alive for the next week, at least. If you can score the beans, some kind high calorie beef product, some "veggies", and some heat and water, your set.

 

If you have a place to cook soup, you're doing good.

Some of my "favorites" are:
top ramen right out of the package, or soaked in a cup of hot water straight from the tap...bring yer own cup
Krishna food... bring your own fork
Dumpster dived salad in a bag
Food Boxes from churches, ask for the "no fridge" box
Pork n beans outa the can, dont forget your can opener!
Food not Bombs wonderful stale bread n weak soup (someone tell me they've gotten better!)

ok..i'm starting to wonder how i survived, lol.

My real favorites were:
Burger king crossanwiches
cheap burritos n casadillas
veggie burittos n grilled cheese on dead lot
smoothies
chips
more chips
juice to go w/ the chips
spring water
coffee from the beatnick coffee shop
muffins and brie n red pepper sandwiches from same shop
pizza
the mega box of icecream sandwiches, i'd hand out all the ones i couldn't cram down my throat to spangers while walking down the street before they all melted

Yep, I'm a damn babylonian and if ya can't make at least $10 a day to feed yourself, then ya dont need to be out there!

Of course I went broke while living indoors one time and made it by on a food budget of $10 a week....my grocery list looked something like this...
carton of cheap medium eggs ($1.30)
pack of mega cheap hotdogs ($1)
loaf of white bread (yuck!) (90 cents)
a few packs of mac n cheese (4 for $1)
those little onions...fresh scallions i think (less than $1)
cheap margarine ($1.50)
a box of brownies ($1.25)
canned mix veggies (4 for $1)
and a can of generic soda
I could've gone for some pancake mix too.
Man, does being broke suck.

 

I've lived in my car ( for short time) when I lived in NH years ago, and
earlier this year when I was in Kingman,AZ. I have also stayed in a
shelter in Plymouth,NH....it was rather nice & homey like. I have also had
to stay in hotels for 1-2 weeks at a time in Cedar City,UT yrs ago and
again in AZ.
Someday I'll go check out area in TN,NC,GA,MS and may end up living in
my car again for awhile when I travel again.

 

woah u can rent a nice mobile home and acre of land around here for like 250 a month including utilities, i use to live in one before we bought my grandpas house.