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Homeless in America

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05:03 / 15.11.02

You can take showers at truck stops by the way.

Just a small piece of info..

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:09 / 15.11.02

Just to clarify MM: I think your original post was misinterpreted as "something unspecifically bad has happened to me and I am now considering homelessness as a deliberate response", whereas it now sounds as if you've actually been made homeless or are on the verge of becoming homeless and are seeking advice/information... Would that be correct?

12:33 / 15.11.02

Not sure if "misinterpreted" is quite the correct term...there is a difference between saying:

"I wanna be a bum...how and where should a self-made man, a man made himself, go to be poor?",

"Through the rejection of 'normal society' can I somehow break free of the normal, the expected, the almost matrimonyworthy?"

and

"I really am broke and living out of my car right now..."

Had MM come right out and said "Hey, I don't have a place to live – what should I do? Where can I go that's safe?", he would have most likely been taken FAR more seriously.

The fact that he has no home and is unemployed, but can still find the time/money to go online and post onto a bulletin board is probably the only thing stopping me from modifying my stance.

The Apple-Picker

12:44 / 15.11.02

Are you kidding? Homeless people have just as much opportunity to spend online as anybody else. Been to a library much? Well, I have been. I spent about the first 6 months in my new city firmly planted in one; there are few places homeless people would rather be, I'd wager (and this wager is bolstered by the fact that The Homeless Guy even wrote that libraries are magnets for the homeless). They are warm in the winter, cool in the summer.

And libraries have computers, computers that are online--and in my library, they have lots and lots of those.

13:06 / 15.11.02

You are indeed correct, Apple-picker.

I wouldn't say I was kidding", though. Homelessness is a very serious situation, not "a real fucking adventure".

If MM is indeed in a situation where he has no place to live, and not just going through a phase of personal pain where he's shutting out those around him and wishing escape (mind you, we don't have enough information to ascertain what's really going on with MM), he needs to sort out his priorities (conservation of food, money & other resources, survival techniques) and be absolutely sure that there are no other options open to him besides living out on the street.

13:40 / 15.11.02

mind you, we don't have enough information to ascertain what's really going on with MM

*snort*

But we apparently have enough to ascertain:

It's not a simple question, MM. It's an utterly asinine idea. It's tasteless, pretentious and an extremely ill-thought out method of dealing with your personal pain...

13:56 / 15.11.02

Very well then. If you think it's best, I will exit the conversation at this point.

I was hoping to get MM to think about why he wants to do some thing so naive and drastic. I made that response with what little information I was given, before MM mentioned that he was actually living in a car. While the details of his situation are nobody's business, if he wanted help he should have been upfront about his situation in the first place.

I'm not judging him, only his idea. So don't be so hasty to judge me, Persephone.

Harold Washington died for you

18:12 / 15.11.02

Yeah my first few posts were obtuse, but if I can at least imagine this fucking disaster as some choice or path to greater understanding it is a bit easier to swallow. Am I deluding myself by trying to see this in a positive light?

And yes I spend a lot of time in the library, and not just for crusing the web. If I can at least get out of my classes with a D- I'll keep my financial aid for when I am able to go back.

Thanks for the info those who offered it. Afraid as I am I guess I have to walk the path.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

20:26 / 15.11.02

I would give a couple peices of quick advice if you are going to stay in school where you are. Talk to the social services department in your area. You probably qualify for food stamps, housing assitance and medical coverage (which you could also use to talk to a local mental health person to help you get through the shitstorm you're dealing with). From there, figure out what help you need to keep going to school and talk to your assigned social worker about it. That's their job, and you are the kind of person they are waiting to help.

If you are going to dropout, do it in a way that helps people. The Peace Corps is a good place to start, but just call up the local United Way, give them your situation and say you want to help while getting help.

I wish you much luck, MM.

at the scarwash

01:09 / 16.11.02

I don't have any useful advice about being homeless. I've always managed to squeeze past it, and have no idea why anyone would have any desire to interrupt their lives so drastically. I mean, sure, working and going to school so you can learn to work occasionally smack of the Black Iron Prison, but they certainly do take care of a few things that would get annoying otherwise (eating, roof, feeding the cat). But anyway, best of luck. Find some hippies. If you don't mind Rainbow People, they seem to have figured out a fairly comfortable way of existing with very little. And there are plenty of little hippy towns where you'll be able to find a place to stay in someone's back yard. Or try Mexico. There are whole towns where honkies seeking escape from society's enforced options hang out and wear patchouli, providing a sturdy cottage industry of mushroom and marijuana sales for the local Indians. Just don't become one of those assholes who sleep on my floor for two months, drink all my beer, break my shit, and get pissed and call me a fucking capitalist when I kick them out.

01:33 / 16.11.02

Mr. Morroco Mole: If you wish to be homeless to walk the earth and have adventures as your initial post sorta suggested, then I hope the advice here has helped and wish you the best of luck. If you are doing so out of desperation then I'm with Hong Kong Cavalier Solitaire Rose's sensible suggestions - get whatever help you can to avoid having to live on the streets. I know it sounds trite, but running away isn't going to help your problems any. Take care, I'll be thinking of you.

08:02 / 16.11.02

Where do you live, MM? You might be able to find a homeless shelter with a nice warm bed. They might have a curfew and probably a "no drunks" policy but it might be nice to sleep in a bed and take a shower. Also, do you have any friends you could call? Parents? Maybe you don't have anyone who would help you, but if I were you, I'd drop out of school for the semester (so as not to ruin my grades), move in with someone and try and work up enuogh cash for a place to live. I realize this might not be an option, just a thought.

Also, have you considered trying to find a food pantry? They might be able to give you a nice meal and some loads of groceries besides. And yes, go apply for food stamps. Go to Catholic Charities - sometimes they'll just give you money (depends).

I've been poor and I've worked with homeless shelters, food pantries, etc. It fucking sucks. I think you probably pissed people off by trying to make it sound "cool" to be homeless, possibly in order to delude yourself or make yourself feel better than you do. Understandable, but it's not cool to be homeless, and besides, you're hardly rejecting capitalism by being homeless. What system do you think is currently responsible for the hordes of working poor out there?

Anyway best of luck to you; hope you get out of this situation.

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