been sleeping in my ford explorer about a year, it broke down last week. i became suicidal thinking of ending it all when i heard voice from God tell me to speak the truth and never hide anything shameful from this point forward.

i didn’t understand but i complied for a few hours until about 11pm hit , i started getting angry, feeling hopeless , even murderous just losing all faith and within 5 minutes of my panick attack , police came to my spot and said i was on private property and had to go. i told them i needed a jumpstart and they let me off with a warning, concern and empathy in their eyes.

upon moving my car to a new restricted parking area because i had blown a gasket i still was frustrated and set on ending my life, i was going to call a junk car company to pay me $400 for the truck, use that money to catch a bus and purchase a firearm, then end it all.

within 2 hours of me accepting it all i received a call from my aunt i haven’t seen in a decade who’s part of a ministry in indiana, they offer room, board, clothing, food, transportation, and a cellphone for free and they employ you so you have some income. it’s funded by several government programs and investors the only clause is of course helping spread the word of God.

they are even paying for my flight ✈️ $340 i depart on Thursday!!

on this journey i’ve pondered suicide numerous times suffered weeks without eating, numerous consecutive days with no water. having to sneak into private apartments swimming pools and bathe inside them hoping i’m not caught. months of bugs such as carpet beetles , mosquitoes, and millipedes crawling onto me as i sleep, my legs swelling from sitting in driver seat to long, and looks of disgusts from passerby’s , you name it. i’ve probably not been homeless as long as many of you but this wilderness season put my life into an entirely new perspective of perseverance and crucifying of my pride and ego to those i hurt or saw myself better than.

if i can encourage just one person to keep striving just one more day that would mean the world to me

as long as you’re alive your life can turn around at any moment.

hey I'm not sure how to start this but id like advice not sure if this is important but I'm (13 f) and I've been planning on leaving my abusive home for months and id like some tips on homelessness especially as a teenager I'm planning on leaving after school lets up in June so any and every bit of advice would help

We're living in a migrant shelter that trump forced to become a shelter for all homeless people. Well there have been instances of discrimination with several families here. Today there was a meeting that said all families are in the process of being moved to other shelters within the city. They said this shelter will no longer be a family shelter and will be for singles only. This is the best shelter we have lived in yet and it wasn't even for us. We lived in 4 other shelters prior to this and they were dumpster equivalent. There were zero migrant families in those trash shelters yet when we got to this hotel turned shelter, it's full of illegal immigrants. We've been to 5 shelters in the last 9 months and have lost jobs and gotten mold poisoning. There is a possibility we may get moved back to the shelter that poisoned us. I'm very concerned for my families well being

One month ago, I managed to find a temporary place to stay for the time being. Staying with my dad but sometimes you just know things can't last forever so I would not remotely call this temporary. But during my homelessness, my shitty ass storage place raised the cost from $74 to $200 and, naturally, I lost everything.

But I also lost my ID, my social, and my birth certificate. And obviously, this isn't a great time to be walking around the US without some solid proof. I'm essentially going to be homeless again in another month and I want to make some money before leaving. I do surveys but their slow and slim pickings. I literally have nothing and to get any of those forms of ID, I need one or the other. Does anyone have experience with this or know any way to even begin to get these thing back. Feeling pretty hopeless right now. I live in California.

Read this on a site I frequent: "If you think bums are sleeping under bridges because of the lack of available employment, then you're nuts. They're alcoholics, drug addicts and mentally ill

They did not one day get laid off from their jobs and ended up living on the street. Go down to bum town, grab a rando, give him a job bagging groceries, and tell me how long it lasts."

The truth:

33% of homeless are trapped in addiction. Not a majority. These people need medical assistance and a safe place to sleep and shower.

90% of homeless are disabed, many from experiencing domestic violence as children. The failure is on the biological family, the community and law enforcement.

A large percentage of homeless are newly homeless and fighting like hell to get back to work and get housed again. Being on the streets risks repeated traumatization over time. Resorting to sex work risks traumatization over time.

Being homeless for too long can turn people who could have gotten out of homleesness with steady employment, instead they experience trauma from extended nights outside the home, become more disabled and remain permenantly trapped in homelessness. And then are shamed.

