How To Be Homeless: A Guide
By: Cassie M. Thompson
Tags: Money, Covid-19, Travel, Homeless, Economy

For those new to being unhoused

First things first, hello. It’s going to be okay.

I’m writing this because I suspect that there will be a large number of people losing their housing across the country in the coming weeks and months. For this particular post, I’ll keep my political views to myself and just say — I’m sorry, and I feel for you. It is especially disturbing that this is happening to you in the winter as, depending on where in the country you live, this may feel like a death sentence.

It’s not. You’re going to be okay.

Although I may not be the foremost expert on homelessness, I did briefly manage it (on and off) during the spring and summer this year. I’d intended to do it longer as a research project and subsequent non-profit, but COVID and other factors made it more of an intermittent commitment.

In February and March, I spent some time being homeless in Los Angeles. In June I camped in Arizona. In August and September, I drove across the country from southern California through Texas, Florida and up to Maryland, spending a couple of weeks worth of nights sleeping in my car. The rest of the time I stayed with friends or paid for a hotel.

I realize that being homeless during the winter will present a number of challenges for you which I have not yet faced, but there are some basic things you will need to consider and get in place if you are to make this work. It’s possible you will need to leave, to go someplace warmer and wait out the winter.

First, you’re going to need a car. If you’re someone looking up “how to be homeless” then I have to assume you are losing or have lost housing, and probably are in the early stages of this transition. If you have any money, put a chunk of it into a car. A clunker is better than nothing. A few hundred bucks for something with a couple hundred thousand miles is fine. You’ll need a place to hunker down and sleep in, to keep your (minimal) belongings in, and hopefully be able to charge your phone in. Make sure the heat works. Have several blankets and a pillow. For more than a few weeks, you may want to put down a mattress or foam cut to fit your back seat. Don’t break your back, remember to stretch.

If a car is an impossibility, this will be significantly harder and I can only recommend reaching out to shelters, or any contacts you might have who can help. If you’re embarrassed, don’t be. This can and does happen to anyone. If you have no one else to reach out to, contact a church and ask if they can help. This may be a better route than a shelter if you have pets or children. Perhaps someone in their congregation will put you up temporarily while you look for work. Perhaps you can do work for the church. Send some emails. Make some calls. Just ask.

There are also bus tickets which will take you out of the coldest parts of the country to places more livable without shelter, but for the remainder of this article I will assume the presence of a car or other vehicle. An RV is ideal, of course, but out of reach for most of us. An SUV or other large vehicle is good for sleeping, certainly better than a sedan or compact car, but do what you can.

Now, if you already have a car, but the payments are high, you might want to find a way to get rid of it and trade down. You’ll want to have your costs as low as possible. Things like a storage unit, car payment, car insurance, phone bill, health insurance, and so on will add up. You’ll also need to factor in for food, gasoline, and hopefully a gym membership. If you have more possessions than money, sell whatever you can that you don’t need. Put everything else into storage, or toss it.

Assuming you do not have somewhere you can shower, you will need to find a place that you can. Prior to COVID, the easy answer was to sign up for a gym membership which includes shower access. These days, it may be difficult to find, but call around because this is worth the money if you can get it. There is, of course, a risk that gyms will shut down intermittently as cities loosen and tighten their regulations as they see fit. Worst case scenario, you buy a gallon jug of water (or two, $1 each), go somewhere private and do your best to wash up every couple of days. Alternatively, find a private bathroom at a business (Panera Bread, Starbucks, gas stations) where you can quickly have a bird bath. Not ideal, but it will get you through. Also, dry shampoo. Toothbrush and toothpaste too, of course.

If you go to a business for whatever reason, be it to charge your devices or use the bathroom or wifi, don’t make a mess and don’t stay too long. You might need a regular place to do these things, so don’t be a burden and don’t bother other people. Don’t play loud music. Be aware of how you smell. Stay on top of it.

I realize some people might turn on me with that last paragraph, but it is crucial that you do not make yourself the enemy of others. They are going about their lives and dealing with their own problems. They may be in your same position next month. There is no reason to make life harder for others. Focus on making your own life as good, or at least tolerable, as you can right now. If you get bogged down in bitterness, you will close off opportunities before they even present themselves. People will not want to help you. People will resent you and work to make you leave.

Which leads me to the issue of using the bathroom. This has always been a bit tricky. For the ladies, there is a thing called “Go-Girl” ($13) you can order on Amazon to funnel your pee into a bottle. Amazon Locker will allow you to have orders delivered to local businesses for pickup. Otherwise, it’s easy to find wide-mouthed Dixie cups. Those red ones used for beer pong. Set a towel down under you, just in case. It may take a little practice if space is tight. You don’t want your house-car to smell like piss. Men will have an easier time finding places outdoors to pee.

Important: Don’t get arrested and don’t traumatize children (or adults, for that matter). If you have to poo and it’s late, you’ll either need to find a place with a restroom (grocery store, gas station) or find a dark, private place outdoors. You might have to drive around. Clean up after yourself. Buy doggie bags if you must.

I know. This all sounds ridiculous and humiliating, and it’s true. It is.

Make a plan. How long will it take for you to get back into housing? How much money do you need? Do you have income, and if so, how much? Budget. If you have savings, or some small stash of money that you are living on, be very careful with it. Sometimes, you might need to splurge on a hotel night. You might just need a bed, a shower, some warmth and stability for a day. It’s expensive, and you probably can’t do it every night.

What does your exit strategy look like? Start thinking about that. What is your exact goal and timeline?

