Hi ,

Last post I did see somebody else mention this earlier but man is this true I cannot focus on anything else but trying to get out of this hole . I’m working overtime Monday - Sunday 12am-12am non stop it also feels like having a baby you carrying around with you sometimes it feels like multiple babies with me that I’m nursing 😭. This is crazy I ain neva seen nun like this before 🤣 like what really is this !? What in the world

The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/homelessness-population-count-2024-hud-migrants-2e0e2b4503b754612a1d0b3b73abf75f US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people

Today I walked about 10 miles looking for work. I had 2 job interviews, but as soon as they saw me they suddenly had no work availability. I'm clean and have clean clothes. I walked so far and only wanted any job. After this let down I decided to look for now hiring signs to walk inside. Most suddenly had no openings, even though there was a hand written sign. I did manage to walk in a grocery store and I spoke to a manager. She took down my information, she did say there's no openings but will call me as soon as anyone quits. It's not exactly a win but I'm hoping for the best. My feet hurt and I'm just glad to finally sit. I don't have a job so I can't afford the bus. Tomorrow I will try more job hunting Please wish me luck Please refrain from insults or genius hateful remarks, I'm trying my best Thx

Edit: don't need advice. Not looking for it. Only sharing. If you're not homeless pls don't comment

I usually do the regular canned vegetables, tuna, noodle cups, spam, hot sauce etc. Is there anything in particular that really makes your day when it is there? I'm wanting to give what I can. I am lucky I work a well enough paying job to have extra money for a handful of items every month.

I've been chronically homeless for the past 10+ years. Sometimes I stay with people, other times I'm out on my own. (Technically, I'm still considered "homeless" even when I'm couch surfing.) Becoming unhoused was definitely not how I wanted my life to turn out. I never imagined that I would be sleeping on the trains and in the parks, digging food out of the trash, and hunting for cigarette butts. It was a major life adjustment and it felt like a nightmare I could never wake up from. Countless times I've asked myself: "Why am I living this way? Why am I doing this to myself? Do I hate myself that much?" The vicious cycle of depression is the main reason. I adapted to the bum life since I had no choice. I accepted my fate. I figured I must deserve this somehow.

For most of my life I've played the same broken tapes about how I'm not good enough. If you had any kind of mental health issues before, try dealing with it while being homeless. It makes everything 20 times worse. The stress, anxiety, paranoia and depression is constant and there's no place to escape from the world. Add in past traumas which keep replaying on an endless loop. I understand why so many homeless people are crazy. This lifestyle would mess anyone up. Trying to maintain my sanity has been extremely difficult. I felt the most intense despair, self hatred and self loathing. The situation seemed abysmal, hopeless and impossible. I often wished I would die already to escape this misery. It's like the dark night of the soul.

Years ago I had a Section 8 voucher... I had no phone at the time and my case worker didn't do much to help me. I knew that finding a place would be damn near impossible. Many property owners don't want Section 8 tenants and if they are fine with it, then the buildings are usually in the worst part of town. I didn't make enough of an effort but I swear to God, every apartment listing I looked at was outdated. Everything which said available was already taken. So, the voucher expired and I spent more years being homeless. I gave up on getting housed. I figured it was hopeless and impossible. Depression has always hung over me like an oppressive dark cloud, so naturally I would think that way.

Fast forward to the present. I see that a lot of progress is being made toward getting people housed. (Or perhaps for the sake of political optics, it appears to be progress.) Other success stories gave me hope that it IS possible, so that motivated me to get my ass in gear. I applied for Section 8 a second time around and got approved. This process has caused me VERY severe anxiety. I was given a golden opportunity and I did not want to fuck this up. Because this might be my last chance, and it means the difference between finally being able to live a normal life, or spending the rest of my life on the streets. I am getting older and it's becoming harder to maintain my health. This way of life is very hard on mind, body and spirit. I had to become a soldier to survive.

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I feel like I needed someone to "hold my hand" to get through this process. I feel clueless, and trying to get into the right state of mind has been extremely difficult. I had to take pills for anxiety. At least my current case worker was more helpful than the previous one. I was praying very hard for a miracle and much to my amazement... I got approved for the apartment that I applied for. I thought I had a one in a million chance. I was totally expecting to get denied. If I got rejected, I probably would have given up the housing search and not bothered any further. Because that's what a negative, gloomy pessimist I am.

So, this means that I can start a brand new chapter and leave the bum life behind. The nightmare is finally over. I will no longer be a vagrant. I feel like this is too good to be true. I haven't even signed the lease or gotten the keys yet, and I'm already worried about how it's going to get taken away somehow. The apartment is like a palace, and I feel like I won the lottery. I don't want to celebrate prematurely. It's a blessing for sure, but it can be revoked just as easily. My mind is going a mile a minute, worried about how something will mess this up. Someday I want to write a book about these experiences. Homelessness was not entirely negative. I figured I gained something from it... depth, soul, character, wisdom, and so on. Every cloud has a silver lining!

