My Thoughts My Life in Photographs

FOOD

Find your nearest food bank or mission, for food

grocery stores with free samples, bakeries + stores with day-old bread

different fast food outlets have cheaper food and will generally let you hang out for a while.

some dollar stores carry food like cans of beans or fruit

SHELTER

Sleeping at beaches during the day is a good way to avoid suspicion and harassment

sleep with your bag strapped to you, so someone can’t steal it

Some churches offer short term residence

Find your nearest homeless shelter

Look for places that are open to the public

A large dumpster near a wall can often be moved so that flipping up the lids creates an angled shelter to stay dry

HYGIENE

A membership to the YMCA is usually only 10$, which has a shower, and sometimes laundry machines and lockers.

Public libraries have bathrooms you can use

Dollar stores carry low-end soaps and deodorant etc.

Wet wipes are all purpose and a life saver

Local beaches, go for a quick swim

Some truck stops have showers you can pay for

Staying clean is the best way to prevent disease, and potentially get a job to get back on your feet

Pack 7 pairs of socks/undies, 2 outfits, and one hooded rain jacket

OTHER

first aid kit

 sunscreen

 a travel alarm clock or watch

 mylar emergency blanket

 a backpack is a must

 downgrade your cellphone to a pay as you go with top-up cards

 sleeping bag

 travel kit of toothbrush, hair brush/comb, mirror

 swiss army knife

Take care of your feet - if you can’t walk, you stand a very real chance of dying. That’s not an exaggeration, take care of your feet.

Keep them dry, and if you can manage it try to change your socks daily - I had three pairs I would wash - more or less - and hang to dry so that I always had a dry pair to replace the ones I had on if they got wet.

Even a cheap plastic water bottle is a water bottle, fill it from public fountains and stay hydrated. If you can carry two and have room, keep one in your bag.

Your bag is your life. Do not put it down. I used to sleep with it on my front, it helped a little in terms of staying warm.

Newspapers torn up and stuffed into your jacket can help you stay warm. Layers are your best defense, you don’t want to sweat because that will compromise your ability to stay warm and dry. If you get overheated you can peel off a layer and put it in your bag.

DONT overburden yourself. A heavy bag full of stuff might make you feel more prepared but it will also wear you out, trying to haul everything around. Pack smart, pack light.

Ziplock bags get thrown out all the time, grab them. You can pack anything you don’t want to get wet in them, and you can also suck the air out of them and seal them so they take up less space.

Learn to build shelter; this is a skill I personally think everyone should learn Just In Case, because dumpsters are great but they’re also dumpsters. You don’t want to sleep behind one unless you really, really have to.

I met somebody in Harvard Square. I didn’t wanna give him money but I bought him wet wipes, a new reusable bottle, and a sammich.

Be kind to homeless people because they are vulnerable and surviving without a safe place to go is exhausting physically and mentally.

Give homeless people money if you want to help. I don’t care if you think they’ll use it for drugs. If someone has a drug addiction, you withholding money from them will not cure their addiction. If they don’t have access to drugs or replacements like methadone, they will get very sick within hours. They will have uncontrollable diarrhea, nausea, muscle spasms, fever, and pain. They won’t be able to get around and will be even more vulnerable and could die of exposure, dehydration, or violence.

The food you give them has to be carried around and can’t be stored, it can get dirty with no way to use or clean it. Clothes or other items as well. Money is easily transported and can be transformed into whatever that person needs when they need it.

If you think your „gift“ entitles you to decide how the person you gave it to uses it, it’s not a gift. Homeless people are competent adults. They have very little power to decide anything in their lives. Taking away the agency you would allow a 5-year-old is further humiliating and dehumanizing.

You don’t have to give homeless people anything if you don’t want to. But don’t use them as ways to shore up your self-esteem or to exercise power over someone because you „know what’s best for them“. You really don’t.