How to Survive Homelessness - A guide to obtaining the basics

Homelessness is a reality that can happen to anyone, from any background and for any number of reasons; and one thing that is for certain, is that it is never easy. However, with some creativity and resourcefulness not only can you survive ... you can rise above.

At 19 years old, my now husband & I, found ourselves homeless, out of state, FAR away from our families and things were looking pretty bleak.

On a whim, we made the decision to move, from Huntington Beach, CA to Eugene, OR and were on our way by the very next morning. We were young (still are ha ha), adventurous and tired of the city. So we picked up and went ... it was awesome.

We had two cars, a u-haul trailer of all our belongings and $1600 in cash. That's all you need when your 19 ... right? *rolls eyes*. Needless to say we ended up homeless real fast.

As it turns out landlords aren't jumping at the chance to rent a house or an apartment to two kids, from out of state, with no jobs ... go figure. Then we learned that without and address it's pretty darn hard to find a job ... a normal 9-5 job like we were accustomed to. From day 1 of this adventure we were homeless and totally blown away that things had not gone according to plan. After all this had been the exact same game plan we used to move to Huntington Beach from Sacramento two years earlier and everything had worked out perfectly! This time not so much ...

Should you ever find yourself tucking the experience of homelessness under your belt; here is some tried and true advice graduated from The School of hard Knox, to help you survive homelessness and rise above it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tenacity
• Ingenuity
• Resourcefulness
• Spirit

1. *FIND SHELTER BY BARTERING*
   
   Consider your housing first and many of the steps below you may not need to follow.
   
   We had $1600 in cash and no one would rent to us; but, we didn't want to spend the money just incase we found someone who would.
   
   Oregon is cold and sleeping in the cars cuddled together just didn't cut it. We couldn't afford the gas to let the car run so we could use the heater and we quickly ended up sick. Being sick and homeless is a bad combo ... a real bad combo. So avoid it at all costs because health care for the homeless is basically non-existent (based on my experience).
   
   **Find a "Mom & Pop" motel or hotel**
   Most of the time the owners live and work there.
   ~Speak to them
   ~Explain your situation
   ~Ask if they would be willing to rent you a room in exchange for doing whatever they need done around the place ... repairs, cleaning, laundry, whatever.
   
   The worst they can say is no, and if they do move on to the next motel. Keep moving on and asking until one of them say yes ... One of them WILL say yes. Don't give up.

2. *TAKE CARE OF PERSONAL HYGEINE BY BEING RESOURCEFUL*
   
   Personal hygiene is so important, if you let it slip it will only make getting ahead even harder.
   
   Make sure you have at the very least a toothbrush, deodorant and a razor. You can get them at The Dollar Tree or the 99Cent Store, even if it means recycling cans to buy them ... do it.
   
   *Wash up in gas station bathrooms*
   ~Find one with plenty of hand soap and use it to wash your hair and face.
   ~Soak a handful of paper towels with soap & a separate handful with water, go into a stall, strip, soap up & wipe down. you'll leave still feeling a little soapy, but it's better than being dirty. If you have a water bottle rinse off with that, most gas station bathrooms have drains.
   ~Stand on paper towels when you take your shoes off to wash up.
   ~Brush your teeth using hand soap if you have nothing else. It tastes gross and suds up a lot, but it works.
   ~Guys, you need to shave. You must shave. Use the hand soap for this too.
   ~Clean up after yourself before you leave ... ALWAYS!
   
   You can also use the hand soap to wash your clothes, then dry them with the hand dryer. You find a gas station bathroom with a hand dryer before you attempt to wash your clothes if you don't have a dry set to leave in.
   
   If it's warm enough and you have access to a lake, river, stream or any body of water, bathe there.
   ~Soak some gas station paper towels with hand soap, let them dry and carry them with you, to use when you can.

3. *TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE FOOD*
   
   You need to eat to survive. Water can be found easily at drinking fountains in parks, but food on the other hand is much harder to come by when you have no money.
   
