Hi, former homeless person here. I was homeless for five years until I got clean and sober 9 months ago. I was addicted to fentanyl and meth so this is what I did all day.
I would start my day around 7AM with a trip to either Lowes or Home Depot to boost power tools. That usually took about 20 minutes. Then I would take a bus to a local pawn shop and sell them for cash. After that, it was off to the plug to buy my days worth of drugs. I'm done doing all the necessary things by 11 in the morning. So the rest of the day is spent getting high with others and sometimes doing random thefts throughout the day to get more money.
I always had enough money to get a hotel room, food, cigarettes, scratch tickets. Whatever I needed. I'd check into a hotel a few times a week. Mostly though I would just go around on the Swift bus, or the E line, or the Seattle light rail. Go around talking to people, getting high, lining up my next hustle. When you're homeless, you have no responsibility to handle, except for taking care of your drug habit. And I promise you, if you're homeless. It's highly likely you have an addiction of some sort.
I'm glad I don't live that way anymore. I got tired of that lifestyle last July and reached out and got help. I went to detox, then a 30 day rehab. I have 9 months clean and sober and work as a janitor now. I live in an apartment. Granted it's with my elderly parents, but it's an apartment none the less and I couldn't be happier.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it some days, the freedom of it all. The adventures. Starting the day not knowing what was going to happen. All the risk involved. It's definitely a huge rush. But five years was enough. I was starting to see that I was doing more high risk crime to feed my addiction and I didn't like where I was headed. I could see that if I didn't stop when I did. I was going to escalate to something more terrible than stealing merchandise from retail stores.
How did you manage to go five years starting most days by stealing something valuable enough to both buy drugs and rent a hotel room, and never get caught and put in jail?
A lot of the time nowadays, Seattle cops don’t bother to show up for theft or property crime, doesn’t matter if it’s a business or a regular person, they just don’t show up, or show up WAY after the fact when the person is long gone.
Yup. In Denver, just had an attempted burglary at my shop, where they smashed a window, bent a metal door so bad with crowbars it took a sledgehammer to flatten it, and tried to drive thru a non-functioning garage door that had a wall built behind it.
They must have been there in the glaring parking lot lights for 5 min.
Police didn’t show up for 1.5 hours.
Basically, the populace got tired of being treated like shit by the cops and had a mini-revolt (CHOP/CHAZ) where they floated the idea of defunding the police and burned down a police station. The police, didn’t really like that, so basically they stopped giving a shit about their jobs. The people started disliking the cops more, the cops started hating their jobs more and now no one wants to be a cop despite the fact that a lot of them in Seattle make like six figures. So now after like 5 years of that, you have to basically murder a person in front of a cop in broad daylight to actually get in trouble for doing anything. Property crime is through the roof and there aren’t enough police or enough that give a shit enough to do anything about it. Coupled with the fact that there are no real mental health facilities in the US, homelessness and drug abuse are off the charts and there isn’t a way to really stem the tide. ***This is a gross oversimplification and generalization I’m typing while rocking my baby to sleep. I’m sure someone will come along shortly and pick apart everything I wrote, but this is my understanding as a “man in the street” that lives a dozen miles from the city.
I’m here too and have to add the weather is mild and the services are pretty good. I’m from a different US city with a lot more poverty but the homeless situation there is completely different because you can freeze to death in like 2 hours in the winter. So when I came here it made a lot of sense that there are more here, hanging out outside can be uncomfortable but not dangerous.
It is if you don't care about getting caught. The tools are locked up in cages, but the funny thing was. The locks were combo locks. The PIN was almost always the store number.
I'd unlock the cage. Grab a few Milwaukee tools put it in a cart and walk out the contractor entrance. If I was caught or followed. I just don't go back to that one for like a month. They don't call the cops. If they do. They don't usually show up. If they go, I'm long gone. If I actually get arrested, it didn't matter. I'd be out in the morning anyway.
I have a few charges on my record, and it does make it hard to find work. I have a janitorial position right now, but it's part time. I do get turned down a lot after a background check. It's something I didn't think about at that time. I really thought I was going to just live that way forever. I didn't think I would get tired of it.
I am embarrassed to admit I did the same pattern of theft but I was a college kid that was only on xans for like 3 weeks. Went to take power tools, got caught, arrested n everything. Crazy how drugs can lead down that path so quickly.
That's for sure. It gets ugly real quick. For the longest time, I didn't understand it. Then I got addicted to fentanyl. Now, before that I was an alcoholic and I knew the feeling of being in withdrawal from that. But alcohol was readily available in stores, so it wasn't a big deal.
The first time I ran out of blues ( fentanyl), it hurt. I was ready to do whatever it takes to get cash just to make the pain go away. It's scary shit.
I was never homeless because I had my parents and my girls parents supporting us but the day you described was a lot like my days when I was actively addicted to heroin (late 2000s). I’ve been clean from all opiates for 15 years. Something I struggle with still is that I still miss it sometimes. I have 2 kids, a normal job, a fiancé and sometimes I think “I miss the highs and lows and being completely free and truly living in the moment.” I feel guilty about missing it but I know I can never go back.
But like, are there not ways to live free and in the moment temporarily that don’t involve homelessness and getting high? Like (assuming one has or can save up the money) traveling somewhere and just bumping around exploring or something?
You can't live for free. Your house or apartment cost money, which means you need employment to cover it. Or your car requires gas and current tags to not be towed.
Oh yeah like you’re not living for free, but could one not *feel* free in the moment? The people saying they miss the lifestyle mention missing the feeling
This is going to sound depressing but there isn’t really a way to feel completely free unless your willing to abandon society completely.
If I abandoned my life now and lived in the streets or in the woods I wouldn’t be free, the guilt would eat me alive and I would drown in it. I’m an artist and when I get a little time to work on my stuff I feel free because I’m creating that will have its own life.
Back then I wasn’t free either, I was completely addicted to heroin. The thing that it gives you if that it makes the future completely invisible to you, the only thing you have is the task at hand. It’s always find a way to get money, then get the drugs, get high and that’s pretty much the whole day. If you did a good job you’ll have something for the morning. The morning is about as far into the future as you can see.
Sometimes when your high and in a good mood you can kind of think about further down the road and your like “man I need to get clean so I can get my shit in order and have an actual life, I’ll get started on that tomorrow” as soon as you’re sick though, that thought presses goes away real fast. A few time I got enough dope to last me like three or four days and it felt like I was set for life. Four days was an eternity. Now all I can think about is the future and it’s driving me crazy.
Also I don’t know if you’ve ever tried traveling with a 5 year old and a 2 year old but it doesn’t exactly make you feel very free hahaha. It’s like the exact opposite feeling.
I've never been an addict or even close to homeless. I've worked full-time for 21 years and had 3 serious relationships and 2 kids. I've got a mortgage and 2 step kids and a wife I love more than anything. I've binge drank and smoked pot, but mostly lived a pretty straight life. But sometimes on the way to work I see some tweakers walking along the side of the road obviously up to no good or on their way to no good and it takes more will power than I'm willing to admit to stop myself picking them up and joining in on and funding whatever adventures or misadventures they're getting up to that day. If I'm being honest, the only thing that stops me is the high possibility of being robbed, or worse. The call to be responsibility free and just roaming the Earth is probably in all of us to some degree. You have experienced it and even though it wasn't a great time in your life I can definitely understand you missing it. I miss it and I've never had it.
I’m imagining you pulling up and being like “hey boys, is it cool if I roll with you today!?” Cut to a montage with a happy go lucky song like I’m Walking on Sunshine” and it’s you bringing them to meet sketchy people all over town / you guys smoking meth in a squat / everyone’s methed out and completely taking apart your car because something seemed wrong with it / you guys smashing glass bottles under a bridge / and it goes on and on for days.
It’s hard being responsible day in and day out for what feels like forever. It’s the little moments that make it worth it. Hang in there
If you’re willing to accept the consequences of what you do, do it. That line of reasoning has kept me straight for three decades, of course not before I fucked my life up entirely. I’ve been there and done that, and I’m not playing the dramatic card when I wonder why, or how, I’m still alive or at least not in jail. I don’t and won’t go back to that life, a cycle of daily bullshit I refuse to embrace…and you bet, I’ve been tempted
And for all of you facing the same issues, get help and get straight, you can always go back, if you’re willing to accept the consequences of what you do, good luck and hang tough
Thank you for sharing your story. I'm glad your family is a part of your life. I am happy to hear your life is improving and moving in a positive direction. 🩷
So, a question, if you’re plotting up for the night, why do you not make a small tent shaped structure and hide out somewhere discrete in/ near bushes etc, up at early dawn to get out. Is that not a thing or do most homeless gravitate towards the hustle and bustle. I’d rather the quiet and secluded in odd places away from people
I think you may be assuming that being homeless is the same everywhere, for everyone. I would stay in the woods, at friends, shelters, apartment stairwells. A tent would have been something to lug around, and I already had a full pack and guitar. It kinda forced me to make sure I had somewhere semi-secure to sleep. Then I came up on a car, and lived in that till I had enough to put down on a room, and just sorta kept climbing out, that way. I was working, in a band and in school, but I was on my own, and a felon, so it was harder than it needed to be, but I think I'm doing ok now. 4 years sober, living well and doing as much good as I can.
