I'm not a bum!
You may be thinking, who needs this? I have a home. I have a life. I'm not one of those bums.
I'm not a bum either, and I never have been, but in 1996 I had a reversal of fortune. I'd gone off to college and it just didn't work out at the school I'd chosen. Unhappy, I dropped out and headed back to my hometown. With dropping out my financial aid came to an end, and I found myself nearly broke and without an income stream. Homelessness followed quickly and naturally from the situation.
How secure are you really? How many paychecks could you go without before the rent, the mortgage, the credit card, and the car are not being paid? If you said two, you are doing better than most. If you would be immediately using whatever consumer credit you have available, you're like most of us. Like storms, earthquakes, and car accidents, homelessness happens. It happens to decent, hardworking people. It happens because our lives are a system, and when part of that system fails the whole thing can come crashing down.
What you are more than who you are will determine the resources that are available to you. Women can rely more easily on family than men can. A man who runs to his parents suffers an amazing ego shot, in addition to the abuse he takes from others. Certain ethnic groups are good at supporting members until they get on their feet, immigrant groups for instance. If you are a single, young, strong man, of American birth, then you, my friend, have no one but yourself to depend on. If you are a teen runaway, you have people actively trying to exploit you. If you are a young woman without family resources, you really ought to prepare for this possibility before you have any idea that you might become homeless. A young family? You need to have a plan in place.
It is good just to think about these things, whether you prepare or not. If you think about how to be homeless successfully, comfortably, then you are 80% prepared just from putting your mind into that space. The best preparation for homelessness is knowing that you could be, and looking at the resources around you with that in mind.
I'd like you to forget what you know about the homeless as you read this book. The ideas that we've been taught about who they are, the veterans, the mentally ill or retarded, are simply stereotypes, and they contain much more fiction than fact. If you are already homeless, you must dismiss these stigmatizing images, and when you see someone that matches the stereotype, deal with the individual. Very often they will have deep knowledge that will help you to live well. If you can get that knowledge, well, you may see that bum with new eyes.
posted by Mobile Homemaker @ 3:38 PM
32 Comments:
How old are you? Why did your family not take you in? What part of the country did this take place in? Just need a few more details. What I have read so far is mind blowing. It woke me up, I mean that literally, it's 1 am, LA time.
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I'm thirtysomething. I was a teen runaway, and became homeless in a stable way in my late twenties, remaining homeless into my thirties. Makes no difference why I didn't stay with family. I was homeless in California.
Right on. The Buddhists call the American life style "Active Laziness" - being so busy that you ignore who you are. I think this:
"If you think about how to be homeless successfully, comfortably, then you are 80% prepared just from putting your mind into that space."
scares most people and they just ignore that. The beautiful thing about being homeless is it forces you to examine the basics of being a human. This is something that everyone should experience - the world would be better place for it.
Most people are what they own - they have no "I" outside of their things, it's pretty shallow.
i read this blog entry, and it was very comforting to me..because just recently i have gotten in almost the exact same situation as the one you described. you see, my mother has developed a chronic disease: overspending/retail therapy. she buys, buys, buys. it started upon her second divorce. any problems that come her way, she'll take all of her money (the woman is quite wealthy) and will spend in on redecorating. however, at the end of my first college semester, she decided to redecorate her life by refusing to let me stay with her. why? i do not know. maybe because i dissaprove of her current way of living. she cheated me on my taxes which denied me a tax return and even financial aid to help pay for my schooling. now that school is over, i have been floating around here and there, staying up on the streets at night and sleeping in parks during the day. i come to the library now, to get out of the heat or rain, and thats how i access the internet. my bank account is $300 overdrawn, i haven't been able to pay my school bills, the car that i was sleeping in broke down 2 weeks ago, and 3 days ago they shut my cell phone off because i have absolutely no money to pay the bill. i want to better myself...but how do i do it with absolutely nobody? how do i find a job without a way for jobs to contact me?? how do i get by? i'd love to talk sometime, even if you don't have any suggestions...because again, seeing this (although it is horrible) is so comforting to me right now. thanks!