   *Find a body of water where people fish*
   
   Hooks and fishing line can easily be found if you look where people fish, thanks to litter bug fishermen who leave their tangled hooks and line behind.
   
   ~Catch frogs with a little scrap of fabric, dangling it from a hook in front of where they hide - it's works I swear.
   
   ~Look for dried up bait on the ground left behind by fishermen, stick it on your hook and throw it in the water. Hold the line in your hand and be ready to run if you feel a bite! Who needs a fishing rod and reel!
   
   ~Turtles can be caught with a hook & a piece of meat, even hotdog if you can get any ... same with crawdads (who often live in streams)
   
   ~Many popular fishing areas and parks have cleaning stations, with running water, for public use to clean your catch.
   
   If catching and preparing your own food is not something you can do there is always the ...
   
   ~Local food bank
   ~Soup kitchen
   ~Shelter
   ~Homeless Charities
   
   City park BBQ's and found wood/sticks make are an excellent way to get some cooking done when you don't have a kitchen!
   
   Stock up on canned goods from the food bank and make sure you find enough change or recycle enough cans to buy a can opener from Dollar Tree. We dipped into our $1600 to buy cheap necessities like that.

4. *BE OBSERVANT & RESOURCEFUL*
   
   There are many ways you can make being homeless more comfortable if your resourceful and observant. (comfortable & homeless in the same sentence ha ha)
   
   Keep your eyes peeled for anything that offers opportunity, for instance:
   
   1. If your cold: Find a hotel, the big hotels are the best, walk around the building until you find the dryer vent. Big hotel chains are doing laundry 24/7 and that means the dryer is blowing hot air out of the dryer vent 24/7. You'll usually find it around the back of the building. Stand next to it for a while and you'll be toasty!
   
   2. If your hot: Go to the public library and do some reading. The A/C at the library is on all summer. It's a great place to relax, kill some time and stay cool. PLUS IT'S FREE!
   
   3. If you need clothes: Many communities have local drop boxes for unwanted clothes that are donated, very similar to the newspaper bins the boy scouts place around towns. Find one of those and exchange your clothes. Be sure to leave the clothes you were wearing, the donation center will wash them and donate them ... it's good karma.
   
   4. If you need a cell phone for emergencies: Go to the local women's shelter for the homeless; many of them provide donated cell phones that are disconnected, but still able to call 911 in an emergency. If you are a homeless child (under 18) please be sure to pick up one of these donated phones.
   
   Opportunities and resources are out there if you pay attention to your surroundings.

5. *MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE*
   
   If you ever find yourself homeless, for whatever reason, maintaining a positive outlook is crucial. If you let the situation get you down you'll never rise above.
   
   We saw being homeless as an adventure. We knew we wouldn't be homeless forever and tackled each obstacle one at a time. It gave us a sense of accomplishment and kept our spirits high. With every obstacle we overcame we knew we were getting closer to our goals.

Tips & Warnings

• My then boyfriend and I have now been married for 9 years and together for a total of 15!
• We learned to make it together as a team!
• Any hard time we encounter now, pales in comparison to our experience of being homeless, and is easily overcome ..... all things in life are lessons!

[maggiemontevalo]

on 12/11/2009 I have been there done that too...grrr! Great article.

[dannthamann]

on 8/16/2009 Great article, while it's a reminder that homelessness is never fun, there is hope and you can survive it. With the advice in this article, a homeless person could drastically reduce the amount of danger that comes with it.

[Pixie1976]

on 7/25/2009 Yes, homelessness is a serious issue in our country.

[carikay]

on 5/20/2009 Wow, good tips. I've known several folks who have been homeless. It is so true that it really can happen to anybody!

[ruecian2112]

on 5/19/2009 Interesting and in-depth article, and from your experience I think we know that it's realistic advice to help if any of us to get into this situation. 5*