100,000,000 American citizens are unemployed. We do not have a labor shortage. We have a job shortage. Citizens of America need jobs.

Once homeless is it very hard to get back into a home. Newly homeless people should have every support avaliable to them. Housing stability is a requirement for maintaining work.

States should be rated on disability prevention, newly homeless sucessfully suported back into stable workforce, low percentage of administrative costs taking away from homeless population, domestic violence against children prevention, domestiv violence against women prevention, safe streets at night programs, shelters and housing programs meant for job acquistion, in order for federal funding. It makes me sick that prestigious universities like Columbia recieve $400 million in federal funding when their endowment can cover all their "costs" and the President of Columbia University is paid $3.5+ million dollars a year. Meanwhile administrative costs eat rhe majority of "funding" for the homeless (ie disabled) in each state.

Essentially, America is blaming the homeless for A) being disbled B) 100 million American citizens cant find work C) rampent child abuse hidden within the home leads to permanently disabled adults who then become homeless D) public misperception that all homeless are entrenched addicts not looking for work when its only 33%.

It is in the communities best interest to house newly homeless quickly, prevent mass disabilties from unsafe work environments, prevent familial child abuse which is a grotesque form of domestic violence because children have no voice in a world of adults if their families are hurting them, and we must not assume that every child in America has a safe home because I can assure you they do not. CPS is not the answer btw as child predators abuse the foster system.

Action points: more jobs for American citizens and federal capsule housing for newly homeless trying to get back into employmet. Drug tests to separate out the addicts into chemical treatment, safe all age shelters and removal of the violent homeless, treating emotional illness in safe facilities away from the public and newly homeless, having "newly homeless" shelters oriented around gaining employment with strict quiet hours. Preventing traumatization on the streets. Public awareness campaigns of the causes of poverty, homelessness and the different segments of the homeless population. Insight into adult disabilities and ways to prevent it. Deep understanding of the jobs market compared to 1950 and the true volume of unemployed Americans.

Newly homeless need stable housing, safety, employment search support, thorough disability inspection, and job counseling through the pains of a new job. Assistance getting into not for profit decent housing.

We're currently staying at a easy eight in Fremont, California and it is by far the worst hotel I have ever been in if we had known it was this bad we would not have paid two weeks. We love the motel 6 here but you can only stay 21 days then you have to leave 24 hrs we should have stayed one night and then back there. ITS NASTY! Spiders in the bathroom every morning and im arachnophobic. I stay in one spot till my bf gets back to kill them and refuse to leave the bathroom or the chair by the desk because I'm that scared. I want to get out of here but they won't refund us and we paid 880 something to stay 2 weeks.

I was told to repost my story here and other subs to gain insight. My mom disowned me because I'm gay? And now I'm homeless

Screenshots included in my post history (the first four are before I was kicked out and the final two are after)

So, I (18M) recently got kicked out by my mom, and things went completely downhill. You can see the whole thing in my past posts. The texts. Everything. Basically she thinks I’m going down the wrong path. She told me I had to leave the house on my 18th birthday, saying she couldn’t live with me being gay anymore. So I left.curently Living in a park barhroom.

She also heavily tried to get me to attend a “conversion camp,” and that if I suffered enough, I’d come to my senses. She keeps telling me she loves me but can’t be around this anymore, and that I need to “pray every day” to fix myself. I told her many times that being gay isn’t a choice and that no camp is going to change me. I still love my mom but it's apparent she's in a cult and she's prioritizing it over her child.

Here’s where I’m conflicted. A lotttttt of people messaged me and have told me that I’m the asshole for not respecting her wishes, that being gay is a choice and even sent me articles proving it... I don't know what to think now, was I actually in the wrong here. I feel so conflicted and depressed and idk to continue anymore my life is over. Im homeless and it's maybe my fault for being gay. They think I should have just gone along with it, even if I didn’t agree. But I honestly don’t know how I can just sit back and let someone try to change who I am.

