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Posted: 5/21/2014 6:44:22 PM EDT
[#1]
Homeless when suddenly evicted from my apt. I had no money to rent anything, but luckily, I had good credit. The local bank loaned me a few thousand dollars to buy a trailer. Paid that loan off, said fuck this noise and got myself a college degree.
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Posted: 5/21/2014 6:46:14 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I acted homeless during a college project. Being homeless for real? Fuck that. You're lucky to be alive. If you had been caught by real tramps you'd have been found dead in a ditch in the railroad yards. Those guys are a very tough crowd. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 6:47:40 PM EDT
[#3]
I have, but only for a day.
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Posted: 5/21/2014 6:53:04 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I would be more open to it in Team Not here in GD I will say that everything that could go wrong did go wrong at the same time Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I was homeless for 8 months back in 2009 I learned a lot from the experience You've been around here a while. Tell us the story if it's not too personal. Where were you in life and what led up to it? If you don't want to share that makes sense too. I would be more open to it in Team Not here in GD I will say that everything that could go wrong did go wrong at the same time Understood |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 6:54:11 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fingernails were a real pain in the ass, I remember. Fingernail clipper is a pretty specialized tool, you can't really use a scissors for the job because of the shape of a fingernail and even then you can only get them so short and they're hacked all to fuck. I was lucky to be a short walk from a McDonalds and a Burger King on opposite corners of the street. Kids never eat all of their food so I would grab the Happy Meals first and usually score pretty well.  Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Spent a winter living in the bushes in a city park in Lewiston, ID many years ago. Long story, but I ended up there. Collecting aluminum cans for cigarette money and eating out of KY Fried Chicken's dumpster. Had to bathe in the Clearwater river...in December. No vehicle. Walked everywhere to look for work. It's a real bitch when you don't have a phone in case somebody calls you about a job...or a washer & dryer....or a decent way to shave. The little things we tend to take for granted....you don't realize just how much we depend on what we have. Fingernails were a real pain in the ass, I remember. Fingernail clipper is a pretty specialized tool, you can't really use a scissors for the job because of the shape of a fingernail and even then you can only get them so short and they're hacked all to fuck. I was lucky to be a short walk from a McDonalds and a Burger King on opposite corners of the street. Kids never eat all of their food so I would grab the Happy Meals first and usually score pretty well.  |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 6:54:50 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Yes. Eight years. 1981 to late 1989 Living under bridges, riding freight trains all over the Western US. Lots of Night Train, cheap vodka and Orange Jubilee. At that time I was quite the advanced student of various illegal chemicals. Smoked Top tobacco normally.. If I was feeling rich I bought Drum tobacco. Store bought smokes were a luxury. Worked when I could. Sold plasma when I couldn't. The whole begging on the street corner hadn't been invented yet. I may have been one of the few that actually used food stamps for food. The only time I held up a sign was to get a ride on the freeway if I couldn't hop a freight. Pulled my head out of my ass in December 1989. This ends my press release. I'm not taking questions from the floor. I have to get up at 2:30am PDT to drive my cab. I would like to hear the rest of the story if you care to share later. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 6:55:10 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You're lucky to be alive. If you had been caught by real tramps you'd have been found dead in a ditch in the railroad yards. Those guys are a very tough crowd. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I acted homeless during a college project. Being homeless for real? Fuck that. You're lucky to be alive. If you had been caught by real tramps you'd have been found dead in a ditch in the railroad yards. Those guys are a very tough crowd. I would put my money on tweeter  |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 6:56:49 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I would like to hear the rest of the story if you care to share later. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Yes. Eight years. 1981 to late 1989 Living under bridges, riding freight trains all over the Western US. Lots of Night Train, cheap vodka and Orange Jubilee. At that time I was quite the advanced student of various illegal chemicals. Smoked Top tobacco normally.. If I was feeling rich I bought Drum tobacco. Store bought smokes were a luxury. Worked when I could. Sold plasma when I couldn't. The whole begging on the street corner hadn't been invented yet. I may have been one of the few that actually used food stamps for food. The only time I held up a sign was to get a ride on the freeway if I couldn't hop a freight. Pulled my head out of my ass in December 1989. This ends my press release. I'm not taking questions from the floor. I have to get up at 2:30am PDT to drive my cab. I would like to hear the rest of the story if you care to share later. Trust me you don't |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 6:57:10 PM EDT
[#9]
I lived in a crack house the first 4 years of my life does that count?