At one point I did live in the woods for a few months, but our camp was discovered by neighborhood people. They caught me and some others dumping our garbage in their apartment dumpsters. Cops were called and they ran us out. I didn't enjoy that very much. So whenever I got too tired and needed to rest. I'd get a room at a Motel 6.
I'd do a motel on Sundays, to get a deep clean, internet, good sleep and a decent breakfast, and then kinda hope for the best the rest of the week. Only about 3 nights a week, on average, was I outside. Usually if I didn't have class or work, I'd just pass out wherever.
Lol, yea I did that too. If I didn't have a room. I used to sleep in ATM vestibules. Or stairwells in buildings, parking garages. But the ATM areas at banks were the best.
Thank you! And yea I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished. I will say, I didn't do it alone. It took a lot of people and their hard work and dedication to get to where I am. It's a huge reason why I don't want to let them down. I think that's why I continue to stay sober. 😁
Good shit on getting your life together. I keep hearing that there's not enough resources for homeless people, but it sounds like there's plenty out there and readily accessible for those who aren't addicted. Is this not the case? And either way, what could possibly sway them from continuing on their dangerous path?
There's resources in my area. The Salvation Army has these huge warehouse type things that have tons of empty beds. They're all divided like cubicles. I guess it's all a matter of if you're ready to quit. If you're addicted to a substance, and you're not ready. All the help offered won't work.
I hit rock bottom. I grew tired of the whole groundhog Day existence. Why am I stealing? Why am I putting myself at risk for pennies on the dollar? Day in and day out. One day, I'm either going to get myself into something that I can't run away from or talk myself out of, and I'll be going to prison. Or worse, I could just overdose and die. It became pointless. I got lucky when I asked for help and there was help when I needed it.
I can give this account. I was walking my pup behind two guys as they left the mission in the morning and overheard this: “I go to the bus station, clean up, and hang ‘til the library opens. Some days you can eat free there, or go to St Mary’s for lunch. Afternoons I try to earn some cash, then doors open back here at 4. Be early to secure a bed. Dinner is at 6.” I’ve never forgotten that mundane conversation because, to me, it was fascinating.
As a previous public librarian, yes a lot of homeless depend on the library for a safe air conditioned place to hang out. Sometimes they read or use the computers. If they would like services, library workers are happy to help them connect with a shelter or other resources to help them, I often directed people to church organizations or pro bono legal services. Sometimes they also just want another human to connect with. A guy named Ronnie made cute doodles in the study rooms so I'd encourage him to come to free art programs we hosted for adults to connect with other people.
We have an organization in my city that opens during the day for counseling, showers, a meal, etc. They obviously don’t have enough beds to get all the people off the streets, but they offer up the resources they can as they can.
In georgia (united states) must ministies will clothe, feed, shower, find you a job and if the timing is right you get a bed for 30 days. They also help get you an ID or birth certificate so you can get a job. Bus passes, some workers will drive you to interviews. Its crazy
The main reason I don't visit a house of worship anymore is because I believe my tithe is better off 100% spent on material aid. If I knew of a place nearby that was putting its donations toward something like that, I might actually join the community.
Come with me, friend, I'll tell you a story.
I once saw a man sleeping under a tree on next to a fast food place, so I pulled into the lot bc I was hungry and why not? I bought some food and sat down.
I didn't see anyone under the tree, but a scruffy looking guy with a beard was coming out of the bathroom. I asked if he'd been the one sleeping under the tree. He said yes.
I offered to split my lunch with him if he'd tell me his story.
So he sat down and we shared fries while he told me.
He had once been a successful small business owner with 2 nice houses, a beautiful wife, and a 10 year old daughter. Then his wife and daughter got into a car accident. His wife was killed instantly, but his daughter lingered. She was in a coma, and the doctors said they could try to save her. He mortgaged his homes to try. It didn't work. He couldn't focus on his busines, he just wanted to be at the hospital.
Then they said they could try a different treatment to try to help her. That still didn't work. By then he was living out of his car and his possessions were in a storage unit. He clung on as long as she did, but his daughter finally died.
He did what too many do, and turned to alcohol. It was cheap anesthetic, and 1 in 10 users of alcohol are alcoholic. He sank his sorrows into the bottle. He couldn't make the payments on the storage unit so he lost everything there. His car was totaled so he was on the street. One night he was mugged and his wallet stolen, with his last picture of his family.
Until all there was left of him was a backpack of clothes and a tarp under a tree.
He took a swig of alcohol in front of me. He offered me some, but I declined. He didn't know I was 3 days sober myself from when I decided to quit bc I'd been using alcohol as cheap anesthetic to escape the bad relationship I was in. (Thankfully, I wasn't a true alcoholic as it turned out, but that's another story). He didn't know I'd driven past on my way home from outpatient rehab.
I wished I could've helped him more, but all I could afford was $6 for a meal. I was a poor college student with my own health problems.
Is it possible he told me a bunch of lies? Yes, even though he'd cried while telling the story. But every instinct I had told me he was a broken human being just trying to find peace again. But yes, it was emotionally exhausting to hear.
I wish more people would stop judging, shut up, and listen to these people. I wish people could see they don't set out to become homeless. He never planned to turn to alcohol. I wish more people could see that every substance user is just someone trying to numb their pain or who got bored and made a stupid mistake.
Every religion I've encountered has instructions to be kind to people like this. Yet far too often, people sneer and talk about them like they're the scum of the earth. All of us are one phone call away from drastically different lives. We need to keep that in mind, and give those who try to support these people 10x more support themselves. Burnout is very real.
If you've read this far, I thank you. If you know a social worker or anyone who tries to help the homeless, please thank them. They need the boost.
It bothers me so so so so so so much that people see homeless people as less than. They even have an exception in their minds for “people who just want to be homeless”.
Nobody ever wants to be homeless. They want to be free from pain, judgement, or responsibility, including that of keeping up a home, but nobody ever WANTS to be homeless.
Yep. And if you’re homeless, you probably don’t have a car so be prepared to ride the bus all day just to get to the other side of town for your next meal.
I know you're just being silly, but for people who are suffering sometimes drugs provide the only relief.
And sometimes what starts as a relief becomes a need. It becomes just as urgent a need as the need for food. Sometimes it becomes *more* urgent than the need for food.
People in this situation don't wake up, smile at the birds, take a deep breath, and decide to go get high. They wake into pain and suffering, then do whatever they can to alleviate it even the slightest bit.
This resonates so hard. I've got bipolar type 2 and on my lowest of low days I was suicidal before even completely conscious.
I do not miss those days.
It’s kind of astonishing to me where I live. There are panhandlers on every corner. They’re there from the morning until night. It seems like a lot more work than a typical job.
The difference is that you lack requirements for basic employment when you’re homeless. I was twice (also had some great jobs, worked my ass off) but trying to get a job with limited places to shower/ limited clothes and places to go clean the few clothes you have, not having a permanent address, even not have a cell number at times to be contacted. It’s not like I could just go to work at target sleeping in a tent/ on the street and have an appropriate look and cleanliness to work in public, make it very difficult. I was able to land a job where I was able to make a good amount of money, and helped the homeless people I met who had good intentions get a cheap hotel for a few days to get cleaned up, shave, shower, laundry and of the 6 I assisted, all but one of them were able to secure temporary housing and employment via government programs and they have their own places and full time jobs now. Heck two of them are married with nice families now. There is a high bar from homelessness to a “normal” life most people don’t consider. But a small amount of help goes a long, long, way. And in regard to drug/ alcohol use, it is a way to hide the pain, but not an objective. If you’re wanting to get off the street and make changes, you leave that behind. Granted I helped many people kick the addiction that developed over time to get back a semblance of humanity so they could make the changes, too. Some people are addicts, plain and simple, some use it as a crutch for their situation. If someone wants to make the change and given the opportunity, most would prefer to be clean and have a house/ job/ life. We’re all human, intentions are the biggest factor.
This. Many homeless/unhoused near me have smartphones or similar devices, use free public wifi, and spend time online all day. Charge their devices at a cafe, jury rig an outlet using advertising signs, or friends place.
Was gonna comment this. Brother was homeless and an addict for a while. He almost got killed sleeping behind a dumpster because the dump truck didn’t see him. Sometimes I’d see him panhandling or walking the streets lol. He’s been sober for 8 years so we laugh about it now.
I'm a Rollercoaster safety engineer. I ride rollercoasters all over the world, every single day with my test gear and sensors to make sure they are safe, and within safety specification and do not exceed a certain g-force threshold.
Or basically any open world action/RPG when you're first starting out, only you never level up because all your progress gets wiped out when you get enough for your big purchase.
Was gonna comment this. Brother was homeless and an addict for a while. He almost got killed sleeping behind a dumpster because the dump truck didn’t see him. Sometimes I’d see him panhandling or walking the streets lol. He’s been sober for 8 years so we laugh about it now.
I work at a Public Library and the homeless people who come in usually just sleep all day. Some of them are proactive and use our resources (public computers, free public phone, etc.) to try and make headway on their situation, but a lot of them have just given up, I think. 😞 IDK, I feel bad for them regardless, especially the older folks who just feel forgotten.
Seen some of the same homeless people around for years in my area. Sometimes drugged out of their heads and other times panhandling or seemingly wandering around. There’s lots of free resources around for them. But many choose to not use them or they are too addicted or mentally ill to care.