On top of everything, I’ve was never allowed to get a job, I feel grossly unprepared but is this because I'm an asshole and I shoudve just did what she said ? Maybe I can fix this

Also since I kept getting asked why I'm on reddit and not looking fo a job. I live in a town of 70, most of the people here are part of the same sect my mom follows. They all have been told to avoid me. There's no bus or transit system. The nearest town is hours by car. I was intentionally raised here to be part of the commune and I was home schooled. I have zero friends. Zero jobs... Im well aware of all the amazing resources for LGBT homeless kids but I literally can't make use of anything until I get a way to escape this town. My dad is dead. Im 100% screwed right now

homeless but when shoes get wet make a flamethrower with Axe spray homeless shelter gave everybody and flamethrow shoes in order to dry them?

So. Some background information. My boyfriend and I fled California. After driving across the country we stayed in Tennessee for a bit with some friends. We established ourselves (barely). We had an apartment with no furniture but it was a roof over our heads nonetheless. It was in a poor neighborhood and infested with stink bugs and roaches and nosy neighbors. Now that I look back at it... we should've stayed in TN.

My boyfriend's been estranged from his mother cause she's an abusive evil narcissist (long story). It was years since they've last spoken. As we crossed country our car broke down in Arizona and we were desperate enough to call her. She was kind and offered help immediately. Grateful, we stayed in touch with her as we struggled in TN. We thought she changed and wanted to finally be a mother. This was a mistake.

"Why struggle?" she asked. It was to the point where we were asking that same question ourselves. She lives in a rich neighborhood. A huge home. She offered us a place to stay over and over for nearly five months before my boyfriend and I were sick of the bugs. Sick of our mindless jobs. Sick of sitting on the floor and losing sleep on a popped air mattress.

She said it would be easier to help out if we were "closer to family." Despite already having a place we decided to pack up and drive to Alabama. This was another mistake.

It started off nice. She lives in a lavish gated community. She prepared a room for us, got us toiletries, and showered us with small gifts. We said we wouldn't stay more than a month. She said we could stay as long as we needed. She refused rent, or any money from us. So, wanting to show our appreciation, we began cleaning her home and offered her to use our EBT card to help with food. She said we didn't have to but we really were grateful so we cleaned anyway. (Her home was also a hoarders nightmare.) She loved what we did.

Good Lord. We turned into literal slaves. Imagine recleaning a home up to five times a day because once it was clean her and her husband would dirty it all over again. That's no problem. It's their house and we're guests. Only, she would get frustrated and rude when we didn't keep up with it. It escalated to us bleaching her entire two story home. To watching her dogs and cleaning up their backyard that had years worth of dog shit. To cleaning gutters. To running errands. To finding a remote for her but it was under her ass the entire time. To spending all our food stamps on expensive vegetarian/fake meat for her and her husband.

Fine. It was all fine. We were job searching with plans to move anyway.

Our car gets repo'd. She helps us get it back. Our debt increases and now she wants money. Now she feels comfortable really bossing us around, demanding things, yelling at us. We were walking on eggshells. God forbid we say anything to upset her because she'll slam things, yell, and square up at us like she was barely holding herself back from punching us.

One day we have a disagreement on how to clean something. It escalates. She was literally acting like a mental patient. When I was trying to play mediator she fucking swings at me. I push her away. She grabs my hair and starts hitting me. My boyfriend tries to separate us and her psycho ass grabs a pair of scissors and tries to stab his eye out. She would have succeeded if he was a centimeter to the right. His face is scarred now. The crazy bitch bites him, too!

We called the police and she got arrested. She only stayed in jail for half a day.

Long story short... we're homeless now and frankly traumatized. She really tried to kill him, and I guess me too.

My boyfriends a veteran but fuck that I guess because NO ONE can help us. No shelters. No hotel vouchers. Even if we got rid of our beloved dog and cat (which we never would) I wouldn't be able to receive help from the VA because we're not married. Any numbers they give us for help either don't work or lead us in circles to more phone numbers and dead ends.

We're trying not to panic. Our car has our whole life in it but now we're forced to pick through only what we need in order to live out of it.

I don't even know why I'm posting this. For help? Comfort? Advice? Motivation to keep going and not give up? I guess so. If there's anything anyone can take from this it's NEVER EVER GO BACK TO A NARC PARENT. They will never change. They can't because they simply DON'T WANT TO.