Nice sight! I'm homeless in Florida; disabled & looking to get my life back on track("Hello, operator, what's the number for Life?"). I'm a survivor, so I'll be fine.I'm sharing a car with-drum roll- best friend, 4 ferrets & two pet rats.:-o Take care, gang!!
Since I am not currently homeless, and hopefully will be able to avoid homelessness for the time being, What would be the single best way I could help the homeless in my community? I live in Florida, but it still gets cold. I would appreciate ideas of small but meaningful ways i could help. Lest I find myself in your shoes someday, maybe fate will send me an angel too.
in answer to ModestMike;check out your local Employment Development Department(EDD). I know in California they have phone numbers and faxes you can use. You can also use their computors and printers. You can access Caljobs from any internet access and find the closest office to you. Good luck. My family and I are the working poor and homeless in a hotel for now.
That article should be very sobering for most readers. I was homeless myself for a brief period (about a month)in the early 90's. I had moved to LA to go to school and was robbed at gunpoint at the bus terminal. Of course being 19 I was still naive and had all my money on me. So I was stranded there for a few weeks until I was able to get hold of someone to wire money for me to get a ticket back home. I've now completed colleged and make over $100k per year in the medical field, but no matter how much money I have, I will never forget the experience of living on the street and not knowing when, where or if the next meal was coming or if you would be knifed in your sleep. For those reading this, don't snicker the next time you see a homeless person because it could easily happen to you.
It's great to hear about your enjoyment to the life of homelessness. I love it too. I get to go to college and play soccer for the school all because I decided to live out of my truck.
I've been living in a field with access to a house for a year and a half in Santa Barbara but now I am mobile.
It's amazing how much time is out there when your not a slave to wages.
Because of this lifestyle I will be able to live in Panama for a few months next year.
I'm not a bum either.
i am recently homeless.i came to az two years ago with my ex wife and three kids and thirty two thousand dollars.now i am flat broke and unemployed.my ex has gone on to be successful in her job and social life.after she deemed me useless and a loser a cold shoulder is all she has to offer me.a spot to crash on the floor is sometimes offered,but it comes with a price...humiliation.my kids don't even understand why mommy wants daddy to go away.after fighting against her leaving me homeless or have to suffer humiliation every day just to have a place to go at night i finally realized that i would be more of a loser if i sleep on her floor rather than on a park bench where at least i can feel a sense of peace.two years ago i had what i thought was every thing i needed to be happy and secure.as it turns out the streets are a better friend to me than the woman i thought i would be with.i may be a bum in some peoples eyes,but those who judge me by my living on the street don't know me and the situation that put me here.i know where i came from and all i have done in my life to be a respectable part of society.so judge me and call me a bum but will use this experience as a lesson to not let this ever happen to me again and view the homeless problems in america in a different way.we don't always have a choice of what happens to us,all we can do is make the best of it and find something positive about it
More people need to have this attitude. If more people did, we wouldn't have these self-righteous snobs who think they are better than human just because they have a new SUV and fancy cellphone. What these same people fail to release however, is the fact that they could lose their job *click* just like that. Not to mention that inflation is really taking the economy by the throat. This is why I NEVER laugh at a homeless person.
Great site from what I've read so far. Much of what I read really hits home. I have an interest in voluntary homelessness. I personally would like to experience being homeless. So many people seem to fear it. I am not a materialistic person. I never want the "things" I own to own me. Currently I am living a simplistic life but not as simple as being homeless would allow. I fantasize about moving to a warmer climate and living in a tent or simple shelter. I understand there are hardships, too. My question for you would be, how much money do you need for your food expenses? I estimate that you could have 2 healthy meals per day on $3-5. Do you think that is accurate? If I were to live near a fresh water source that would take care of bathing and I could boil water for drinking. Water, food and shelter, am I missing any other neccesities?
If you are planning on boiling water/cooking, you will need to factor in the cost of fuel and the cost of your cooking equipment. That may be very inexpensive, or more elaborate, depending on your skills and preferences. When estimating food costs, it is always best to estimate high and aim low. If you think you could do with $3 to $5 a day, then design a life with a budget of $7 to $10. This will improve your mood and guard against depression. It's also probably more realistic, honestly.