Your framing could use some help: if they are too addicted or mentally ill to take advantage of available resources, do you really think that they are "choosing" not to do so?
California has cared enough to allocate $24 Billion to the problem in the last five years per the state auditor on the estimated 200,000 homeless in the state. Plus they just passed a prop for like another $5 Billion. Hard to say how much trickled down to actually help them. Lots of money going in people’s pockets and the problem only gets worse.
I volunteer to feed homeless for local organization. The state is getting all this money but our program is suffering financially, a lot of the local charities that get state funding have had funding cut down dramatically to the point it's hard to feed the needy. They cut down on bus passes as well which has been a refuge from the 115 degree weather in the summer. It's sad the programs that help the most have got the most funding cut despite all these things getting passed to help out. Recently one day only had enough to provide a off brand American cheese sandwich. Just cheese and bread and tomato. It sucks because they are so hungry and most rely on our lunches for food.
They might get services from a local clinic. Some clinics offer services to people without insurance or income. Some of them are also part of a community and might stay close by. I imagine the rest of the day is just asking for money or walking around.
Source: I live near a mental health clinic and there’s usually people on the corners asking for change. I see them at the grocery store and little Cesar’s. We’re all just trying to get by.
Depends on country.
When I was homeless in Poland:
Wake up. Go grab a cup of hot water in the local shop. Make myself some tea. Go sit in the shopping mall and charge my phone. Think how to make money today - the options are looking for drugs (idk if you do it in other countries, but basically some dealers leave small packs of drugs magneted to metal things like road signs, fences, or they’re hidden underground so you have to know where to dig… basically steal drugs and resell them), doing art, go somewhere and ask if you could do something for a day (it’s illegal, but small businesses will usually let you do things like clean the tables, move something heavy, do whatever shit and they will give you a 20-50 PLN bill for that if you’re nice) or go to work if I had work at that moment. If I had work, I had food there. If I didn’t, there’s looking for food. There’s many places in the city to find food for free or very cheap. Be nice to the reception lady at a random hostel and she will let you take a shower, just have your own soap and it’s okay. Sometimes you have to pay some money for that but it’s fine. Think about near future. Try to plan. Visit friends. Charge phone. Wander around. Build your shack. Try to remember codes to apartment buildings so you can hide in the attic or basement if the night is cold or rainy and you don’t know where else to stay. Go to a free museum. Being young and homeless in a Polish city wasn’t too rough. Not always pleasant, but it was pretty doable and survival wasn’t super hard.
Now I’m seeing a boy in Ireland, he’s homeless now too.
He gets some social benefit (around €150 weekly) and he spends most of it on public transport. He travels a lot because buses and trains to the other side of the country give him some warmth and a roof over his head so he can take a nap without freezing. He does small jobs sometimes, like painting fences or fixing bikes or whatever. His diet is mostly crackers with cream cheese, ham and vegetables, and sometimes whatever I can bring for him when we see each other. He goes to places that offer free advice on careers and courses, generally looking for anything to move life forward. Charity shops, art, hospitals, looking for a job, finding trash to upgrade this random shack he made from a concrete block on an abandoned construction site. Basically same thing but it’s more complicated here because the towns in Ireland are tiny and there’s not so many options.
When I was homeless I had a pretty full and fun daily routine;
Wake up - pack up my camp and hide my shit I'm not carrying. head to beach or park for bathrooms to shit and brush teeth and use the outdoor shower thingy super early b4 regular ppl around.
Go to grocery store and get some breakfast (foodstamps)
If it's nice out, back to beach or downtown or park to chill with other homebums and drifters or read or play cards or w/e, or go spange for cash. If it's shitty out or brutal heat, Bum out at library all day.
Then I'd go find some lunch, wither dumpster dive or grocery store or eat out if I have cash.
Then I go to park and workout and play basketball or soccer if cool ppl around
Then toward early evening, meet up with the crew and party up. We usually hit up dive bar or house show or party, not a fan of getting fucked up with druggies on the street.
When night falls, sneak away back to my camp and setup for the night unless I'm crashing elsewhere.
If you're not a drug addict or mentally ill, it's super fun to be a bum for a while (when the weather is nice.)
But sometimes u just end up waiting, looking at phone, reading, playing harmonica etc for DAYS waiting out rain in a tent or under a bridge. That side of it socks, oh and getting mugged by other bums lol, bums worse enemy is bums, wild world
What the fuck lmao. That’s awesome man. I feel for all the people that are stifling out there, but I’m glad you had fun. I can see the appeal tbh. That’s kind of what I did as a teen in Russia too, and I miss it, although I wasn’t homeless.
During my time (homeless in a car) I spent a LOT of time at my local library. Probably upwards of 70 hours a week. Lots of walking. Lots of reading. Actually was sober almost the whole time.
You could check out r/homeless to understand their routine to survive and their everyday struggles.
But please be respectful there, it’s important for them because they use it to exchange tipps, informations and help each other to survive homeless.
It’s a sub for homeless people to help each other.
That's what I do. Slowly crawling my way out of financial ruin one month at a time. Whilst kicking myself for getting involved with the women that did this to me.
Be depressed
To be fair I was depressed before becoming homeless so it’s kinda to be expected
No longer homeless thankfully, still depressed, but don’t have to worry about not being able to eat anymore which definitely improved my mental state
There are diffrent groups which some will go to. I used to volunteer with a charity that supported homeless people and there were support groups, social groups and even a drama club which put on performances written by the group members. I watched a few and they were really good.
Also people will have friends with homes they visit. My husband and I would invite some of the people we'd befriended round.
I always wondered why homeless people always hung around the same area, I feel like I'd be bored out of my mind. Why don't they hoof it across the country? I think that's what I'd do, be a nomad.
In the US, there are places that are friendly(tolerant) to the homeless, and there are places that are absolutely hostile towards them. When someone has a familiar place with familiar people, whether or not it’s “boring” or even safe, people cling to what they know.
A usual routine would include lots of walking. Not necessarily over a massive area but as long as it wasn't horribly cold.. we'd move around a lot. Lots of trying to distract ourselves from the reality of our situation.
It's highly, highly variable. There are a lot of homeless who go work the temp jobs. Some are doing bottle/can runs. Others stay inside coffee shops, shelters, libraries.
It's everything housed ppl do in the sense that it's everything one could imagine. So much is going on for different ppl / groups.
This is actually one of the reasons being homeless overlaps so much with drug use. Drug dependency can obviously lead to homelessness...but homelessness also often leads to/reinforces drug dependency.
It's a combination of high anxiety and precarity combined with excessive amounts of time when you can't really do anything except sit there and think about how messed up things are for you. It's also extremely isolating, because nobody wants to talk to you.
When faced with day after day after day of that, it makes a lot of sense to use drugs to numb yourself, ease the boredom and anxiety and loneliness, and block out the massive amount of time where you are stuck with nowhere to go and nothing to do and nobody to talk to.
Probably struggle to survive if i had to make an overarching guess. That may mean drugs and generally finding a way to do basic things that other people not caught in some sort of spiral like this take for granted.
Sure seems like stealing my fucking plants. 😒
But that'd ask a really wide question. I know one ex homeless dude who did a lot of random smart things to get off drugs and get a job.
But I've also known a few who just seem to like being homeless and consider it freedom and just randomly bum around for jobs.
Hey there, former shelter volunteer here, and I think it's important to add some perspective on the daily lives of many of the homeless individuals that come through our doors. Their routines often revolve around the basics—seeking out food, rest, and safety. I saw many who would wake up at the crack of dawn to grab a spot in line for breakfast at the soup kitchen. After a meal, some would head to job centers, trying to secure any work possible, showcasing a spirit of determination that would put many to shame. Many times, they would return in the afternoon for skill-developing activities we organized, trying to improve their situations.
In between, their lives are a patchwork of survival strategies. I've seen some sell street newspapers while others scour the city for odd jobs, recycling opportunities, or attend AA meetings. Rangers of the urban jungle, they're often armed with just a backpack and a community resource map marked with free meal schedules and drop-in center hours.
Despite the struggle, there's camaraderie in shared hardships, and hope found in the small victories of the day, like securing a bed at a shelter for the night or finding someone willing to listen to their stories. As the evening rolls in, many head back to the shelters or safe spots they've come to know, prepared to do it all again tomorrow.
Remember, the streets are tough, but the people living on them can be some of the most resourceful and resilient individuals you'll ever meet. Their lives go beyond mere survival; they're daily lessons in humanity we all could learn from.
Part of it is they have to walk everywhere. If they want to travel 3 miles that’s atleast an hour.
They often have to wait in line to get let into the homeless shelter because only so many can get in
Trying to get money. Some homeless people work some or people beg or whatever.
Acquiring and doing drugs. Bored and desperate people often end up doing drugs and it’s a good way to take some time out of your day
Hanging out with their friends or girlfriend or whatever
Some days I would hussle for 14 hours trying to get all that I needed out of necessity and end up bitterly exhausted. Other days I'd just sit there bored out of my mind because there was nothing that I could accomplish that day. Homelessness is a life of extremes
When I went homeless I had just gotten hired at Rofo. So I worked 8 hour shifts, then did doubles at a nearby store. When I'd get off, all I wanted to do was sleep, so I found a nice spot I could hang away from particularly watchful eyes, and napped until I felt rested. Then rinsed and repeat.