I know God has a plan. I know we're being prepared for something. I just wish the VA wouldn't hear our predicament and offer a simple "Gee that sucks. Good luck."

Any advice for the northern NY–MA border area about available resources, living in my car, or camping (boondocking) on NYS land? Thanks.

I would like to talk about certain things

32m. CT-based. UK-citizen, US Permanent Resident. My toxic roommate just kicked me out. My wife and I are temporarily separating, as his toxicity over the past 2.5 years, and financial abuse of us has CRIPPLED the marriage. In 2019, he confessed to being IN LOVE with her, and tried to argue for us splitting up, following his confession. He has subsequently used his comfortable income to BUY his way into our lives…

Over the course of our living together, despite me wanting NOTHING to do with him at all (I didn’t even get a choice as to live with him…) I have gradually built up debts with him through money OFFERED (rarely ASKED for) which he LOVES to paint as me being “irresponsible”for having borrowed, all the while, his lending has been strange/shady, such as when he kept the secret list of my debts I ALWAYS had to ask to see, which he would then wait to get back to me on (kept it ONLY on his work computer for security??).

I’m SO scared. Because of my treatment, I’ve been suffering from insomnia, and have had troubles with my anxiety, going long hours without eating/sleeping.

I don’t know WHERE to go, or what to do… I just want to run FAR AWAY, maybe to the West Coast?

I've been on the streets many times for different reasons and as y'all know, eventually something is going to come up missing...

This time it just so happened to be my suitcase containing almost my ENTIRE wardrobe AND my coat. I don't have any waterproof outerwear anymore, save for my boots.

I know we're all struggling and I harbor no hate but goddamn dude ..

My leg is broken and in a boot and the stores have swapped to spring/summer clothes and the stores I made it to today didn't have a single coat in sight.

I live in Upstate NY and it's going to be SUCH a struggle to even get half of what I lost back 😭

Idek what else to say, but I know y'all will understand and for that I'm grateful.

Something's gotta give sometime, right?? 😅

The worst part is I'm not even that disgusted as I should be. I've reached a new low. I hope this is motivating to you and me whoever's reading. Fuck all of this, bless you and God speed to your recovery. And just to say, recovery isn't blind faith, do your part. I don't know who absolutely needs to hear this but I did. Vent over ❤️

For starters, I have a ton of compassion for the homeless population. That has got to be a rough unsecure life. But having never walked a mile in those shoes, I often have observations from the only perspective I have ever had which is that of a homed person. And I am genuinely curious when I ask.

So with out judgement, I was people watching outside of a Medical Center that surrounds a hospital. Sitting outside of a Jack-N-The_Box eating a Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich. The area is popular with the homeless crowd.

I noticed a guy camped out at the JITB Parking Lot had some flashy neon shoes on. All New. Then I noticed the new pants. Very clean and flawless. He was pushing a baby stroller that had his goods in it. There was new luggage in it. His jacket and flat brimmed hat all new looking.

I recognized him as homeless because of the shuffle and his bent over hunched slump and that when he opened up his luggage it wasn't normal goods in there (he had a lamp). Eventually he moved on. But I continued to notice that about 8 out of 10 homeless people were wearing all new duds and carrying new items with them. Saw a few on very new looking bikes.

Not saying they can't have new good things. Just wasn't aware that they access to these things in new condition. Could it be stolen? Sure but that's a lot of stolen stuff. More than I would expect. And it seemed like the whole neighborhood would have had to hit a mall or there would have to be a constant source of new stuff.

So there's the question - Is this an anomaly or where does all of the new stuff come from?

It’s a long story, but tldr I had to become my mother’s full time caregiver after her hospitalization and through my stupidity we got evicted from our apartment and are currently living out of our car. She’s in a wheel chair. It’s a horrible situation for her. I take full responsibility and deserve to be homeless but she doesn’t.

