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Have you been homeless?

yawning man

yawning man

Greenlighter
Joined
Dec 24, 2010
Messages
47
Hey Bl'ers

I'm studying Mental health and Alcohol and other drugs which is a community services based area. But i'm sussing out opportunitys to work with homeless people. But honestly, I come from a middle class family and have never been faced with the prospect of being homeless, bar a point in my life where I was living out of home and needed accomodation quickly.

If anyone has ever been homeless and would like to share their experience that would be awesome. I just wanna hear stories and learn what it's like and what the issues are. What you have to deal with. The bullshit or ever the good things/things you liked about it.

Thank you

Edit: Also, if you can manage it how drug use played a part if any in your becoming homeless. Cheers
 
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I ran away from home when I was 16 and was gone for a month. I never slept on the streets during that time but jumped from couch to couch. The most clear memory I have is the way I changed when I was hungry. I was a fucking prick when we didn't have anything to eat and kind of turned animalistic.

This was about 25 years ago so I'm guessing things are different now. We had squat houses available and we would beg for change outside a store called Zipperhead on South Street in Philly. There was one soup kitchen available at the time (St. Mary's).

We used to have a Charitable Organizations here in TDS but it got removed during the prune. I think that thread might be beneficial again so maybe we can revive it (I have a backup on my PC). Among the info that can be found is regarding soup kitchens, shelters, clothing charities, food banks, etc.

Keep your eye on TDS and that thread will be brought back to life within a week
 
I found myself without a home for a while after I broke up with the mother of my child and ended up relapsing into a huge speed binge that caused me to flake out on my appartment due to an amphetamine psychosis. Yes, that's right, I decided on my own free will to live out on the streets of downtown Montreal. I was lucky, as I already spent a lot of time downtown and knew a lot of the street kids in the area and was shown the ropes. It also helped a lot that I was already a crust punk, and was accepted socially by the other squeegees.

Downtown Montreal is a pretty decent place to be living on the streets as there are community services everywhere; shelters to spend the nights, a food van that would come around at designated times and days, as well as a few kitchens that give out free food to those in need. There was this one place that would serve things like stirfried beef, potatoes, veggies, even steak. You could also get milk, coffee and juice.

I rarely would go to the shelters as I had heard very bad storied about them. Basically it was decided that it was safer to sleep out on the streets at night with a few friends for protection. There were stories of people getting robbed and attacked in these shelters, and I found that the clientelle mostly was made up of the older homeless guys, and a lot of them had mental problems.

For cash, we would busk for change and squeegee . Some of us dealt drugs. We would constantly get tickets for squeegeeing, but seeing as how we had no address, well they would just accumulate and eventually you'd get taken in for a few days. I was lucky not to, though. Generally, the police really looked down on us, would hassle us any chance they got for bullshit reasons like not having dog collars on our dogs, and ironically for us wearing dog collars with "illegal length" spikes, etc. Eventally, the police decided that homeless weren't allowed to sleep in public parks in an attempt to drive us out of the city. This didn't do too much, they would just roll up with their searchlights on and wake everyone up and kick us out.

A lot of us were addicted. Many heroin addicts. We would get free clean syringes from the local clinic, at least. There is also a safe injection site which has saved many lives, I'm sure.
 
I've spent a couple years total homeless.
First time around was when I was young.I was with my brother and mom when we ran outta places to stay...
Then it came to living in the car and even storage facilities around Las Vegas.
We never left Mother's side, we were only children...
I remember visiting the mission and kitchens, trying to scrape up as much food from school as I could, all the foul individuals my mom would deal with, etc.
But I was only 7, I had no idea of the immense suffering that was all around, it makes for quite the retrospective flash-back.