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Posted: 5/21/2014 7:00:29 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I lived in a crack house the first 4 years of my life does that count? That would count. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 7:17:29 PM EDT
[#11]
My kids and I have had to live with family. Was married to the ex and we were living with his grandmother, what a fucking hellish nightmare that was. She decides kids and I no longer welcome. If my mom had not taken us in, we would have been living out of my car.
My husband has been homeless. Living under a bridge, bathing/washing clothes in a stream, and going hungry. Which is why even though are 6 of us in a 3 bedroom trailer, he says it is not that bad. It's not, just takes some time getting used to sharing my bedroom with an infant again.
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Posted: 5/21/2014 7:19:23 PM EDT
[#12]
I lived in my travel travel for a year. But that's camping more than homeless.
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Posted: 5/21/2014 8:14:30 PM EDT
[#13]
I was on the street for a month when I was 18
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Posted: 5/21/2014 8:21:30 PM EDT
[#14]
Yes, when Sharmouta threw me out of the house with the assistance of the local constabulary, who all went home safe. I was out of the house for more than a year.
I said that if I knew I was going to be living out of my car, I would have gotten one with a bigger trunk. However, I am typing this from the family room of the very house I was once thrown out of. My older son is in the next room, and my younger son is upstairs asleep. Sharmouta is hardly a part of their lives anymore. Revenge is a dish best enjoyed cold. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 8:28:40 PM EDT
[#15]
No, but being homeless is still a very real fear of mine. I'm paranoid that somehow I'll fuck up and lose everything.
It's one reason why I've made such an effort to pay down my house like I have. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 8:30:25 PM EDT
[#16]
Yes, I was a very young. My mom left my dad. We lived under an overpass for a few weeks. The Salvation Army got my mom a job and a house to rent. Though time for my mom and my brother and sister. I have one tough mom, She did everything to give us a good life, without taking a single Government hand out.
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Posted: 5/21/2014 8:45:57 PM EDT
[#17]
Not homeless but, I was 15 years old when my mom had kidney failure. I drove her to the emergency room, she was transported to a hospital in Texas. I got a job at a pizza hut where I worked for one hour, I realized I just made $ 4.25 and at that rate I would either starve or lose our house.
I quit there and started hauling hay, splitting wood and worked in a mom and pops auto repair shop part time (while going to school). When my mom returned home (a year later) the bill's were paid and I managed to keep my grades decent. Becoming homeless was a real possibility then, and it scared the shit out of me. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 8:49:32 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Not homeless but, I was 15 years old when my mom had kidney failure. I drove her to the emergency room, she was transported to a hospital in Texas. I got a job at a pizza hut where I worked for one hour, I realized I just made $ 4.25 and at that rate I would either starve or lose our house. I quit there and started hauling hay, splitting wood and worked in a mom and pops auto repair shop part time (while going to school). When my mom returned home (a year later) the bill's were paid and I managed to keep my grades decent. Becoming homeless was a real possibility then, and it scared the shit out of me. At 15, you were scrappy enough to hustle and make enough money to stay current on the house and all the bills? And you were also in school? I don't think I could have done that. Wow. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 9:04:09 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
At 15, you were scrappy enough to hustle and make enough money to stay current on the house and all the bills? And you were also in school? I don't think I could have done that. Wow. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Not homeless but, I was 15 years old when my mom had kidney failure. I drove her to the emergency room, she was transported to a hospital in Texas. I got a job at a pizza hut where I worked for one hour, I realized I just made $ 4.25 and at that rate I would either starve or lose our house. I quit there and started hauling hay, splitting wood and worked in a mom and pops auto repair shop part time (while going to school). When my mom returned home (a year later) the bill's were paid and I managed to keep my grades decent. Becoming homeless was a real possibility then, and it scared the shit out of me. At 15, you were scrappy enough to hustle and make enough money to stay current on the house and all the bills? And you were also in school? I don't think I could have done that. Wow. I was just a scared kid. Worried I was going to either lose my mom or let her down. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 9:09:37 PM EDT
[#20]
Does sleeping in a box in front of a French train station count ? Was sleeping on the bench but with not ticket they threw us out .