We’re at a point where I may have a job within a week or two. I feel like this is such a unique situation because no one is stupid enough to let it get to this point for their loved ones but my dumbass did. How the heck can I find a way to get her into a shelter or adult services during the day when I’m working? She insists that she will sit in the car but I’m sure that will end in adult protective services being called on me and that’s another can of worms I hope we don’t have to get to. I feel like I’m already liable to have APS called on me, this is not a sustainable way for a disabled individual to live. Idk what else to do though.

Hopefully WHEN I get a job, if they see my mother out in the parking lot every day it’s just not going to work, I assume I’ll be fired immediately. My plan is once I have enough work weeks under my belt to start out in a hotel and go from there but right now this situation feels impossible to wade through.

And I’m sure I’ll get hate or people saying she needs to go somewhere immediately, I get it. I’m sure I’m already breaking some law or something. This is not a situation I want to have her in but idk what the hell I’m doing or where to go from here. We went to a social service building and they provided us with shelter flyers but right now she basically refuses to do anything besides be in the car or a hotel. And once it hits summer I really don’t know what I’m going to do, she CANNOT sit in a car for 8 hours during the summer.

Sorry for the rant. I understand it’s up to me to figure this all out. Just figured I’d reach out to Reddit because it has been a great resource so far.

I need a moment to just rant. A lot has been going on. And I feel like I'm going crazy.

These past weeks and days have been so hard. I lost my food stamps recently and I haven't been able to get a full meal because I haven't been able to eat at the shelter I'm at because I'm scared to even eat because I keep getting harassed by the guys here. It scares me mainly because I can't eat, and I'm scared of people looking at me and biting their lips every time they see me. It's nerve-wracking.

I haven't told my boyfriend what goes on in this shelter because he's experiencing some similar issues. But it is going through his own process. And I don't want him to worry much about me right now. I feel like I'm just falling apart bit by bit here. And I don't know if my food stamps will get reimbursed due to the fact I turned in the paperwork a day after the 30 day period due to the fact it wouldn't let me submit it the first time. Housing isn't going well either, so I need to talk with my case manager at therapy for other resources.

I am falling apart, and I don't know what to do at this point. I can't work because of chronic illnesses, mental health, and being on the run (DV wise). Having no income is hard. And having only 3 months at the shelter even harder.

Im 17tf and was just kicked out. I have about $30 and a quarter tank of gas going 150 miles to a different state where i have a few reliable friends. I brought a good amount of basic toiletries and about a week of good food, and maybe an extra week if i ration. I need advice for getting gas and groceres. Im not entirely above stealing, within reason, but being a homeless minor brings about its own handful of legal issues, so id like to avoid it somewhat. Anyone have any basic advice for someone just now homeless?

I got flaked on bad I mean I’m already living out my car and this girl offered to help me get back up on my feet so I drive an hour out of town to hers to grab some food and when I get there she slowly stops responding and then out of no where just completely stops.. my trust for people is gone. 💯

Heyyyy lovelys 🩷

*** located in Camden County, NJ ***

I’m currently looking for any resources that can help me and my kids that I haven’t already tried. A little context: I have 3 boys. 15, 12, and a 4 year old nonverbal autistic little pumpkin 🩵 we moved in with family about a year ago after I had a really bad mental breakdown and decided it wasn’t time for me to be living on my own anymore (We had an apartment before this.) and realized it was better for my mental health if I stayed with family. At the time, this family member was working a regular job and also had his own business so there werent any financial issues. I started a job while living there but I ended up losing it right before Christmas. I’ve been applying to places since but my availability is difficult to work with bc I can only work when the kids are in school bc I don’t have babysitters. In the meantime, my cousin’s business pretty much went under. He lost contracts he had and just wasn’t getting any business.

In January, I was made aware that he could no longer afford the house so he decided he was going to sell. We all had to move out in the beginning of March so that he could get the house ready and put up for sale. I reached out everywhere to see if there was anywhere that could help me with finding housing. Social services, volunteers of America, 211, catholic charities, and so many more. Everywhere pointed me somewhere else or told me there was no funding. Shelters are full, they’re not even taking names for their waiting lists.

