Have any of you guys ever taken in one of those homeless people who hold those "Will work for food" signs?
My pastor was going to dinner with a friend and business man at a fancy restaurant and as they were walking in some hobos walked up and asked for money. My pastor was going to say no as he had no cash but the business man said "I don't have any cash on me but I have a job opportunity for you if you want to come inside and have dinner with us." One of the hobos said no and ran off but the other stayed. The pastor bought him dinner and the contractor got him work like he promised. The hobo is now living on his own, supporting himself, and goes to our church. There are lots of panhandlers that lie. Usually 90% of the ones on the side of the on ramp. You can tell if they have nice shoes, have a nice trimmed beard, or a wedding ring. You'd be surprised how many forget to take that off, but if they were really living on the street that is the first thing they'd hide. I volunteer at a homeless shelter and we offer services including haircuts, showers, clothing, etc. Similarly a portion of the clients are married and stay at the shelter with their spouse. These superficial indications of wealth do not mean a person is not homeless. It's a lot easier to get new sneakers or a smartphone than it is to hold down a job and pay monthly rent especially if you're an ex-con, have mental health issues, have other health bills, etc. like many of the homeless do. Not all of them necessarily hide these things either, especially during the daylight on a busy ramp wear it is fairly safe.
My mom & I took in two at different times but only one would really fit in your sort of description- they were both going to school and both of them stayed in the living room & got comfortable & eventually took it over as their own. The first during a wet winter asked to stay until spring; I never asked him to do anything but the dishes; he would only do really hard looking chores when he knew my mom was coming home so she would be pleasantly surprised but he was not really a good person (he thought himself a wandering philosopher and didn't believe in capitalism but lived off people who do work in the system; also he thought he could win any argument and incited them just to frustrate). He then started appropriating things as his own; after staying for 3 or 4 months at my protest in the living room my mom had given him his own writing desk, wardrobe, bed, couch, garden box out front & plastic greenhouse out back. He ate so much, and had so much body hair he clogged our shower drains every other month with it when we had never had problems with that before. When spring came around I badgered my mother to convince her her view of him was false and that he needed to leave. It was a bit terse but I haven't had to deal with or see him again. A few months later my mom lost her job and we're really broke now since she didn't have savings & mine dried up quickly. Kind of something I was already aware of. There are many homeless people that I see that are decently groomed and don't look disabled at all. So, from my point of view, I assume that they are just lazy af to find a real job lol. But there are some that look completely malnourished, dirty, and such and wanted to see if anyone has actually taken one of those home.
Being homeless can be weirdly expensive. Most people sliding into homelessness probably already have debt to start with, so that’s there. Then you have to factor in that you can’t exactly do meal prep, so you’re eating out or buying prepackaged shit. Then you constantly have look out for other people trying to steal your shit or do worse to you. A lot of shelters don’t even let you bring your belongings in on top of being hard to get into every day. I haven’t been homeless but people in my family have, and it seems like hell.
Me! Me! I was sleeping-bag homeless for a couple months out of necessity in Cleveland. It’s very bleak and boring. Relied on somebody who took advantage of my situation and tried to assault me. I did not have it nearly as bad as other homeless people I encountered. This fantasy you have is foolish and I think you know that.
I was in a horrific relationship and left on terrible terms. The relationship was an extended period of gaslighting plus alienation from family and friends. The breakup happened so suddenly that I didn’t feel like I had anyone to turn to. I was so ashamed that I got myself into that situation that I didn’t want to tell anyone. I also had a lot of dumb pride - that I could solve my problem without help and never have to tell anyone about it.
I definitely had people that wouldn’t have batted an eye if I just asked, but I was (am) a lucky idiot.
I assume a lot of homeless people that aren’t completely gone have the same mindset. “This is just temporary, I got this. I’ll be back on my feet in a minute. Don’t worry about me.” Was homeless for a bit when I got out of the military a while ago. Slept on the beach and benches, hiding from the career bums, stealing my food and clothes. I really went into autopilot and didn’t dwell on my situation much and in hindsight I could’ve easily become a lifelong homeless. That was around 2008 though and I imagine the homeless around you now would be much more plentiful and sinister. There’s nothing romantic or adventurous about it. It’s boring, shameful, sometimes absolutely terrifying. I recommend backpacking instead. I have a good friend that went backpacking in Europe, then Southeast Asia, and is planning one in Spain now. He saves up enough to budget for a 2-3 month trip and stays in hostels or in a small tent or on the streets (if it’s safe enough).
I had a car, but I do not recommended it at all, especially if you have enough money to live indoors. The heat/humidity while trying to sleep was the most infuriating part. I bought some portable shop fans to help keep me cool at night.
Having no address sucks, having to explain around the situation sucks, keeping a low profile sucks, getting knocks on the window in the middle of the night sucks, not having a place for stuff (you have a lot more stuff than you realize) sucks. The money saved is cool, but it’s really not worth it.