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Posted: 5/21/2014 9:17:54 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I was just a scared kid. Worried I was going to either lose my mom or let her down. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Not homeless but, I was 15 years old when my mom had kidney failure. I drove her to the emergency room, she was transported to a hospital in Texas. I got a job at a pizza hut where I worked for one hour, I realized I just made $ 4.25 and at that rate I would either starve or lose our house. I quit there and started hauling hay, splitting wood and worked in a mom and pops auto repair shop part time (while going to school). When my mom returned home (a year later) the bill's were paid and I managed to keep my grades decent. Becoming homeless was a real possibility then, and it scared the shit out of me. At 15, you were scrappy enough to hustle and make enough money to stay current on the house and all the bills? And you were also in school? I don't think I could have done that. Wow. I was just a scared kid. Worried I was going to either lose my mom or let her down. I just have to say, that is a fucking awesome story. Kudos to you,, seriously. I have had a hard time lately in my life, and this kind of thing makes my troubles seem insignificant. Kudos to you, and may the rest of your life be easy. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 9:20:28 PM EDT
[#22]
Ive been homeless on several occasions in my younger years.lived in a Goodwill drop-off box for most of a winter.,spent another winter living in a hedge beside a church.Homeless in Alaska a few times,living in the hall of a flop house and the furnace room of the bar( the Crystal Saloon) that i hung out in.Last time was in Washington DC.Bad,very bad.Most of my homelessness could be attributed to alcoholism and addiction with some general laziness and lack of motivation thrown in.When i sobered up i got real motivated.
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Posted: 5/21/2014 9:32:30 PM EDT
[#23]
Yes, and the woman I did it for was a worthless, addicted, faithless whore.
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Posted: 5/21/2014 9:34:56 PM EDT
[#24]
I moved back to Alaska in May of 2001 with $600 in my pocket and the clothes in my suitcase. We spent the whole summer (June-September) living in a K5 Blazer and on various friend's living room floors. We finally saved enough money to move into an apartment on September 11th 2001... It was me, my pregnant wife, and 2 boys ages 6 and 2. It was a little ruff but we made it. God played a huge part in getting me situated.
- Clint |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 9:37:53 PM EDT
[#25]
lost my job and lived on savings for a few months, had to sell the house and live in the car, gave the car back to the bank when I ran out of money, Lived on a buddies couch for a month, Finally got a job and had to start from scratch. What I am proud of is I had zero debt at the end of it all.
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Posted: 5/21/2014 9:43:49 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
No, but being homeless is still a very real fear of mine. I'm paranoid that somehow I'll fuck up and lose everything. I know that feeling, all too well. I think it comes from a deeper understanding that all of this, is just "stuff", a sense that much of it has come too easily compared to the rest of the world, and a feeling that I'll never truly understand life until I have lost everything. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 9:45:33 PM EDT
[#27]
As I recall there was an arfcom member who posted a detailed thread about his life as a homeless person in his youth. It was very interesting. It was also years ago, and I don't know what terms to use for an archive search.