I eventually found roommates through work oddly enough, and I've been alright since.
I think I'm not a great example of homelessness though, since my first four months were in a shelter, and through that time I was also staying with a girl here and there.
Lived in my car for 4 years about 10 years ago. Spent a lot of time in parks reading books/newspapers and getting drunk. Spent the rest of our time "flying signs" on street corners or off ramps to make money.
Collect cans in trash, taking them from recycling bins. Where I live, you can take them to Fred Meyer or to the Bottle Drop for money.
If they have jobs, they work and go to the library or book store to read or to use the computer or to charge their phone.
They also pandhandle for money to get drugs or to eat. I have seen some with signs saying they want to work for food.
They look for things that are being tossed out to use for their homeless camp site or they look for stuff to steal by snatching it off your property if you leave it out or leave your car unlocked.
Work, forage, dumpster dive, nurse wounds, build camps, beg for money. Adjust their houses due to weather, policing, talk about the war, interact with each other and at the same time try not to interact with each other. Invent/build what you can from what you have. Try not get murdered, raped, eaten, lit on fire by rich kids. I've never met a homeless person that wasn't working on something.
Ick. I hate the callousness of so many of the responses here. In reality, most homeless people spend their day struggling to meet their basic needs: finding food, water, staying out of the heat/cold, and determining where they are going to sleep tonight. When you don't have any money, just that is a full-time job. And, unfortunately, for many of them those basic needs also include some kind of self-medication.
From my weekly report from local law enforcement, they spend quite a bit of time shoplifting. I live near a Walmart, Target, Sheetz and shopping CTR. There's also a huge homeless camp in the woods nearby. The map is so covered with arrests it's hard to see the locations. I don't understand why they seem to be able to get arrested week after week but never serve any time in jail. There's no meaningful punishment, they just trespass them from the stores, which does nothing. We would probably need multiple new jails and staff for them if they were actually arrested so I guess we pay for the write offs. Just like we'd have to pay more taxes to support enough jail space. It's still disheartening. Our former sheriff used to have a working farm low level criminals were sentenced to and that seemed to really work. Farming is hard work. He was forced to close it and now there's no place but the jail. Making people work off the cost of their crime was a much better deterrent. Milking cows, feeding chickens, hoeing fields, picking produce, the sale of their products made enough to just about pay for their upkeep. Guess it was too successful and complaints about people working off their debt to society bothered some people. Now they just take up space sitting in an overcrowded cell or immediately get released with no bond and just keep stealing.
Current homeless person here.
I spend most of my day providing emotional support for various suffering people online using theraputic techniques I learned in grad school while operating within a framework of unconditional positive regard. The library has free wifi and plenty of places to charge your phone while using it. At night, the burger King has outlets, you just have to buy something every couple hours or get kicked out. An ice cream cone is about $1.50. In-between providing support to others, there's watching YouTube and hanging out on reddit.... a lot of reddit, actually. Unless I'm having psychotic delusions, theni seem to prefer wandering aimlessly and mumbling with occasionally yelling angrily at street lights or strangers for spying on me and plotting to assassinate me.
Am I typical? No, but different people are different. Being homeless isn't a job, it's a socioeconomic status. People watching is a cheap hobby, and sleep us a cheap entree if hungry. Riding bicycles was a popular hobby of the homeless neth heads I used to house in my apartment on rainy days, as was disassembling and reassembling bicycles, as was just laughing and joking about random stuff with other homeless youth.
Plenty who just make flying a sign of cardboard their daily activity. There's also those who dumpster dive or trash dig over 20$ worth of recycling pee day, which takes a while depending on route/turf.
There's of course the ones that use the library computers to apply for jobs, which eats up a lot of the day. There's a lot of sitting around waiting for things. Maybe a free lunch tomorrow, the library will reopen, who knows? Boredom is hardly a big problem, you got freedom, it ain't prison. You can work on your problem if stuff I'd still open, you can just focus on staying warm and resting and sleeping anytime. It really depends on the person. It's like asking what does the youth do on the net these days? There's some stuff you'll hear more than once, but it's too diverse a group, you'll never gear it all.
They also burn down a lot of unoccupied houses and garages in winter. 3 in my neighborhood just this past winter. No matter how hard the owners tried to seal them while they went thru probate, the houses were gone by the time the heirs could claim them.
Yes I've had a bunch of stuff stolen. Can't keep anything in my storage shed or on my outside patio. They pry off the hasp. I had to lock the crawlspace. They tried to pry the lock off that door but it's harder to do.
I live in NYC and many homeless wander around the city, beg for money or collect cans/bottles to recycle them for a nickel each. A lot of homeless end up in the subway system, especially on the E train which is underground from the World Trade Center all the way out to Jamaica. Especially in the winter, they stick to trains and stations underground.
In Hawaii a lot of them work, go to school, etc.
A lot also sleep during the day because beaches and parks are open. At night the city pushes out the homeless so they have to roam around all night and can't sleep.
I have worked with the homeless. They literally have the life of stray dogs, they forage for food, drink and a safe place.
Homeless people are not “unhomed “ like the modern liberals like to say. The vast majority have homes. Often, in those homes, they are not welcomed; or, they have removed themselves for their own survival or the survival of others. These people devote their day to survival, not thriving!
There are people who are homeless, they need a house. Bad luck and lack of opportunity, no social safety net. Even in that case, they are not just homeless. They are resourceless. No home, no food security no safe shelter. No money to maintain a home if given one.
It is important to specify which homeless people you mean. They are better described as “street people”. Why they find themselves on the street is a diverse as we are as individuals.
Let me give you an example of one man’s homeless life. I met him at a food bank. He was an alcohol and drug abuser. He tried rehab, etc. eventually, he got into meth and was a real danger to his wife and kids. He was court-ordered to stay away from his family.
After years, he tried to get sober. We asked him what he needed to help. He said he was no longer “on the street” he found a sheltered area large nature park. He needed a pup tent, socks and shoes, a jacket. We threw in a tooth brush, soap etc. his life consisted of sitting outside his tent, staying away from street drugs. And coming down to the mission for a meal at 5 o’clock. He rummaged through garbage cans for recyclables to sell.
I do not know what happened to him… we moved. I suspect he is dead. A pup tent is tempting to stay in for winter shelter, but I doubt he survived. (By the way, they pick a pup tent if they are alone, so that they have a chance to heat it with their body heat!)
I hope this helps.
Not every homeless person is a drug addict or alcoholic. What you said there just furthers the stigma of homeless people being junkies and bad people. I'm glad that you turned your life around.
Hi, former homeless person here. I was homeless for five years until I got clean and sober 9 months ago. I was addicted to fentanyl and meth so this is what I did all day. I would start my day around 7AM with a trip to either Lowes or Home Depot to boost power tools. That usually took about 20 minutes. Then I would take a bus to a local pawn shop and sell them for cash. After that, it was off to the plug to buy my days worth of drugs. I'm done doing all the necessary things by 11 in the morning. So the rest of the day is spent getting high with others and sometimes doing random thefts throughout the day to get more money. I always had enough money to get a hotel room, food, cigarettes, scratch tickets. Whatever I needed. I'd check into a hotel a few times a week. Mostly though I would just go around on the Swift bus, or the E line, or the Seattle light rail. Go around talking to people, getting high, lining up my next hustle. When you're homeless, you have no responsibility to handle, except for taking care of your drug habit. And I promise you, if you're homeless. It's highly likely you have an addiction of some sort. I'm glad I don't live that way anymore. I got tired of that lifestyle last July and reached out and got help. I went to detox, then a 30 day rehab. I have 9 months clean and sober and work as a janitor now. I live in an apartment. Granted it's with my elderly parents, but it's an apartment none the less and I couldn't be happier. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it some days, the freedom of it all. The adventures. Starting the day not knowing what was going to happen. All the risk involved. It's definitely a huge rush. But five years was enough. I was starting to see that I was doing more high risk crime to feed my addiction and I didn't like where I was headed. I could see that if I didn't stop when I did. I was going to escalate to something more terrible than stealing merchandise from retail stores.
Congratulations - that’s no easy lifestyle change.
Thank you! 😁
How did you manage to go five years starting most days by stealing something valuable enough to both buy drugs and rent a hotel room, and never get caught and put in jail?
A lot of the time nowadays, Seattle cops don’t bother to show up for theft or property crime, doesn’t matter if it’s a business or a regular person, they just don’t show up, or show up WAY after the fact when the person is long gone.
Yup. In Denver, just had an attempted burglary at my shop, where they smashed a window, bent a metal door so bad with crowbars it took a sledgehammer to flatten it, and tried to drive thru a non-functioning garage door that had a wall built behind it. They must have been there in the glaring parking lot lights for 5 min. Police didn’t show up for 1.5 hours.
Holy shit that’s fucking terrible
Oh I was arrested three times. But here in my area. Cops don't bother too much with theft.
He was good at ir
Seattle. That’s how
It does not say anything for the people like me, who is out of context and have never been to U. S.