Personally, I think it’s 100% a fantasy that it’s awesome to be a homeless vagabond.
I’d rather own a big plot of land with a nice stream and some trees and a little hovel to tend to. Homeless, but not landless.
If you’ve got the money saved up OP, maybe consider that option first. Improving a plot of land you own while roughing it outdoors - my personal bliss. Sleep is so damn important, you don’t realize it until you have a couple of days of two hours of sleep. That shit will make you straight up crazy. Sleeping outdoors makes it extremely difficult, especially if you’re hoofing it everywhere without a vehicle.
My mom & I took in two at different times but only one would really fit in your sort of description- they were both going to school and both of them stayed in the living room & got comfortable & eventually took it over as their own. The first during a wet winter asked to stay until spring; I never asked him to do anything but the dishes; he would only do really hard looking chores when he knew my mom was coming home so she would be pleasantly surprised but he was not really a good person (he thought himself a wandering philosopher and didn't believe in capitalism but lived off people who do work in the system; also he thought he could win any argument and incited them just to frustrate). He then started appropriating things as his own; after staying for 3 or 4 months at my protest in the living room my mom had given him his own writing desk, wardrobe, bed, couch, garden box out front & plastic greenhouse out back. He ate so much, and had so much body hair he clogged our shower drains every other month with it when we had never had problems with that before. When spring came around I badgered my mother to convince her her view of him was false and that he needed to leave. It was a bit terse but I haven't had to deal with or see him again. A few months later my mom lost her job and we're really broke now since she didn't have savings & mine dried up quickly. Kind of something I was already aware of. There are many homeless people that I see that are decently groomed and don't look disabled at all. So, from my point of view, I assume that they are just lazy af to find a real job lol. But there are some that look completely malnourished, dirty, and such and wanted to see if anyone has actually taken one of those home.
Being homeless can be weirdly expensive. Most people sliding into homelessness probably already have debt to start with, so that’s there. Then you have to factor in that you can’t exactly do meal prep, so you’re eating out or buying prepackaged shit. Then you constantly have look out for other people trying to steal your shit or do worse to you. A lot of shelters don’t even let you bring your belongings in on top of being hard to get into every day. I haven’t been homeless but people in my family have, and it seems like hell.
Me! Me! I was sleeping-bag homeless for a couple months out of necessity in Cleveland. It’s very bleak and boring. Relied on somebody who took advantage of my situation and tried to assault me. I did not have it nearly as bad as other homeless people I encountered. This fantasy you have is foolish and I think you know that.
I was in a horrific relationship and left on terrible terms. The relationship was an extended period of gaslighting plus alienation from family and friends. The breakup happened so suddenly that I didn’t feel like I had anyone to turn to. I was so ashamed that I got myself into that situation that I didn’t want to tell anyone. I also had a lot of dumb pride - that I could solve my problem without help and never have to tell anyone about it.
I definitely had people that wouldn’t have batted an eye if I just asked, but I was (am) a lucky idiot.
I assume a lot of homeless people that aren’t completely gone have the same mindset. “This is just temporary, I got this. I’ll be back on my feet in a minute. Don’t worry about me.” Was homeless for a bit when I got out of the military a while ago. Slept on the beach and benches, hiding from the career bums, stealing my food and clothes. I really went into autopilot and didn’t dwell on my situation much and in hindsight I could’ve easily become a lifelong homeless. That was around 2008 though and I imagine the homeless around you now would be much more plentiful and sinister. There’s nothing romantic or adventurous about it. It’s boring, shameful, sometimes absolutely terrifying. I recommend backpacking instead. I have a good friend that went backpacking in Europe, then Southeast Asia, and is planning one in Spain now. He saves up enough to budget for a 2-3 month trip and stays in hostels or in a small tent or on the streets (if it’s safe enough).
I had a car, but I do not recommended it at all, especially if you have enough money to live indoors. The heat/humidity while trying to sleep was the most infuriating part. I bought some portable shop fans to help keep me cool at night.
Having no address sucks, having to explain around the situation sucks, keeping a low profile sucks, getting knocks on the window in the middle of the night sucks, not having a place for stuff (you have a lot more stuff than you realize) sucks. The money saved is cool, but it’s really not worth it.
Personally, I think it’s 100% a fantasy that it’s awesome to be a homeless vagabond.
I’d rather own a big plot of land with a nice stream and some trees and a little hovel to tend to. Homeless, but not landless.
If you’ve got the money saved up OP, maybe consider that option first. Improving a plot of land you own while roughing it outdoors - my personal bliss. Sleep is so damn important, you don’t realize it until you have a couple of days of two hours of sleep. That shit will make you straight up crazy. Sleeping outdoors makes it extremely difficult, especially if you’re hoofing it everywhere without a vehicle.