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Posted: 5/21/2014 9:45:54 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I was just a scared kid. Worried I was going to either lose my mom or let her down. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Not homeless but, I was 15 years old when my mom had kidney failure. I drove her to the emergency room, she was transported to a hospital in Texas. I got a job at a pizza hut where I worked for one hour, I realized I just made $ 4.25 and at that rate I would either starve or lose our house. I quit there and started hauling hay, splitting wood and worked in a mom and pops auto repair shop part time (while going to school). When my mom returned home (a year later) the bill's were paid and I managed to keep my grades decent. Becoming homeless was a real possibility then, and it scared the shit out of me. At 15, you were scrappy enough to hustle and make enough money to stay current on the house and all the bills? And you were also in school? I don't think I could have done that. Wow. I was just a scared kid. Worried I was going to either lose my mom or let her down. That's amazing dude. I would have failed in that situation. I just didn't have my head on straight back then. |
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Posted: 5/21/2014 10:28:38 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I lived in a crack house the first 4 years of my life does that count? Ive been homeless and im sure thats worse than being homeless. |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 5:13:41 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Not homeless but, I was 15 years old when my mom had kidney failure. I drove her to the emergency room, she was transported to a hospital in Texas. I got a job at a pizza hut where I worked for one hour, I realized I just made $ 4.25 and at that rate I would either starve or lose our house. I quit there and started hauling hay, splitting wood and worked in a mom and pops auto repair shop part time (while going to school). When my mom returned home (a year later) the bill's were paid and I managed to keep my grades decent. Becoming homeless was a real possibility then, and it scared the shit out of me. That's an awesome story, at 15 I was no where near mature enough to do anything like that. Good job! |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 5:20:34 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
As I recall there was an arfcom member who posted a detailed thread about his life as a homeless person in his youth. It was very interesting. It was also years ago, and I don't know what terms to use for an archive search. I remember that but don't remember the name either. |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 5:20:52 AM EDT
[#32]
I have, by choice. Showered at gym, ate a shit ton of Ramen and got a job at a restaurant for the free meal. I guess doing it by choice to reach an end goal/objective is a different experience than most have.
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Posted: 5/22/2014 5:22:45 AM EDT
[#33]
Buy a truck and travel trailer without debt and you will never be homeless, at least that's what one of my coworkers says often
I have been lucky and never been homeless in my 35 years of life. |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 5:31:19 AM EDT
[#34]
Depends on the definition.
Back in my younger days I had no car, a few personal things, and a suitcase full of clothes. I worked on a shrimp boat, and bunked there for a year. It got a little cold in winter. I worked my way up and out of that. Never once took a dime from the government. I'm pretty proud of that. I fucked up. I paid the price. I learned personal responsibility. And I'm a better man for it. |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 5:33:05 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I remember that but don't remember the name either. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Originly Posted By Couch-Commando:
As I recall there was an arfcom member who posted a detailed thread about his life as a homeless person in his youth. It was very interesting. It was also years ago, and I don't know what terms to use for an archive search. I remember that but don't remember the name either. That was the first thing that popped into my head. Pretty sure it was in the survival forum. Lots of detail on how to get by on the streets. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 5:33:23 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I am fortunate enough to say I haven't. |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 5:38:09 AM EDT
[#37]
After my divorce I moved up to NH and they let me live in a 10X10 cabin with no power,water,heat or anything like that.
I took a shower at their house which was about 300 feet away. I got a job right off .......back in 94 manufacturing was doing really well up here. I usually ate at work out of the vending machines or ate take out. I did that from April to November , I had saved enough to get an apartment. So , in a way I was homeless but I did have a roof over my head! |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 5:50:01 AM EDT
[#38]
I had my apartment burn down. I crashed with friends for a month or so before finding alternative housing.