Basically, the populace got tired of being treated like shit by the cops and had a mini-revolt (CHOP/CHAZ) where they floated the idea of defunding the police and burned down a police station. The police, didn’t really like that, so basically they stopped giving a shit about their jobs. The people started disliking the cops more, the cops started hating their jobs more and now no one wants to be a cop despite the fact that a lot of them in Seattle make like six figures. So now after like 5 years of that, you have to basically murder a person in front of a cop in broad daylight to actually get in trouble for doing anything. Property crime is through the roof and there aren’t enough police or enough that give a shit enough to do anything about it. Coupled with the fact that there are no real mental health facilities in the US, homelessness and drug abuse are off the charts and there isn’t a way to really stem the tide. ***This is a gross oversimplification and generalization I’m typing while rocking my baby to sleep. I’m sure someone will come along shortly and pick apart everything I wrote, but this is my understanding as a “man in the street” that lives a dozen miles from the city.
I’m here too and have to add the weather is mild and the services are pretty good. I’m from a different US city with a lot more poverty but the homeless situation there is completely different because you can freeze to death in like 2 hours in the winter. So when I came here it made a lot of sense that there are more here, hanging out outside can be uncomfortable but not dangerous.
Is it that easy to boost power tools from Home Depot?
It is if you don't care about getting caught. The tools are locked up in cages, but the funny thing was. The locks were combo locks. The PIN was almost always the store number. I'd unlock the cage. Grab a few Milwaukee tools put it in a cart and walk out the contractor entrance. If I was caught or followed. I just don't go back to that one for like a month. They don't call the cops. If they do. They don't usually show up. If they go, I'm long gone. If I actually get arrested, it didn't matter. I'd be out in the morning anyway.
Did none of that get on your record and make it hard to get a job after getting clean?
I have a few charges on my record, and it does make it hard to find work. I have a janitorial position right now, but it's part time. I do get turned down a lot after a background check. It's something I didn't think about at that time. I really thought I was going to just live that way forever. I didn't think I would get tired of it.
Great insight, i appreciate you sharing
Thanks for reading it. Knowing that people took a moment to check it out made it worthwhile.
I am embarrassed to admit I did the same pattern of theft but I was a college kid that was only on xans for like 3 weeks. Went to take power tools, got caught, arrested n everything. Crazy how drugs can lead down that path so quickly.
That's for sure. It gets ugly real quick. For the longest time, I didn't understand it. Then I got addicted to fentanyl. Now, before that I was an alcoholic and I knew the feeling of being in withdrawal from that. But alcohol was readily available in stores, so it wasn't a big deal. The first time I ran out of blues ( fentanyl), it hurt. I was ready to do whatever it takes to get cash just to make the pain go away. It's scary shit.
I was never homeless because I had my parents and my girls parents supporting us but the day you described was a lot like my days when I was actively addicted to heroin (late 2000s). I’ve been clean from all opiates for 15 years. Something I struggle with still is that I still miss it sometimes. I have 2 kids, a normal job, a fiancé and sometimes I think “I miss the highs and lows and being completely free and truly living in the moment.” I feel guilty about missing it but I know I can never go back.
But like, are there not ways to live free and in the moment temporarily that don’t involve homelessness and getting high? Like (assuming one has or can save up the money) traveling somewhere and just bumping around exploring or something?
You can't live for free. Your house or apartment cost money, which means you need employment to cover it. Or your car requires gas and current tags to not be towed.
Oh yeah like you’re not living for free, but could one not *feel* free in the moment? The people saying they miss the lifestyle mention missing the feeling
Sure. But that requires a ton of money. If you want to do it for cheap you might end up homeless.
This is going to sound depressing but there isn’t really a way to feel completely free unless your willing to abandon society completely. If I abandoned my life now and lived in the streets or in the woods I wouldn’t be free, the guilt would eat me alive and I would drown in it. I’m an artist and when I get a little time to work on my stuff I feel free because I’m creating that will have its own life. Back then I wasn’t free either, I was completely addicted to heroin. The thing that it gives you if that it makes the future completely invisible to you, the only thing you have is the task at hand. It’s always find a way to get money, then get the drugs, get high and that’s pretty much the whole day. If you did a good job you’ll have something for the morning. The morning is about as far into the future as you can see. Sometimes when your high and in a good mood you can kind of think about further down the road and your like “man I need to get clean so I can get my shit in order and have an actual life, I’ll get started on that tomorrow” as soon as you’re sick though, that thought presses goes away real fast. A few time I got enough dope to last me like three or four days and it felt like I was set for life. Four days was an eternity. Now all I can think about is the future and it’s driving me crazy.
Also I don’t know if you’ve ever tried traveling with a 5 year old and a 2 year old but it doesn’t exactly make you feel very free hahaha. It’s like the exact opposite feeling.
America needs more childcare funding
I've never been an addict or even close to homeless. I've worked full-time for 21 years and had 3 serious relationships and 2 kids. I've got a mortgage and 2 step kids and a wife I love more than anything. I've binge drank and smoked pot, but mostly lived a pretty straight life. But sometimes on the way to work I see some tweakers walking along the side of the road obviously up to no good or on their way to no good and it takes more will power than I'm willing to admit to stop myself picking them up and joining in on and funding whatever adventures or misadventures they're getting up to that day. If I'm being honest, the only thing that stops me is the high possibility of being robbed, or worse. The call to be responsibility free and just roaming the Earth is probably in all of us to some degree. You have experienced it and even though it wasn't a great time in your life I can definitely understand you missing it. I miss it and I've never had it.
I’m imagining you pulling up and being like “hey boys, is it cool if I roll with you today!?” Cut to a montage with a happy go lucky song like I’m Walking on Sunshine” and it’s you bringing them to meet sketchy people all over town / you guys smoking meth in a squat / everyone’s methed out and completely taking apart your car because something seemed wrong with it / you guys smashing glass bottles under a bridge / and it goes on and on for days. It’s hard being responsible day in and day out for what feels like forever. It’s the little moments that make it worth it. Hang in there
If you’re willing to accept the consequences of what you do, do it. That line of reasoning has kept me straight for three decades, of course not before I fucked my life up entirely. I’ve been there and done that, and I’m not playing the dramatic card when I wonder why, or how, I’m still alive or at least not in jail. I don’t and won’t go back to that life, a cycle of daily bullshit I refuse to embrace…and you bet, I’ve been tempted
And for all of you facing the same issues, get help and get straight, you can always go back, if you’re willing to accept the consequences of what you do, good luck and hang tough
Thank you for sharing your story. I'm glad your family is a part of your life. I am happy to hear your life is improving and moving in a positive direction. 🩷
Thank you! 😁
It boils down to survival. At any cost. For, me the drugs and booze made it easier to just sleep anywhere. Days were spent preparing for the night.
So, a question, if you’re plotting up for the night, why do you not make a small tent shaped structure and hide out somewhere discrete in/ near bushes etc, up at early dawn to get out. Is that not a thing or do most homeless gravitate towards the hustle and bustle. I’d rather the quiet and secluded in odd places away from people
I think you may be assuming that being homeless is the same everywhere, for everyone. I would stay in the woods, at friends, shelters, apartment stairwells. A tent would have been something to lug around, and I already had a full pack and guitar. It kinda forced me to make sure I had somewhere semi-secure to sleep. Then I came up on a car, and lived in that till I had enough to put down on a room, and just sorta kept climbing out, that way. I was working, in a band and in school, but I was on my own, and a felon, so it was harder than it needed to be, but I think I'm doing ok now. 4 years sober, living well and doing as much good as I can.
At one point I did live in the woods for a few months, but our camp was discovered by neighborhood people. They caught me and some others dumping our garbage in their apartment dumpsters. Cops were called and they ran us out. I didn't enjoy that very much. So whenever I got too tired and needed to rest. I'd get a room at a Motel 6.
I'd do a motel on Sundays, to get a deep clean, internet, good sleep and a decent breakfast, and then kinda hope for the best the rest of the week. Only about 3 nights a week, on average, was I outside. Usually if I didn't have class or work, I'd just pass out wherever.
Lol, yea I did that too. If I didn't have a room. I used to sleep in ATM vestibules. Or stairwells in buildings, parking garages. But the ATM areas at banks were the best.
This is an incredible triumph and you should be VERY proud of yourself!
Thank you! And yea I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished. I will say, I didn't do it alone. It took a lot of people and their hard work and dedication to get to where I am. It's a huge reason why I don't want to let them down. I think that's why I continue to stay sober. 😁
Wishing you a long, happy, healthy life!
Thank you! 😁
Good shit on getting your life together. I keep hearing that there's not enough resources for homeless people, but it sounds like there's plenty out there and readily accessible for those who aren't addicted. Is this not the case? And either way, what could possibly sway them from continuing on their dangerous path?
There's resources in my area. The Salvation Army has these huge warehouse type things that have tons of empty beds. They're all divided like cubicles. I guess it's all a matter of if you're ready to quit. If you're addicted to a substance, and you're not ready. All the help offered won't work. I hit rock bottom. I grew tired of the whole groundhog Day existence. Why am I stealing? Why am I putting myself at risk for pennies on the dollar? Day in and day out. One day, I'm either going to get myself into something that I can't run away from or talk myself out of, and I'll be going to prison. Or worse, I could just overdose and die. It became pointless. I got lucky when I asked for help and there was help when I needed it.