Next time I found myself out in the wild was the last time I found myself in this situation.
I was 14 when I was roaming among squatters...
This all happened on behalf of the crumbling relationship between me and my father who I lived with prior to this here story.
Anyways, nothing tied me to home if not repelled me to drifting every block of Las Vegas.
The streets seemed kinder to me.
I would spend my day spanging and drinking and I would spend my nights stealing and throwing my mind to the sky...
This desire to escape reality is what gave me the initial taste of methamphetamine smoke and PCP.
I was a raging addict/criminal/blasphemer/fool
Consider this time in my life to be a year-long chaotic stupor.
Closest I've ever come into insanity.
I could feel my mind working in an ill manner, extremely ill.
My last day in that particular ring in Hell came the night I was arrested.
I became a raging addict/criminal/blasphemer/fool/arsonist...
The quarantine began in Hall...
Cold fucking Turkey, this bird was frozen. The purging and cleansing of my body and mind was enough to return to a satisfying amount of normalcy.

All the memorable events of my life have been learning experiences, otherwise they wouldn't be worth remembering...
 
I was homeless for about 6 months while I was in college.

My girlfriend and I were living together and I found her cheating, so I took out ounce of opium and 2 sheets of acid and split. I spent alot of time in this abandoned church where we built a skate ramp. I would sleep on the deck of the ramp alot, so I don't really consider that totally homeless. It was hard to make it to school, and I did it at the cost of everything else... my life totally fell apart but somehow I was still making it to class. From a social services standpoint, there was not much anyone could do... I would get orange juice for my 40's and 1-2 meals a week from the homeless kitchen. I mostly just drank alot, did alot of drugs, and rode my bike around. I busked for money, mostly. It was interesting, to say the least.
 
Hey, OverDone, you and I ran away at the same age. This was so long ago; I have no idea what it is like now but I bet not much has changed for girls. I ran away from a Hippie school off in the Appalachian mountains. It was a school with two rules only: no sex, no drugs. I broke both the first week I was there and it pretty much went downhill after that. My boyfriend and I left in the middle of the night and planned to hitch-hike to Chicago where we knew another kid that had run away. It took us 10 days to hitch-hike from Pennsylvania to Chicago and we had horrendous experiences with creepy and violent drivers, so by the time we got to Chicago I was so terrified that nothing about living on the streets there surprised me.
Since I think you want to know how people felt about their experience OP, I will just say this--after 30 years it still is terrifying for me to think about. Maybe it was because I was a girl but I am pretty sure that every muscle in my body was tensed for flight for the 4 months that we moved around that city. I was afraid of the some of the other runaways that we hung around with, the scuzzy people in Old Town that would hire us under the table to assemble hash pipes for 1/3 the minimum wage but mostly I was terrified of the Chicago police.

I remember feeling always dirty, always scared and pretty ashamed. I was sure that other people were always looking at me that way and so I was defensive and resentful of people (adults) even when they were trying to help. Looking back on the experience I actually feel a lot of pride that I kept my own moral compass intact and that I survived at all.
 
Why I went to shelter: I too am from "middle upper class" home. I was living with my father, but I couldn't stay away from my abusive partner until I moved to a different city. We weren't living together, I just couldn't stay away because he kept offering me drugs. After 8 months of it I knew something had to change, so I took the risk (a drug induced choice BTW). The shelter I chose was more of a very comfortable women's home with just a few residents.

Why I got kicked out of shelter: I lost custody of my daughter because I was abusing my medications. I was sleeping too heavily and so she was neglected.

I went to the Salvation Army (sally) and kept staying out past curfew for the thrill of a man and later, drugs. Bath salts got introduced to me. I spent most of my disability income on a motel. Drugs too. I allowed several other homeless men to leech off my meager income. I got into another really ideal shelter but willingly left that too. I wanted to smoke a cigarette, I was high, and so I feigned "mania". As if that projected a better image than use of bath salts. I can't even remember where I went - probably to a tent city.

I got great comfort from a few men, my preference changed from time to time. I slept in a lot of places because I'd be strung out without a plan. I ended up living in a tent with one guy for awhile. A few months. He helped keep me off the bath salts and keep a more level head than I had when I was left to my own devices. In the end we got drunk (rare, mostly we stayed sober) and I made him very angry because I wanted to smoke pot.. He hit me, tripped me, knocked me down 4 or 5 times. Survival mode and alcohol led to the logical defense - I stabbed him in the leg 4 times. The police bought me a Greyhound ticket out of town. I went back to my Ex/drug-offering partner for 3 days. Violence came. I went to another town to stay with an old neighbor/friend and have reestablished. The horrors of homelessness ended 5 months ago.

