Originally posted by hydromorphone
How long did you rough it on the street. Preferably, I'd like to hear your stories involving homelessness that didn't involve sleeping out of your car and shit. I'm talking like REAL homelessness where you actually had to sleep on corners, parking garages, ally ways, and abandoned buildings.
By gatekeeping homelessness like that, you're going to seriously restrict the number of (serious) replies you get.
Most people who end up homeless
and entirely asset-less don't just bounce back to normalcy. You might get a story here and there from someone who was stuck sleeping on a park bench or couch surfing for a few days/weeks (which, incidentally, I have experienced). But if you want legit feedback from people who have been homeless for any lengthy amount of time, you might need to broaden your expectations a bit.
Originally posted by hydromorphone
Was it by choice? What happened to land you in that boat?
In January of 2015 I was working part time as a security guard, and I figured "why pay half my income towards rent?" So I bought a cheap minivan (Dodge Caravan) and decided to just eliminate the rent expense entirely from my budget.
At first it was kind of manageable, but then I lost my job, and shit got real
real fast.
Originally posted by hydromorphone
How did you manage, particularly in winter and in snow and shitty cold weather?
The elements are always the worst part. Obviously moreso for the pedestrian homeless, but it can be kind of a nuisance for the vehicularly oriented during the Winter, and especially brutal during the Summer. Think about how hot it gets, and factor in things like food storage and so on, and, yeah, it's brutal - unless you can find shade. I became adept at shade-chasing, as it becomes absolutely essential during peak temperatures.
Again, though, I will totally concede that being homeless without a vehicle in the Winter would be absolutely hellish, while having a vehicle (as long as your heating system works and you can afford gas and so on - which isn't always guaranteed) makes it a lot more bearable.
Originally posted by hydromorphone
Did you enjoy it or at least parts of it? If you're not currently homeless, what happened that got you off the streets?
There were definitely some fun parts, especially towards the beginning while I still had at least some income to work with. I ended up exploring new places I hadn't been to before. I also learned
a lot about survival under unique conditions. Having virtually no money towards the end, and no typical amenities like running water or refrigeration or most cooking conveniences (such as a stove, oven, or microwave), my diet changed quite significantly. I mean, food storage alone, without a refrigerator... It's a huge pain in the ass.
Originally posted by hydromorphone
Also, what city was it in? What were the resources like there? Did you puss out and go to shelters?
All over the lower mainland of BC (in and around Vancouver).
I experimented with different regions (urban, suburban, rural, and straight-up wilderness). Each type of region has it's own advantages and disadvantages.
There were some rough parts, like the time I woke up in the middle of the night to a hooker rummaging through my stuff (my locks didn't work consistently), or the time I got chased out of a neighborhood because they thought I was up to no good (unfamiliar van parked at the end of a street, etc), etc.
But most of it wasn't too, too bad.
Eventually, though, I couldn't take the elements (Summer did it, not Winter).
I gave up and went on social assistance and got an apartment and started looking for another job.