This is so ironic. I have recently bought a house and have been happily married for almost three years. But, for some reason I can't stop thinking about being homeless. I have a decent plan laid out. What for, I don't know. If you are homeless, stay near a restaurant's garbage. They are required to throw tons of food away! I work at my family's restaurant, and it is just crazy! But, the Health Dept. makes restaurants throw away perishables every seven days, way before the food spoils. Also, quality control (my steak is overcooked) and the shear fact, Americans waste food when they order out. Last thing. I keep fantasizing that I am homeless without a car. But, I have two. I'm not sure what's going on inside me. Is anyone else on here thinking like this?
I've been thinking the same thing. I have a decent job, a vehicle, cell phone, all that. But for some reason I've always been willing to give it up. I got divorced about a year and a half ago. My ex-wife left and is remarried now. I keep telling myself the only reason I'm holding on to all this is because we have two kids. If they weren't around I'd give it all up in a heart beat. Should I be thinking that? Society keeps telling me the only way to keep the right to see my children is to keep a job, car, house, etc. Is there any other way?
I'm going to be homeless starting on Friday.
Like a previous poster said, I'm half curious about what real living is like without society dictating to me my thoughts and supposed desires.
I'm nervous about not being able to eat and nervous about getting attacked. I'm going to go to Cocoa Beach in Florida- any hints on being homeless and staying safe?
Keep reading the blog. It is all about being homeless and being safe. Homelessness is not the safest lifestyle, though. Homelessness is to the housed as a motorcycle is to a car. You do need guts to ride.
What part of the country? Why didn't your family take you in? The same family that after 10+ years of military service for a country that hates you has grown tired of missing birthdays. Christmas's with you in Iraq and not able to shop. Need I go on? Come back think it will be easy to get a job. Blown away by how lazy the majority of Americans are. Loose first few jobs as you don't know enough or the right people because you've been in Iraq, and don't have the patients for people that don't work and not used to the back stabbing that goes on. Your word against someone that has been here forever? Come on. Need I go on. It HAPPENS! SSG US Army. Now a Network Engineer, and the rest of my coworkers got a job in a callcenter after HS and were only with the company for 3ish years. Have multiple certifications but for equipment that only the government uses. Etc... etc. It happens. This is not an uncommon story, and it's HARD to pull yourself up. Plan to move back to Japan myself when my degree is done, but that's me personally.
Hi, I just thought I would like to say that I do not need to follow your recommendation about forgetting everything I know about the homeless. I have been there and done that about five times. I was fortunate that there was a shelter that I could stay in, so I didn't have to worry about where to sleep and how to stay warm, and the shelter fed us, but I have still had the exerience, and so it would be easier for me, than for most. However, I realize that the way things are getting, there may come a time when there are more homeless than non homeless, and not enought shelters for most of us. When those times come, groups will have to share resources and help each other in every way possible.
I just want to add to this list of comments because coming across this article is pretty exciting. I too am homeless and I Know for a fact I am certainly not a Bum! I go to college and work 30 hours a week or slightly less, classes only leave so much time for work. I live in my car because my family is far and unavailable. I am sick of running into these stereo types that all homeless people are either straight out of prison, ex crack addicts or just straight up lazy. Its hard to be young and poor and maintain a healthy sustainable lifestyle. I love it though, i think the freedom of it is enough for me, and i think after college i'd be fine with continuing on this way, but travel more.. it leaves the pages in the book of life blank for you to fill, instead of already being written by material obligations. Thanks for writing this article, A lot of things you wrote are probably going to help me out a lot. I just met with the police last night in my car. and frankly i never knew homelessness was illegal in NJ. It makes things a little more interesting. thanks man and rock on.
At the end of this month [March 2009] if I do not have someplace to live, I will be living on the streets of Mesa Arizona [that's near Phoenix]. And the whole fact is I still will attend my college classes!
Capitalism breeds greed and inevitably the greed will cause our demise much like the great roman empire. Socialism doesn't work either.