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Posted: 5/22/2014 6:52:03 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I was just a scared kid. Worried I was going to either lose my mom or let her down. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Not homeless but, I was 15 years old when my mom had kidney failure. I drove her to the emergency room, she was transported to a hospital in Texas. I got a job at a pizza hut where I worked for one hour, I realized I just made $ 4.25 and at that rate I would either starve or lose our house. I quit there and started hauling hay, splitting wood and worked in a mom and pops auto repair shop part time (while going to school). When my mom returned home (a year later) the bill's were paid and I managed to keep my grades decent. Becoming homeless was a real possibility then, and it scared the shit out of me. At 15, you were scrappy enough to hustle and make enough money to stay current on the house and all the bills? And you were also in school? I don't think I could have done that. Wow. I was just a scared kid. Worried I was going to either lose my mom or let her down. I had a very similar thing happen to me when I was 16 (which I touched on earlier in the thread), my mom had a neurological disorder that left her speechless and bedridden for a year, then it relapsed later in my early 20's. She couldn't work and it was just me and her so I was kind of fucked. We had a family friend who helped us get a lawyer to oversee her estate as executor and we sold the house and belongings to pay for her medical bills, but it left me with nowhere to live and no means to live. I went to school during the day, and worked at a tire repair factory at night...did that until I graduated, stayed in friend's places here and there, stayed with my football coach in his laundry room my senior year...spent my summer and freshman year of college living in my car. I was super fortunate to get a scholarship to play football in Pennsylvania, but it was only partial so I had to still work and put myself through college, and worry about my mom (who wanted me to go and finish school). I got through college, but then she had another bout with it and I had to go back to work to help her out through that too. I know how you felt tho, it was scary as hell and frustrating, I remember being lonely and very depressed through all of it...I'm not sure to this day how I got through it, I really don't. |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 9:29:43 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I remember that but don't remember the name either. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: As I recall there was an arfcom member who posted a detailed thread about his life as a homeless person in his youth. It was very interesting. It was also years ago, and I don't know what terms to use for an archive search. I remember that but don't remember the name either. |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 9:32:26 AM EDT
[#41]
Yes.
Nothing like being thrown out of your own house by your psycho (now ex) wife, and not knowing where you're going to sleep because you can't afford a hotel. Still burns my ass. 
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Posted: 5/22/2014 9:37:41 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
One of the most interesting 'ask a guy' threads. Unfortunately it got locked because there were 'too many' ask a guy threads at the time. http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1238908_Ask_someone_who_lived_on_the_street_for_years_anything_.html Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
As I recall there was an arfcom member who posted a detailed thread about his life as a homeless person in his youth. It was very interesting. It was also years ago, and I don't know what terms to use for an archive search. I remember that but don't remember the name either. http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1238908_Ask_someone_who_lived_on_the_street_for_years_anything_.html Thanks for the link, that was an interesting read. |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 9:39:19 AM EDT
[#43]
Thankfully, I have been spared that particular problem so far.
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Posted: 5/22/2014 9:45:37 AM EDT
[#44]
Yes, and foster care too.
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Posted: 5/22/2014 9:48:19 AM EDT
[#45]
I was a "homeless" scumbag punk rocker for about eight years. I pretty much lived in squats and on friends couches or in their cars. One place I lived had a walk in closet that was my bedroom.
The closet bedroom was pretty luxurious by my standards then. |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 9:53:02 AM EDT
[#46]
Yes. It took about 3 days between closing on houses where I didn't have keys.
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Posted: 5/22/2014 10:07:42 AM EDT
[#47]
Quoted: Just wondering how many of you have been really homeless. Not just crashing with friends and the like in college but really homeless like sleeping in a car the street or bouncing from house to house not really knowing where you might sleep any given day. |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 10:12:30 AM EDT
[#48]
About 3 months when I was 17. (Nov-Jan) in (81-82?)
Wish the ol-man waited till June....it was fucking cold! |
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Posted: 5/22/2014 10:25:40 AM EDT
[#49]
Lived in my car for 6 months in 2013. Oddly it was one of the best experiences of my life. I didn't think of it being a negative time and I felt good knowing that I had zero debt, extremely minimal expenses and a steady job. I have deep pockets now because of it, and a sense that I can thrive through anything.
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Posted: 5/22/2014 10:38:42 AM EDT
[#50]
for a few months when I first moved to Florida after getting out of the service. I had paid for a beach apartment for 6 months and they decided to go condo and placed the whole complex under a tent for pest control. I didn't get my money back until a few months later. I spent that time camping in my car and bathing at the local ymca. Was not fun. I was too proud to call my parents and ask for money. In retrospect, I should have just called them.
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