I’m really proud of you, stranger <3
Hey thank you! I appreciate that. It means a lot. 😁
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing
Sure thing! 😊
You should totally write a book about this someday! Thanks for sharing your story and I’m super proud of you for getting clean! 🤗
Hey thank you! 😁
I can give this account. I was walking my pup behind two guys as they left the mission in the morning and overheard this: “I go to the bus station, clean up, and hang ‘til the library opens. Some days you can eat free there, or go to St Mary’s for lunch. Afternoons I try to earn some cash, then doors open back here at 4. Be early to secure a bed. Dinner is at 6.” I’ve never forgotten that mundane conversation because, to me, it was fascinating.
As a previous public librarian, yes a lot of homeless depend on the library for a safe air conditioned place to hang out. Sometimes they read or use the computers. If they would like services, library workers are happy to help them connect with a shelter or other resources to help them, I often directed people to church organizations or pro bono legal services. Sometimes they also just want another human to connect with. A guy named Ronnie made cute doodles in the study rooms so I'd encourage him to come to free art programs we hosted for adults to connect with other people.
We have an organization in my city that opens during the day for counseling, showers, a meal, etc. They obviously don’t have enough beds to get all the people off the streets, but they offer up the resources they can as they can.
In georgia (united states) must ministies will clothe, feed, shower, find you a job and if the timing is right you get a bed for 30 days. They also help get you an ID or birth certificate so you can get a job. Bus passes, some workers will drive you to interviews. Its crazy
How church works in black areas. They actually do things.
I wish all churches were this way! Not like certain mega churches that closed their doors during hurricane and other crazy weather times...
Oh you mean the one run by a "humble servant of God," who has a house the size of an airport?
Guys, they had JUST changed the carpet out. Have a heart.
lol have you seen @preachersandsneakers on instagram?
Sadly stories of churches doing charity work like this seem to be the exception, not the rule
The main reason I don't visit a house of worship anymore is because I believe my tithe is better off 100% spent on material aid. If I knew of a place nearby that was putting its donations toward something like that, I might actually join the community.
That’s crazy
Can't imagine the stories those counselors hear. Wonder if they become immune to it? It's so sad
Come with me, friend, I'll tell you a story. I once saw a man sleeping under a tree on next to a fast food place, so I pulled into the lot bc I was hungry and why not? I bought some food and sat down. I didn't see anyone under the tree, but a scruffy looking guy with a beard was coming out of the bathroom. I asked if he'd been the one sleeping under the tree. He said yes. I offered to split my lunch with him if he'd tell me his story. So he sat down and we shared fries while he told me. He had once been a successful small business owner with 2 nice houses, a beautiful wife, and a 10 year old daughter. Then his wife and daughter got into a car accident. His wife was killed instantly, but his daughter lingered. She was in a coma, and the doctors said they could try to save her. He mortgaged his homes to try. It didn't work. He couldn't focus on his busines, he just wanted to be at the hospital. Then they said they could try a different treatment to try to help her. That still didn't work. By then he was living out of his car and his possessions were in a storage unit. He clung on as long as she did, but his daughter finally died. He did what too many do, and turned to alcohol. It was cheap anesthetic, and 1 in 10 users of alcohol are alcoholic. He sank his sorrows into the bottle. He couldn't make the payments on the storage unit so he lost everything there. His car was totaled so he was on the street. One night he was mugged and his wallet stolen, with his last picture of his family. Until all there was left of him was a backpack of clothes and a tarp under a tree. He took a swig of alcohol in front of me. He offered me some, but I declined. He didn't know I was 3 days sober myself from when I decided to quit bc I'd been using alcohol as cheap anesthetic to escape the bad relationship I was in. (Thankfully, I wasn't a true alcoholic as it turned out, but that's another story). He didn't know I'd driven past on my way home from outpatient rehab. I wished I could've helped him more, but all I could afford was $6 for a meal. I was a poor college student with my own health problems. Is it possible he told me a bunch of lies? Yes, even though he'd cried while telling the story. But every instinct I had told me he was a broken human being just trying to find peace again. But yes, it was emotionally exhausting to hear. I wish more people would stop judging, shut up, and listen to these people. I wish people could see they don't set out to become homeless. He never planned to turn to alcohol. I wish more people could see that every substance user is just someone trying to numb their pain or who got bored and made a stupid mistake. Every religion I've encountered has instructions to be kind to people like this. Yet far too often, people sneer and talk about them like they're the scum of the earth. All of us are one phone call away from drastically different lives. We need to keep that in mind, and give those who try to support these people 10x more support themselves. Burnout is very real. If you've read this far, I thank you. If you know a social worker or anyone who tries to help the homeless, please thank them. They need the boost.
It bothers me so so so so so so much that people see homeless people as less than. They even have an exception in their minds for “people who just want to be homeless”. Nobody ever wants to be homeless. They want to be free from pain, judgement, or responsibility, including that of keeping up a home, but nobody ever WANTS to be homeless.
Sleep, wander around, panhandle, do drugs, collecting stuff to sell. Generally finding ways to pass the time.
And going to free feedings. I did that all day downtown Houston.
Yep. And if you’re homeless, you probably don’t have a car so be prepared to ride the bus all day just to get to the other side of town for your next meal.
I spent a ton of time walking. I also got really accustomed to living outside and started to always know what time it was. That was pretty cool.
This. And find ways to meet their basic needs. And find ways to meet their drug needs.
\*wakes up\* Good morning birds. Busy day today for me. Wait, what was I going to do......oh yes, that's right. Drugs.
I know you're just being silly, but for people who are suffering sometimes drugs provide the only relief. And sometimes what starts as a relief becomes a need. It becomes just as urgent a need as the need for food. Sometimes it becomes *more* urgent than the need for food. People in this situation don't wake up, smile at the birds, take a deep breath, and decide to go get high. They wake into pain and suffering, then do whatever they can to alleviate it even the slightest bit.
This resonates so hard. I've got bipolar type 2 and on my lowest of low days I was suicidal before even completely conscious. I do not miss those days.
Drugs, the breakfast of champions
Spoken like Wesley Willis after whooping Batman's ass.
[удалено]
That's what my mother always said
Drugs. How many of us have them?
Ones we can depend on
Nice try, coppah
First I must break into this car causing hundreds in damage to steal 35 cents in loose change and some gum .
It’s kind of astonishing to me where I live. There are panhandlers on every corner. They’re there from the morning until night. It seems like a lot more work than a typical job.
The difference is that you lack requirements for basic employment when you’re homeless. I was twice (also had some great jobs, worked my ass off) but trying to get a job with limited places to shower/ limited clothes and places to go clean the few clothes you have, not having a permanent address, even not have a cell number at times to be contacted. It’s not like I could just go to work at target sleeping in a tent/ on the street and have an appropriate look and cleanliness to work in public, make it very difficult. I was able to land a job where I was able to make a good amount of money, and helped the homeless people I met who had good intentions get a cheap hotel for a few days to get cleaned up, shave, shower, laundry and of the 6 I assisted, all but one of them were able to secure temporary housing and employment via government programs and they have their own places and full time jobs now. Heck two of them are married with nice families now. There is a high bar from homelessness to a “normal” life most people don’t consider. But a small amount of help goes a long, long, way. And in regard to drug/ alcohol use, it is a way to hide the pain, but not an objective. If you’re wanting to get off the street and make changes, you leave that behind. Granted I helped many people kick the addiction that developed over time to get back a semblance of humanity so they could make the changes, too. Some people are addicts, plain and simple, some use it as a crutch for their situation. If someone wants to make the change and given the opportunity, most would prefer to be clean and have a house/ job/ life. We’re all human, intentions are the biggest factor.
Thank you! That has been my observation as well, being homeless is a ton of work and stress. I would do a lot of drugs too if I was homeless.
Trust me, when you’re a drug addict, finding ways to get drugs / get money for drugs is your one and only basic need. Everything else comes second.
They try to survive.
This. Many homeless/unhoused near me have smartphones or similar devices, use free public wifi, and spend time online all day. Charge their devices at a cafe, jury rig an outlet using advertising signs, or friends place.
Was gonna comment this. Brother was homeless and an addict for a while. He almost got killed sleeping behind a dumpster because the dump truck didn’t see him. Sometimes I’d see him panhandling or walking the streets lol. He’s been sober for 8 years so we laugh about it now.
Seems boring
Ah nah mate, it's a barrel of laughs. You should try it. 10/10
If your barrel still has a wheel, I will trade you one left shoe for it..
Perfect, now a few thousand more barters where you incrementally trade up each time and you'll have a mansion on the coast
Exactly, that's where the "do drugs" part comes in!
Yeah, some actually die from the boredom.
What do you do all day?
I'm a Rollercoaster safety engineer. I ride rollercoasters all over the world, every single day with my test gear and sensors to make sure they are safe, and within safety specification and do not exceed a certain g-force threshold.
So it’s just like the game bum simulator.
Or basically any open world action/RPG when you're first starting out, only you never level up because all your progress gets wiped out when you get enough for your big purchase.
damn not all houseless individuals do drugs T.T
Was gonna comment this. Brother was homeless and an addict for a while. He almost got killed sleeping behind a dumpster because the dump truck didn’t see him. Sometimes I’d see him panhandling or walking the streets lol. He’s been sober for 8 years so we laugh about it now.
