13 Years Homeless and Returning. AMA

7 days ago by Jspelts to c/denver

Title pretty much says it all, I spent 13 years homeless. Did a lot of hitchhiking. I have spinal stenosis and CES but did get a nice 9-month break through a veteran's group which ends on September 30th, when I'll return to tent life in the sticks. Ask me anything!

load all comments

HubertManne 2 points 5 days ago

Im long term unemployed and I am wondering when I will be.

save

path: 0 25313476, hotness: undefined, score: 2, children: 13

Jspelts 1 point 5 days ago

I'm very sorry to hear that. In all honesty, the worst part about being homeless is the beginning (anxiety). No matter what happens, you will live, whether you slept under a roof the night before or not.

If you can, try to be a little proactive about it. That will take away at least a little bit of the anxiety. Make sure you have two large duffel bags, a backpack, cheap tent, and a sleeping bag. If it happens, you'll need all that plus a good jacket, clothes, and toiletries. Laptop if you have one. Pack light, you'll have to carry all of that around until you find a "spot" where you can leave your tent up during the day. If you have a car, that's a game changer. You're mobile and you have a safe place to store stuff (BLM and Forestry land offer free dispersed camping for up to 14 days). First thing you'll want to do if you lose housing is get on EBT and Medicaid. Those are lifelines.

And whatever you do, don't wait for an eviction to leave. That will make getting rehoused 10,000 times more difficult. Avoid other homeless in the beginning, addicts will tell you anything to steal your stuff. And don't lose hope. Best of luck to you.

save

path: 0 25313476 25313805, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 12

HubertManne 1 point 5 days ago

Its more a concern now as it really looks like employment at a level to meet the monthly nut is not going to happen. I have been getting some work which every bit staves off pulling from savings. I actually just looked into it and there appears to be a way to draw from ira's without the penalty if you commit to keep on doing it. Im going to look more into that as im not sure if it will be enough. Like everything its got crazy requirements and could interfere with other things. so no where near as bad as you just worried about it since im supporting my wife and really don't want to go homeless.

save

path: 0 25313476 25313805 25313970, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 11

Jspelts 1 point 5 days ago

Yeah it's a pickle, and I've been there. I wasn't always homeless. And like you said, the employment options available now really don't cover the bills. The few options that do (ie: HVAC, offshore oil, electrical) are a no-go for me because of the spinal stenosis. Immediate needs trump retirement, it's a shame that you have to do that though. Having a spouse to support is a whole different game, I've been single which makes things easier and more difficult at the same time.

The one thing that helps (homeless or not), keep a loose plan "if all else fails". Scorched-Earth type plan if absolutely nothing works out. Hopefully you never need to use it, but just having one is a comfort of sorts.

save

path: 0 25313476 25313805 25313970 25314125, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 10

HubertManne 1 point 5 days ago

yeah I definatley keep ideas in the back of my head for long term while I do short term things. all the while hoping something comes up and it all becomes unnecessary.

save

path: 0 25313476 25313805 25313970 25314125 25314211, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 9

Jspelts 1 point 5 days ago

My advice -- write them down. Hopefully you won't need them. But if it does happen, the initial panic overrides logic. You'll end up packing stupid things like a lamp and completely spacing out the important things like your birth certificate, social security card, and DD-214 if you were military. I've seen more "new homeless" do exactly that and those documents can take months to years to replace. Things like silverware are not necessary, you won't be cooking and most fast-food joints have plastic utensils you can get for free. Find out if there's any homeless day centers you can use for mail, find out where your social services office is so you can apply for EBT and Medicaid. I can't stress enough about credit cards, make sure to get the balances down to zero if not already. It's hard to make payments when you're on the streets, and having that kind of borrowing power is an absolute must should an opportunity come your way like an out-of-state job. With any luck, you won't need any of it and you can throw that plan away later. But it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. And be sure to check out www.freecampsites.net, that at least eliminates a lot of the "where will I go" worries.

save

path: 0 25313476 25313805 25313970 25314125 25314211 25314453, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 8

HubertManne 1 point 5 days ago

I have one of those fireproof safes with important docs. need to do a review of it but hitting a lot of paperwork things for the next month or so. I should be able to go pretty far on savings if I go into the ira as im over 50. Ill be honest I have almost a phobia about trying to figure out for exactly how long. if I have to I will take the 10% penalty on the ira but im hoping not to since that is 10% less time it will last. what kinda sucks is I could get a phone call which would reverse everything (well not exactly reverse as I will be vulnerable to the same thing with less savings to deal with it. Honestly even if I get something decent im not sure I can save much in the next decade to get to where I was.)

save

path: 0 25313476 25313805 25313970 25314125 25314211 25314453 25314847, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 7

Jspelts 1 point 5 days ago

Similar position here, I'm 52. My best case scenario is SSI, which only pays $900 per month plus back pay from November of 2025. If it goes through, great, I'll be getting a used vehicle and going campsite-to-campsite with it. If not, I'll hitchhike down to Houston and set up at my old camp and see how long it takes the police to sweep again. Those are my only two options, and one of them I have zero control over. The frustrating part is you spend a majority of your life paying into all these "safety nets" that seem to evaporate when you need them most. At this point, I'd rather Uncle Sam just refunded every dime I've paid in taxes and call it even. I'd likely be better off!

save

path: 0 25313476 25313805 25313970 25314125 25314211 25314453 25314847 25315006, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 6