Drugs, men, violence, DCFS and resulting mental complications.
 
herbavore said:
Hey, OverDone, you and I ran away at the same age. This was so long ago; I have no idea what it is like now but I bet not much has changed for girls. I ran away from a Hippie school off in the Appalachian mountains. It was a school with two rules only: no sex, no drugs. I broke both the first week I was there and it pretty much went downhill after that. My boyfriend and I left in the middle of the night and planned to hitch-hike to Chicago where we knew another kid that had run away. It took us 10 days to hitch-hike from Pennsylvania to Chicago and we had horrendous experiences with creepy and violent drivers, so by the time we got to Chicago I was so terrified that nothing about living on the streets there surprised me.
Since I think you want to know how people felt about their experience OP, I will just say this--after 30 years it still is terrifying for me to think about. Maybe it was because I was a girl but I am pretty sure that every muscle in my body was tensed for flight for the 4 months that we moved around that city. I was afraid of the some of the other runaways that we hung around with, the scuzzy people in Old Town that would hire us under the table to assemble hash pipes for 1/3 the minimum wage but mostly I was terrified of the Chicago police.

I remember feeling always dirty, always scared and pretty ashamed. I was sure that other people were always looking at me that way and so I was defensive and resentful of people (adults) even when they were trying to help. Looking back on the experience I actually feel a lot of pride that I kept my own moral compass intact and that I survived at all.
Click to expand...

Is the school you're referring to Warren Wilson? Land of the "trustafarians?" Hahaha. Pm me if you don't want it known cause I'm curious!
 
herbavore, I don't believe in coincidences. I definitely think that there is something that draws like minds together. BL is a nice meeting place people who have experienced the 'same', 'unique' experiences.

I'm sorry you had to go through that trauma. :( Need anyone's ass kicked? :X
 
herbavore - I was just about to say, I think a good numbers of users/ mods on here would totally beat up anyone you wanted "whacked." No questions asked.
 
^^well, if I did need somebody's ass kicked from back then I'm afraid I would no longer recognize them so I guess we'll have to let that one go but thanks for the offer! =D I'm sure quite a few of them are doddering around Florida living on their Chicago's Finest pensions and trading stories about their glory days beating up Hippies.:X

@Beckylee--no, it was called Kirkridge and it only lasted two years back in the 70's. They quickly realized that the consequences of being wards of sixty 13-17 year olds that probably weren't going to follow those two little rules could get pretty dire fast. 8) (I love the "trustafarians" ,though--maybe they are the grandchildren of my teachers.)
 
i was made Homeless back when i was 19 i was kicked out of the family home for repeated drug use n other stuff.

The first thing i did was go to the local council n explain my situation , fortunatley i was on Incapacity benefit at the time so they had to find a temporary hostel for me, i got in their that night n it was ok the guy who had the room next to me had just come out of Prison n we became good mates (R.I.P Guy).

Problem was you only allowed to stay in these places for a limited time n then your on your own again. I manged to find another Hostel , with some help from a social worker.

This place was nasty though , i had a Heroin dealer opposite me n the place was full of addicts myself included , doors were kicked off on the regular and their was a violent under current.

So i left their n started sofa surfing , with my then Girlfriend , this was difficult as we both had Heroin n nCrack habbits , soon ended up on the streets , which was rough .

in The Uk we have a magazine called THe Big Issue , it is a charity and if you are homeless you can buy the magazines n sell them , making a profit , i started doing this to get money for drugs , surprising how much you can make £100 a day is not uncommon , but cos u have no stability all the money ends up on Drugs , well in my case.

I'm 35 know n have had assured tenancy for the last ten years and i'm moving in to Brand New Flat at the end of the month, i still struggle with addiction and have been on Methadone & Benzos for the past 15 years .
 
yeah.... I'm homeless right now. have been for almost 4yrs now.
never was.... before being hurt & used-up in the Army, then tossed aside with no more than a thank-you.... along with a fucked up marriage that took the opportunity to fail at the exact wrong time.