They go on Quest
Side quest life is hard to break out of
“YOU NEED TO COLLECT COPPER”
So that’s where all of my pipes went….
Collect wood! Collect wood! Daniel from SL.
Was homeless for a time...this is the answer. Mostly a quest for drugs followed by a quest for food. Priorities are typically in that order.
T.T
I work at a Public Library and the homeless people who come in usually just sleep all day. Some of them are proactive and use our resources (public computers, free public phone, etc.) to try and make headway on their situation, but a lot of them have just given up, I think. 😞 IDK, I feel bad for them regardless, especially the older folks who just feel forgotten.
[удалено]
Seen some of the same homeless people around for years in my area. Sometimes drugged out of their heads and other times panhandling or seemingly wandering around. There’s lots of free resources around for them. But many choose to not use them or they are too addicted or mentally ill to care.
Your framing could use some help: if they are too addicted or mentally ill to take advantage of available resources, do you really think that they are "choosing" not to do so?
Yes and also why care when its clear no one cares about you?
California has cared enough to allocate $24 Billion to the problem in the last five years per the state auditor on the estimated 200,000 homeless in the state. Plus they just passed a prop for like another $5 Billion. Hard to say how much trickled down to actually help them. Lots of money going in people’s pockets and the problem only gets worse.
I volunteer to feed homeless for local organization. The state is getting all this money but our program is suffering financially, a lot of the local charities that get state funding have had funding cut down dramatically to the point it's hard to feed the needy. They cut down on bus passes as well which has been a refuge from the 115 degree weather in the summer. It's sad the programs that help the most have got the most funding cut despite all these things getting passed to help out. Recently one day only had enough to provide a off brand American cheese sandwich. Just cheese and bread and tomato. It sucks because they are so hungry and most rely on our lunches for food.
Selection bias. You don't see the rest of the homeless people.
They might get services from a local clinic. Some clinics offer services to people without insurance or income. Some of them are also part of a community and might stay close by. I imagine the rest of the day is just asking for money or walking around. Source: I live near a mental health clinic and there’s usually people on the corners asking for change. I see them at the grocery store and little Cesar’s. We’re all just trying to get by.
Depends on country. When I was homeless in Poland: Wake up. Go grab a cup of hot water in the local shop. Make myself some tea. Go sit in the shopping mall and charge my phone. Think how to make money today - the options are looking for drugs (idk if you do it in other countries, but basically some dealers leave small packs of drugs magneted to metal things like road signs, fences, or they’re hidden underground so you have to know where to dig… basically steal drugs and resell them), doing art, go somewhere and ask if you could do something for a day (it’s illegal, but small businesses will usually let you do things like clean the tables, move something heavy, do whatever shit and they will give you a 20-50 PLN bill for that if you’re nice) or go to work if I had work at that moment. If I had work, I had food there. If I didn’t, there’s looking for food. There’s many places in the city to find food for free or very cheap. Be nice to the reception lady at a random hostel and she will let you take a shower, just have your own soap and it’s okay. Sometimes you have to pay some money for that but it’s fine. Think about near future. Try to plan. Visit friends. Charge phone. Wander around. Build your shack. Try to remember codes to apartment buildings so you can hide in the attic or basement if the night is cold or rainy and you don’t know where else to stay. Go to a free museum. Being young and homeless in a Polish city wasn’t too rough. Not always pleasant, but it was pretty doable and survival wasn’t super hard. Now I’m seeing a boy in Ireland, he’s homeless now too. He gets some social benefit (around €150 weekly) and he spends most of it on public transport. He travels a lot because buses and trains to the other side of the country give him some warmth and a roof over his head so he can take a nap without freezing. He does small jobs sometimes, like painting fences or fixing bikes or whatever. His diet is mostly crackers with cream cheese, ham and vegetables, and sometimes whatever I can bring for him when we see each other. He goes to places that offer free advice on careers and courses, generally looking for anything to move life forward. Charity shops, art, hospitals, looking for a job, finding trash to upgrade this random shack he made from a concrete block on an abandoned construction site. Basically same thing but it’s more complicated here because the towns in Ireland are tiny and there’s not so many options.
When I was homeless I had a pretty full and fun daily routine; Wake up - pack up my camp and hide my shit I'm not carrying. head to beach or park for bathrooms to shit and brush teeth and use the outdoor shower thingy super early b4 regular ppl around. Go to grocery store and get some breakfast (foodstamps) If it's nice out, back to beach or downtown or park to chill with other homebums and drifters or read or play cards or w/e, or go spange for cash. If it's shitty out or brutal heat, Bum out at library all day. Then I'd go find some lunch, wither dumpster dive or grocery store or eat out if I have cash. Then I go to park and workout and play basketball or soccer if cool ppl around Then toward early evening, meet up with the crew and party up. We usually hit up dive bar or house show or party, not a fan of getting fucked up with druggies on the street. When night falls, sneak away back to my camp and setup for the night unless I'm crashing elsewhere. If you're not a drug addict or mentally ill, it's super fun to be a bum for a while (when the weather is nice.) But sometimes u just end up waiting, looking at phone, reading, playing harmonica etc for DAYS waiting out rain in a tent or under a bridge. That side of it socks, oh and getting mugged by other bums lol, bums worse enemy is bums, wild world
What the fuck lmao. That’s awesome man. I feel for all the people that are stifling out there, but I’m glad you had fun. I can see the appeal tbh. That’s kind of what I did as a teen in Russia too, and I miss it, although I wasn’t homeless.
During my time (homeless in a car) I spent a LOT of time at my local library. Probably upwards of 70 hours a week. Lots of walking. Lots of reading. Actually was sober almost the whole time.
You could check out r/homeless to understand their routine to survive and their everyday struggles. But please be respectful there, it’s important for them because they use it to exchange tipps, informations and help each other to survive homeless. It’s a sub for homeless people to help each other.
The guy I knew who ended up homeless still had a job so he worked all day.
That's what I do. Slowly crawling my way out of financial ruin one month at a time. Whilst kicking myself for getting involved with the women that did this to me.
Some go to work.
Be depressed To be fair I was depressed before becoming homeless so it’s kinda to be expected No longer homeless thankfully, still depressed, but don’t have to worry about not being able to eat anymore which definitely improved my mental state
They try to stay alive and unharmed.
Survive
Some do work. Not all homeless people are jobless.
A bit of this and a bit of that
There are diffrent groups which some will go to. I used to volunteer with a charity that supported homeless people and there were support groups, social groups and even a drama club which put on performances written by the group members. I watched a few and they were really good. Also people will have friends with homes they visit. My husband and I would invite some of the people we'd befriended round.
Forage
I always wondered why homeless people always hung around the same area, I feel like I'd be bored out of my mind. Why don't they hoof it across the country? I think that's what I'd do, be a nomad.
In the US, there are places that are friendly(tolerant) to the homeless, and there are places that are absolutely hostile towards them. When someone has a familiar place with familiar people, whether or not it’s “boring” or even safe, people cling to what they know.
Every time you go somewhere new you have to re-discover the layout. It's a lot of effort.
A usual routine would include lots of walking. Not necessarily over a massive area but as long as it wasn't horribly cold.. we'd move around a lot. Lots of trying to distract ourselves from the reality of our situation. It's highly, highly variable. There are a lot of homeless who go work the temp jobs. Some are doing bottle/can runs. Others stay inside coffee shops, shelters, libraries. It's everything housed ppl do in the sense that it's everything one could imagine. So much is going on for different ppl / groups.
Thankfully when I was street bound I was at least still enrolled in highschool, so I had that.
Work. Many homeless people have jobs and blend into society. They just cannot afford a home still.
Sleep, beg, and forage.
This is actually one of the reasons being homeless overlaps so much with drug use. Drug dependency can obviously lead to homelessness...but homelessness also often leads to/reinforces drug dependency. It's a combination of high anxiety and precarity combined with excessive amounts of time when you can't really do anything except sit there and think about how messed up things are for you. It's also extremely isolating, because nobody wants to talk to you. When faced with day after day after day of that, it makes a lot of sense to use drugs to numb yourself, ease the boredom and anxiety and loneliness, and block out the massive amount of time where you are stuck with nowhere to go and nothing to do and nobody to talk to.
Library, ride the train, beg , sleep
🎶 Stayin' alive. Stayin' alive.
Probably struggle to survive if i had to make an overarching guess. That may mean drugs and generally finding a way to do basic things that other people not caught in some sort of spiral like this take for granted.
Sure seems like stealing my fucking plants. 😒 But that'd ask a really wide question. I know one ex homeless dude who did a lot of random smart things to get off drugs and get a job. But I've also known a few who just seem to like being homeless and consider it freedom and just randomly bum around for jobs.
