Good tips. I can vouch for many of these. Here are a couple more that have worked for me (U.S.-based):
- Get on food stamps before you are actually homeless, if you can. It’s just less complicated that way, but I have also had good luck just being very straightforward with DHS about my situation.
- The article talks about not paying for storage – I really think your mileage may vary on that one. I paid for a cheap storage unit that I split with my sister for a couple years. If you really do have things of value that you want to keep, I say do it if you can find a cheap unit. ALSO, I have low-key stayed in my storage unit. You can’t do it for long, and depending on the place, it can be sketchy, but it can be done.
- National parks and Forest Service campsites. Yeah there is definitely the whole day-use only thing but there are some that aren’t monitored. They often have bathrooms, and for me, it sometimes felt way safer being away from people.
- Hook up with your local Food Not Bombs. It’s usually really good food and run by folks who are used to working outside the system. You might be able to make friends and score a place to live or stay.
- When I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to afford rent for the foreseeable future, I bought myself a cheap travel trailer. 600 bucks and I’ve lived in it for almost five years now. Friends are way more likely to let you live indefinitely in their driveway or on their land than endlessly crashing on their couch. I do work-trade or pay what I can for utilities. If your car can’t haul it (mine can’t), rent a U-Haul truck for a day to get it where you need it to be. Obviously this requires some cash, but if you can swing it, it can really save your ass in the long run.
- Make a plan for bad weather – heat waves and cold snaps can kill. Heat is worse for me where I live, so I make sure to have a list of spots I can escape to. This is where those national parks can sometimes come in handy, but also think about overpasses, city parks with lots of shade, abandoned buildings. Know where your local cooling/warming shelters are. Keep some money stashed away if you can to pay for cheap motel rooms during the worst weather. If you can split the cost of a room with friends, even better.
- Have a few strategically stashed canisters of mace or pepper spray.
- But at the same time, look out for each other. You don’t have to become bosom buddies with everyone else on the street, but treating each other like humans is both good for your mental and emotional health and also you’ll find that people are often really amazingly generous with their resources and knowledge.