I know why so many homeless *choose* to be on the streets.... and its because having to rely on shelters or charity is like a spiritual death-sentence.

I'm tired of being told that I'm just making excuses for my existence.... as if I'm lazy or have an entitlement-complex.
Fuck that. I don't have to make excuses to anyone, or expect some sort of gift-horse to magically appear.

I hate shelters, social-service workers, and every damn bureaucrat or program that promises to "help" us.

Actually, I'm leaving the "transitional" house I've been at very soon. It's gotten so bad, that I'm starting to enjoy the prospect of wintering outdoors.

That kind of living doesn't drive a man to drink, so much as being painted as a pitiful burden to be endured and shuffled away until we die.
 
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I chose to spend about a year of my early adulthood living free from a residence.
Three or four months living in the Haight area of SF, camping in Golden Gate Park, and occasionally down on Judah Beach. We had our shopping carts and everything, just to complete the image. Constantly rousted by either the man, or some teenage punks thinking that they were gonna rough up some drunken bums... SURPRISE!
When the rainy season set in, we started to use the tunnels in the park for shelter, but it was still pretty miserable, so we made our way back to the midwest, just in time for the winter.
We squatted in an abandoned house in the middle of the hood, stealing electricity from the neighbor, using a little space heater, body heat, and friction to make it through the brutal cold.
when spring finally broke, we moved to a little island adjoining a military base in the center of town. it had been used as a prison camp in the civil war, and there are still tunnels and foundations that we used to build a pretty nice camp. fully camouflaged, you could be within 25 feet and not realize it was there.
It was still a shitty place to stay, so after a few months, we headed back west, traveled up and down the coast for a while, finally ending up on Mt Shasta. the two months camped there remain as one of the most free, happiest times in my memory.
The creation of my first son forced me to settle down and join the working stiffs, but the time i spent wandering taught me a bit about myself and the world, that happiness exists outside the preconceived notions, as well as the fact that I am capable of persevering through trials i could never imagine.
 
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No, but I have worked with people who are. Their are pros and cons to that type of work. I suggest you do it, but have a backup plan in case you burn out.

I am deathly afraid of being homeless/abandoned. Yes, I have issues from my childhood. If worse came to worse, I would probably end up coach hopping for awhile while I tried to come up with a plan.

I have met all sorts of traveling homeless, on phish tour and just hanging out. I always dreamed of being able to hop freight trains and just move around, but I knew I wasn't meant for that kind of life. I have hitch hiked and moved around going to festivals and stuff, but that was very temporary and I was much younger. Now, I can hardly camp and always try to stay in hotels when I go to concerts.
 
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Hi, I often live in a tent in the National Forest outside of town in Steamboat Springs CO during the summertime if I can't find a cheap place or roomies I get along with. That or the back of my truck in parkinglots of businesses where I know the owners. This summer was no bueno tho, wound up staying in the woods binging on MDPV and fleeing aliens and policemen for 3, 4 day stretches. My boss and friends are super cool people and will give me another chance I think....

I spend winter in TN with my mom.

Really nice weather in the mountains during the summertime there. Membership at the city rec center for showers, nice to hang out at the library on days off.
 
I hit a low spot in my life (w/out drug use) and ended up living out of my car for 2 months because my parents kicked me out of their house. I had to pack all my belongings into my car and live in it. Slept in it and everything. It wasnt the roomiest. Occasionally I would get a motel room if I could afford it. Luckily I ran into some good people thru work and eventually got squared away. My gf at the time was also very supportive and helped as she could but she was limited to helping me for various reasons. Now we are married, both have ok jobs and have a roof over our head with some luxuries. I am going to school and she is almost done with school herself. I am so grateful for what I have now because I know that I can very easily be back at that spot I was in just 5 years ago.
 
Yes, in downtown Los Angeles. At first I didn't mind, but it got real old really fast. Imagine having to go to the bathroom and not having a place to use it. I'm not going to go into details but it wasn't fun.

Imagin being hungry and having no food.

Luckily I had my car to sleep in, some people have to sleep in a box.
 
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