An alternative is to try and live unhoused for a longer period of time in order to save up for something permanent, and stop renting. This is what I term as living “homefree.” This is possible if you have or can acquire a job which you can do remotely, and if you can get reliable wifi access. Most cell phone providers offer hotspot capabilities, but depending on your needs, you might be better off doing your work at a place with wifi. Your phone might die, you might burn through your usage. You could spend the first half of the day at one coffee shop, and then locate to another during your lunch break. You don’t want to spend eight hours in one place and draw attention. Even better is if you can find work that is assignment based and doesn’t require a full eight hours (or more) of each day.

Save your money. Don’t eat at fancy places, at least not often. Those $16 meals will add up quickly. Be reasonable with yourself though. It’s okay to spend a few dollars on a meal. You don’t have to pay for rent or a mortgage now, remember? Funnel away what you can, and allow yourself small luxuries here and there. Not every meal, not if you don’t want to find yourself begging.

At the grocery store, be careful with perishables. Apples and oranges are fine for several days, milk not so much. Of course you know this. Just reminding you that there is a lot to consider, and you don’t want things rotting in the car which is now also your bed. A loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter are a smart move. Crackers, bottled water, dried fruit, nuts. Go to the dollar store first, every time.

While you’re there, look for ways to give yourself privacy. If you have tinted windows, you’re already ahead of the game. Buy two sun shades for your front and back windows. Buy black construction paper and cut it to fit your other windows. You can use velcro or clips to secure it at night while you’re sleeping. Be careful not to affix velcro to the bottom of your window, you might need to roll it down at some point and don’t want it to get stuck.

Where should you park your car to sleep? Ideally, (you’ll be picking up on a theme here by this point) somewhere that you won’t be bothered and you won’t be bothering other people. For me, this meant parking in residential neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and later across the southern states, but you can also park overnight in public areas like parks or rest stops. If you choose to go the residential route, don’t linger in any one place too long. This means, park at night, leave in the morning. Don’t return to that same spot for at least several days, if not weeks. People will call the cops if they find you suspicious, and many people are home all the time now, and on edge. Something to keep in mind.

My friends and family advised me to park under street lamps to avoid robbery, but honestly it was impossible to block out all light and especially awful to have it pouring in through the cracks, so I actually recommend parking in very dark places. You’re in your car at this point anyway, so your things are probably pretty safe. I guess you could keep a weapon if you are worried about a break-in while you’re sleeping, but I didn’t have one.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is to PRIORITIZE. What do you absolutely need? What is the number one thing? Your car. Do not lose your car. Do not get towed. Pay your parking tickets or bolt. Seriously. Some states will actually allow you to do community service rather than pay a parking ticket if you’re homeless. Look into that if you need to.

What is the second most important thing? Probably, your phone. Third? Cash.

What about food and clothing? Honestly, you can get those things for free or practically free if you must. There are food pantries, clothing giveaways, and goodwill centers or thrift stores.

Now, about clothing… Wash your clothes. Go to a laundromat. It’ll cost around $5 to wash and dry a load. Many places allow you do pay with a card, but some require cash (quarters, really, but they have change machines). Don’t wear stuff for more than three days. You should have several days worth of outfits in your trunk. I had two suitcases, myself. Overkill, maybe. Bring extra underwear and socks, as you’ll want to change these often. Keep one business attire outfit in case you have an interview. Stay hopeful. Most of your clothes should be comfy, but not too frumpy. Remember that it is important to blend in. It will make you more comfortable, and everyone else too.

Are you tired yet? This is a lot, right? Well, I’m running out of steam here so you might be off the hook. To recap, or TLDR:

It’s going to be okay You need a car If you can’t get a car, contact shelters or churches Cut costs, and sell what you can Get a gym membership for showers

(Or use gallon water jugs, or bathroom sinks to rinse off. Use soap.) Have Go-Girl and/or bottles, or wide cups for peeing (+ towel) Use public bathrooms for #2, be very careful in public.

Wet wipes. Doggie bags. MAKE A PLAN — what is your exit strategy?

Save money, look for work, budget. For remote work, find WiFi. Buy cheap (dollar menu) fast-food or healthy non-perishables

Dried fruit, crackers, nuts, peanut butter, bottled water Make your space private with black construction paper and sun shades.

Sleep in parks or different neighborhoods nightly, and don’t linger. PRIORITIZE — what do you need most? Your car. Second most? Phone.

Do not lose these things. Your temporary shelter + access to info and jobs. Wash your clothes, and have an interview outfit clean and ready

A few more things before I wrap this up. It’s important to me that you understand you CAN be homeless AND have a job. I did it. In fact, I also had a dog. Some people are more understanding than others, but if you’re upfront with management and let them know exactly what you need, how little it will affect them, and how much of an asset you will be, it can work. You may not even need to disclose your homeless status. You can just get a P.O. Box to forward mail to, show up to your interview washed and wearing clean clothes, and get the job done. Save the money, move forward with your life.

All this is easier said than done, I realize. Except that I have done it. Granted, we are in a different job market with COVID now. If you don’t set your sights too high, you can still find a job. Fast food, grocery stores, and Amazon, are all booming and hiring. If you need income, just do it. Keep looking while you work at the job you don’t want. You’ll find the one you do want eventually, but don’t let pride hold you back from survival right now. Life is hard enough, don’t be so hard on yourself.

Think of this as a blessing in disguise, if you can. An adventure, a challenge. You’re going to see things you never would have otherwise. You will learn about the world, the darkside, the underbelly, and living as one of the unhoused people you maybe once pitied or resented. You will learn new challenges and how to face them. You’ll learn loss and true compassion. You’ll learn what you’re capable of.

Chin up. Renewal and rebirth are the next chapter.

~

Helpful YouTubers: Alexandria Tejas and Karen Lara

Reach out to me by email if you want advice, input, or just to vent.

streetwisediogenes@gmail.com

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