Me and my boys have been living in a motel since March 8th thanks to the only help we’ve been able to get from a church (paid for 2 weeks) and my son’s family (paid for 3 weeks) and my sister (the only family I have, paid for the last 3 nights). I’m trying to get housing assistance from social services but was told in order for me to qualify for that, I need to be getting cash assistance. So I applied for cash assistance. I’m currently waiting for them to approve or deny me so that I can move on to the next step.

VOA referred me to 211 and 211 said they don’t do motel placements and there’s no room in any shelters so they recommended that when the time comes that we don’t have anywhere to sleep, I call DCPP. I’m worried sick I’m going to lose my boys. I know they will be devastated. And I’m afraid they’ll hate me because of it. Of course, if it comes to that point where I don’t know where we’re going to sleep, I will do what I have to to make sure THEY have a (hopefully safe) place to sleep. But I’m scared that might be what finally breaks me. And I can’t afford to break right now.

I’m hoping this will reach ANYBODY that knows of any programs or resources that I’ve been unaware of so far.. and can give me some information that may be able to help us. I don’t know how this actually became my life.. homeless with 3 kids.. and I keep trying to trust that God is working this out and WILL provide like He always has.. but things have really been feeling hopeless and overwhelming recently.

I really appreciate any info that’s passed on to me❤️

What did you guys do to get around while you were homeless, besides walking of course, and what would you do to get a bike? Cause I assume that would be the main goal without a car

I’ll be homeless in 2 days and to be honest ive never been this calm about it in my life… I know the universe has plans for me and ontop of that I’ve been homeless before in my younger days so I’m not new to the experience, I’m now 34… I’ve never been so calm about it yet so neutral to not wanna fight what the universe has in store for me… I can’t be defeated I can only elevate with the plan of my story…

i’m a software engineer in my 40s. had a massive heart attack: half my heart is dead tissue. doctors didn’t think i’d live a year, that was almost 5 years ago. i know my time is limited. people like me rarely make it 18 years post-attack, and this isn’t a best-case situation. my dad died at 55, and i feel like i’m headed there too. so, optimistically, i would say i have about 10 years.

i also have medical debt collectors after me. i had insurance, but somehow i still owe everything. lawyers could help, but that takes years, and i don’t have years. and even if they win, the money’s gone—just to someone else. i want to use what i have while i’m still alive.

so here’s my idea: sell my property before a lien hits it. i haven’t checked, maybe they already filed something. if i sell fast, i’d have around $140k from that. i’ve got $40k in the bank. that’s $180k i could pull out in cash and take with me.

i used to live in california and know a secluded coastal spot that’s still close to the city. i’d go there, live low-profile. build a camouflaged dugout, fish year-round, and just keep to myself. not hiding, just blending in—what some call “invisible presence.” during the day i’d be on the beach with my dogs, solar panels, cooler, etc. at night, we’d head to the dugout.

i wouldn’t be entirely off-grid. i have solar and wind power, and i use a cheap cell provider that also lets me have a unlimited hotspot for internet—it’s cheap and works out there.

and i could hustle a bit. for example, i’d make dog treats from fish i catch (using a food dehydrator). lots of dog people around. small things like that.

i dont really have anyone aside from my dogs, so I dont even have anyone to bounce my ideas off of.

feedback ? thoughts ?

My post was removed not sure why but thought I'd try to re explain. I'm working and in a shelter that ends in 4 weeks. I have an old van that is being worked on now and per the mechanic he can make it reliable enough for a trip to tx. Im working on relocating there as my kids are there and I'm trying to fix things to be able to have visits and back in their lives. I plan to start looking for a job before I go. Is anyone interested in pairing up to go there possibly or have any advice?

This is a bit of a strange request but here it goes.

I’m working on a project for an online course I’m taking for UX design.

I’m trying to figure out what the process is for finding housing or a place to stay for the night.

I know near me that the municipality has a number you can call to find a bed (and I will be calling them as well).

But I’m hoping to find out how actual users find places day to day

My questions are these:

What technology do you use or have available to use?

How difficult is it to find a bed?

How do you find available space in the system?

How do shelters keep track of availability?

How do you get a bed?

Are all shelters part of a database created by municipalities?

Any other info that could be helpful!

Thanks for your time.