Although i am not currently homeless i have slept in my truck for 3 months switching from food 4 less and walmart parking lots. I eventually got a job. One of the crew noticed the bedding and clothing in the back of my truck. Without thought i said i was doing laundry but i was not believed and terminated as a result. I did not give up and eventually made my way back to being a wage slave as deemed appropriate by society. When will society realize that you don't need money you need the stuff money buys and most of what you think you need you don't. Why do we try to impress people whom don't give a rats ass about us? The Brady bunch is how we should live? ha! the dad was gay and mom and Greg were having an affair(that's reality).
Lazy is not the issue, hunger and necessity will take care of that, its about enabling people to be self sufficient. In today's society there is no easy answer but i do have some ideas.
1. Unlock your garbage cans and preferably leave your restaurants unused food in containers. Don'T be afraid to tell a homeless person digging in your can to make sure they clean up the mess.
2. Open up the empty and foreclosed homes to the homeless then pay them half of minimum wage to clean the place when tenants are ready to move in, this could be used as a tax credit for owners.
3. If they have a welfare to work program then why not a homeless to work program? this should be offered at every social services office.
The fear by "normal" people is that homeless will be getting free stuff at their expense by taxation. Seems to me that if you enable a person to be self sufficient then they wont need government money which would save tax dollars. We will help an an illegal mom have more kids and get free money however, apparently the word illegal in vague for some.
For all of you reading this from the library your not alone and it is possible to be happy whether you have a home or not. You cant control what others do for you but you can control what you do for others even if just kind words, they can be very powerful.
I used to be homeless and eventually saved enough money to get into a low income apartment. The thought of becoming homeless again is always on my mind. It is a scary thought. I can never forget that experience. I am always afraid of that happening to me again.
hello, my name is shan-wich. i am 20 years old and homeless in colorado, i spent my winter in a 'hut' built out of pallets and tarps..now that the weather is a little better, i am a lot happier, there is a great homeless program here but it is a christen religious thing and i am a practicing satanist. i am the only female, and i dont drink or use drugs,so i am always being bothered by drunks who steal my stuff, or hit on me... life in the mountains is very hard. but some of the days the sun shines like gold and i am at peace. thank you for your blog , it helps keep positive thoughts in my mind...<3
Can I sell art in order to make money if I am homeless?
Sounds all too much like what I am used to...
Thank you for your comment.
I love this blog...
Tom
Why not? More art in the world is always a wonderful thing!!
i appreciate and value all those who are homeless. i understand the struggle. my family has been homeless off and on for the past five years.
homelessness can be cruel, and the effects it has on a relationship, as well as, children is devastating. i truly hope the people on this blog that want to "try" homelessness are not serious, being homeless is not a game. those that become homeless are sacrificing either by force or by choice. those by force, have no choice and are being forced to learn and change spending habits and explore new income options based on pure lack. those who become homeless by choice are practicing delayed gratification, so in the end they may pay off debt or greatly increase savings.
"trying" homelessness in not an adventure. by experience, i have hit the lowest points in my life staring at my family with no where to go due to layoff, no work, not enough work, and even misspending. i have four children and sadly, all of have seen a shelter, or even a hotel room as a temporary permanent residence. my wife deserves a stable, happy and safe home to raise our children. when you experience homelessness, believe me, it's hard to feel like a man looking at your kids sleeping in strollers, or waiting for the doors to open up so you can get a shelter bed. if my bad experiences can help anyone, i would advice anyone to save and reconsider spending habits and job security. really try and see what opportunities are knocking. nothing really is stable, there is always room for improvement and it is better to avoid a problem than to find a solution for a problem. as a last bit of advice to whoever will listen, no one will take care of your family like you will, so if you won't or don't, who will?
thanks for all the suggestions in this blog, they were very helpful. i hope everyone finds what they are looking for
Good. A nice reality check for the dabblers. Thank you.
hey im thinking about becoming homeless just because ive got too much stress where i am now and from what you say it is interesting but i am underaged what are the main problems with being underaged and homeless and how can i solve this
I don't think homelessness is going to reduce your stress level. Read my Message to Teens: http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/2004/12/message-to-homeless-teens.html
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