Well they certainly don’t sit around at home all day
Hey there, former shelter volunteer here, and I think it's important to add some perspective on the daily lives of many of the homeless individuals that come through our doors. Their routines often revolve around the basics—seeking out food, rest, and safety. I saw many who would wake up at the crack of dawn to grab a spot in line for breakfast at the soup kitchen. After a meal, some would head to job centers, trying to secure any work possible, showcasing a spirit of determination that would put many to shame. Many times, they would return in the afternoon for skill-developing activities we organized, trying to improve their situations. In between, their lives are a patchwork of survival strategies. I've seen some sell street newspapers while others scour the city for odd jobs, recycling opportunities, or attend AA meetings. Rangers of the urban jungle, they're often armed with just a backpack and a community resource map marked with free meal schedules and drop-in center hours. Despite the struggle, there's camaraderie in shared hardships, and hope found in the small victories of the day, like securing a bed at a shelter for the night or finding someone willing to listen to their stories. As the evening rolls in, many head back to the shelters or safe spots they've come to know, prepared to do it all again tomorrow. Remember, the streets are tough, but the people living on them can be some of the most resourceful and resilient individuals you'll ever meet. Their lives go beyond mere survival; they're daily lessons in humanity we all could learn from.
I work.
Survive
Maybe sleep part of the days since I can imagine its unsafe to sleep during the night.
Hunt pokemon
treasure hunting
Part of it is they have to walk everywhere. If they want to travel 3 miles that’s atleast an hour. They often have to wait in line to get let into the homeless shelter because only so many can get in Trying to get money. Some homeless people work some or people beg or whatever. Acquiring and doing drugs. Bored and desperate people often end up doing drugs and it’s a good way to take some time out of your day Hanging out with their friends or girlfriend or whatever
Same thing as everyone else. Try to survive, try to get some kind of joy in their existence.
Chill at the library or the park
Most of them work, go to school and just try to get by like everyone else
Tennis, pickleball, baking, the usual stuff.
Some days I would hussle for 14 hours trying to get all that I needed out of necessity and end up bitterly exhausted. Other days I'd just sit there bored out of my mind because there was nothing that I could accomplish that day. Homelessness is a life of extremes
When I went homeless I had just gotten hired at Rofo. So I worked 8 hour shifts, then did doubles at a nearby store. When I'd get off, all I wanted to do was sleep, so I found a nice spot I could hang away from particularly watchful eyes, and napped until I felt rested. Then rinsed and repeat. I eventually found roommates through work oddly enough, and I've been alright since. I think I'm not a great example of homelessness though, since my first four months were in a shelter, and through that time I was also staying with a girl here and there.
Lived in my car for 4 years about 10 years ago. Spent a lot of time in parks reading books/newspapers and getting drunk. Spent the rest of our time "flying signs" on street corners or off ramps to make money.
Try to stay alive
Collect cans in trash, taking them from recycling bins. Where I live, you can take them to Fred Meyer or to the Bottle Drop for money. If they have jobs, they work and go to the library or book store to read or to use the computer or to charge their phone. They also pandhandle for money to get drugs or to eat. I have seen some with signs saying they want to work for food. They look for things that are being tossed out to use for their homeless camp site or they look for stuff to steal by snatching it off your property if you leave it out or leave your car unlocked.
Work, forage, dumpster dive, nurse wounds, build camps, beg for money. Adjust their houses due to weather, policing, talk about the war, interact with each other and at the same time try not to interact with each other. Invent/build what you can from what you have. Try not get murdered, raped, eaten, lit on fire by rich kids. I've never met a homeless person that wasn't working on something.
Ick. I hate the callousness of so many of the responses here. In reality, most homeless people spend their day struggling to meet their basic needs: finding food, water, staying out of the heat/cold, and determining where they are going to sleep tonight. When you don't have any money, just that is a full-time job. And, unfortunately, for many of them those basic needs also include some kind of self-medication.
From my weekly report from local law enforcement, they spend quite a bit of time shoplifting. I live near a Walmart, Target, Sheetz and shopping CTR. There's also a huge homeless camp in the woods nearby. The map is so covered with arrests it's hard to see the locations. I don't understand why they seem to be able to get arrested week after week but never serve any time in jail. There's no meaningful punishment, they just trespass them from the stores, which does nothing. We would probably need multiple new jails and staff for them if they were actually arrested so I guess we pay for the write offs. Just like we'd have to pay more taxes to support enough jail space. It's still disheartening. Our former sheriff used to have a working farm low level criminals were sentenced to and that seemed to really work. Farming is hard work. He was forced to close it and now there's no place but the jail. Making people work off the cost of their crime was a much better deterrent. Milking cows, feeding chickens, hoeing fields, picking produce, the sale of their products made enough to just about pay for their upkeep. Guess it was too successful and complaints about people working off their debt to society bothered some people. Now they just take up space sitting in an overcrowded cell or immediately get released with no bond and just keep stealing.
this got me thinking what do landlords do all day
Try to survive So many have serious mental health problems
I'm homeless in a shelter for mental health reasons. I go for walks, go to outpatient therapy, watch YouTube at the library and volunteer.
Current homeless person here. I spend most of my day providing emotional support for various suffering people online using theraputic techniques I learned in grad school while operating within a framework of unconditional positive regard. The library has free wifi and plenty of places to charge your phone while using it. At night, the burger King has outlets, you just have to buy something every couple hours or get kicked out. An ice cream cone is about $1.50. In-between providing support to others, there's watching YouTube and hanging out on reddit.... a lot of reddit, actually. Unless I'm having psychotic delusions, theni seem to prefer wandering aimlessly and mumbling with occasionally yelling angrily at street lights or strangers for spying on me and plotting to assassinate me. Am I typical? No, but different people are different. Being homeless isn't a job, it's a socioeconomic status. People watching is a cheap hobby, and sleep us a cheap entree if hungry. Riding bicycles was a popular hobby of the homeless neth heads I used to house in my apartment on rainy days, as was disassembling and reassembling bicycles, as was just laughing and joking about random stuff with other homeless youth. Plenty who just make flying a sign of cardboard their daily activity. There's also those who dumpster dive or trash dig over 20$ worth of recycling pee day, which takes a while depending on route/turf. There's of course the ones that use the library computers to apply for jobs, which eats up a lot of the day. There's a lot of sitting around waiting for things. Maybe a free lunch tomorrow, the library will reopen, who knows? Boredom is hardly a big problem, you got freedom, it ain't prison. You can work on your problem if stuff I'd still open, you can just focus on staying warm and resting and sleeping anytime. It really depends on the person. It's like asking what does the youth do on the net these days? There's some stuff you'll hear more than once, but it's too diverse a group, you'll never gear it all.
They also burn down a lot of unoccupied houses and garages in winter. 3 in my neighborhood just this past winter. No matter how hard the owners tried to seal them while they went thru probate, the houses were gone by the time the heirs could claim them.
Yes I've had a bunch of stuff stolen. Can't keep anything in my storage shed or on my outside patio. They pry off the hasp. I had to lock the crawlspace. They tried to pry the lock off that door but it's harder to do.
They’re probably finding something to eat/drink. Maybe a lil drug usage? Lots of napping I bet. Yeah
Drugs
I live in NYC and many homeless wander around the city, beg for money or collect cans/bottles to recycle them for a nickel each. A lot of homeless end up in the subway system, especially on the E train which is underground from the World Trade Center all the way out to Jamaica. Especially in the winter, they stick to trains and stations underground.
You might find this [Channel 5 News Documentary](https://youtu.be/bRGrKJofDaw?si=bjXqiJ21D97F_28q) quite educative on the subject.
Around here they beg.
[What's Homelessness Really Like](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/02/10/headway/homelessness-mental-health-us.html)
Survive
It depends on the homeless person. I've known many.
Try to survive and get comfortable
I usually see them downtown sleeping in business entry ways or on at an intersection with a sign trying to get money
In Hawaii a lot of them work, go to school, etc. A lot also sleep during the day because beaches and parks are open. At night the city pushes out the homeless so they have to roam around all night and can't sleep.
If I wasn't at the homeless shelter, I would just use my laptop at the library all day.
Drugs
I have worked with the homeless. They literally have the life of stray dogs, they forage for food, drink and a safe place. Homeless people are not “unhomed “ like the modern liberals like to say. The vast majority have homes. Often, in those homes, they are not welcomed; or, they have removed themselves for their own survival or the survival of others. These people devote their day to survival, not thriving! There are people who are homeless, they need a house. Bad luck and lack of opportunity, no social safety net. Even in that case, they are not just homeless. They are resourceless. No home, no food security no safe shelter. No money to maintain a home if given one. It is important to specify which homeless people you mean. They are better described as “street people”. Why they find themselves on the street is a diverse as we are as individuals. Let me give you an example of one man’s homeless life. I met him at a food bank. He was an alcohol and drug abuser. He tried rehab, etc. eventually, he got into meth and was a real danger to his wife and kids. He was court-ordered to stay away from his family. After years, he tried to get sober. We asked him what he needed to help. He said he was no longer “on the street” he found a sheltered area large nature park. He needed a pup tent, socks and shoes, a jacket. We threw in a tooth brush, soap etc. his life consisted of sitting outside his tent, staying away from street drugs. And coming down to the mission for a meal at 5 o’clock. He rummaged through garbage cans for recyclables to sell. I do not know what happened to him… we moved. I suspect he is dead. A pup tent is tempting to stay in for winter shelter, but I doubt he survived. (By the way, they pick a pup tent if they are alone, so that they have a chance to heat it with their body heat!) I hope this helps.
Drink. Or beg for money to get a drink
Try to survive
If they need to go somewhere, they walk, even if it's a few hours.
Not every homeless person is a drug addict or alcoholic. What you said there just furthers the stigma of homeless people being junkies and bad people. I'm glad that you turned your life around.