Hey everyone I’ve posted a couple times here but just wanted to say God is good & don’t ever give up! I was gifted a room for $305 and it’s legit with a contract & everything !

It’s ran by a Christian man & he’s been a great soul thus far, I’ve been struggling with off and on homelessness since 17 & I’m about to be 25 now

I was so afraid of spending my 25th birthday homeless & now I have what I’ve been praying for for so long! Keep faith in yourself !!

So this morning I’ve become homeless I’m currently trying to walk to Fort Worth but with a bad knee I can’t walk to far. I found a bridge I can sleep under and I’m going to use my last 30$ to get a cheap tent from Walmart. Honestly I’m scared.

So there I was, standing on the corner of Main Street with a cardboard sign I’d found behind a Starbucks. It read, “Why lie? Need money for tacos.” Surprisingly, it worked like a charm. By the end of the day, I had a pocketful of change and a pretty impressive knowledge of people’s favorite taco spots.

One guy pulled up in a Tesla, rolled down his window, and handed me a $5 bill. “Best taco joint? Go to Juan’s Tacos. Life-changing.” He paused. “But, you know… don’t spend it all on tacos.”

Another lady gave me a granola bar and an unsolicited lecture on the benefits of quinoa. I nodded politely and stashed it in my bag—emergency snack for later.

But the highlight of my day? A dude in a Hawaiian shirt pulled over, handed me a marker, and said, “Bro, your sign game is weak. You gotta spice it up if you wanna rake it in.” He then proceeded to give me a masterclass in sign slogans. By the end of our impromptu seminar, my new sign read:

“I bet you can’t hit me with a quarter.”

That one had people laughing so hard they couldn’t resist digging into their pockets. Sure, one guy threw a dime, but hey, it’s the thought that counts.

I’m currently in a hotel rn but in two days I’ll Be down to zero dollars and won’t be able to afford it.

I’m 21 and got kicked out my parents house but I still have a job just nowhere to stay. It’s winter and I can’t stay outside I just need a place to sleep.

I’m scared to go to a shelter because I heard of people fighting getting stabbed and their stuff stolen

Why do I have to keep living if I didn't ask to be born in the first place?

My body is so sore all the time I'm either working sleeping on a bench or on the train I sleep sitting or in a ball I think everything has tightened because I have been sleeping stretched out and have no wear to stretch. But working with this much pain is so hard. I feel like I'm never going to get out of this.

As the title suggest I need tips for living in a car, I’m a 25f and I lost my job a few weeks ago and have had no luck getting a new job lately because of my criminal record, I was released 8 months ago and everything was going alright until I lost my job then on December 7th I got into a car accident and my car was totaled. So I’ve been renting a car and doing DoorDash from a friends account to earn money for the rental car and for gas and food and for rent, but my landlord is evicting me because he found someone else who is willing to pay more than I am for the room I rent. He gave me a 3 day notice and said he doesn’t owe me an eviction notice or 30 days because we have no lease. He also told me if I don’t leave by tomorrow that he’ll call the cops and charge me for trespassing knowing that I have a record and that I’m on probation it won’t end well for me. So I’m currently packing my things and I don’t know what to do or where to go. I applied for public housing and low income based apartments in my area but the waiting lists are long and they told me it can take anywhere between 6 months to a year to hear from PHA or the low income apartments. I don’t know what to do or how to live in a car. Any tips would help… where I could shower, where to sleep, etc… I don’t have any family or friends I could stay with so that’s out of the question.

A couple days ago, a couple of homeless men set up a camp walking distance from my home. What should I do to help them? Or should I not do anything, and just smile and make eye contact when I walk by, and let them say anything they want to?

Hello, I'm 20F soon to be freshly homeless at some point, I live in South Florida. Where I am there isn't any immediate help for youth unless I travel away from my city, and I can't because I have two jobs, and I start school in January. I decided even though I'm not going to have help, I'm going to stay and do what I have to do. My mother is kicking me out because she's decided she isn't "obligated" to take care of a 20 y.o. (My older brother (M22) is a very difficult person and he pretty much drove her over the edge, so he's now jeapordized my living space, and she's moving in with her boyfriend.) I also take care of myself, I never asked for anything unless I really needed it, and never pushed if she said no. I also told her to tell me if she needs things but she has to remind me, (I have ADHD), but she said she isn't, "obligated to do that". If your first thought is, this sounds like someone who just never wanted kids, you're right, she tried to give me away when I was born, but my family found out and stopped her. Which I really wish they didn't.

Anyways, any advice for staying safe? I said I'd just move around, try to get a car but I need to learn to drive first. Stay somewhere that's open 24hrs at night so yk, I don't get killed or trafficked, and sleep there or just during the day if they'll allow me since most likely I'll be doing my schoolwork and getting breakfast so their time won't be wasted until I'm on the road again.

My last option is my grandma but, that's a risk to even ask, my aunts already stay with her with their kids, and she seems annoyed with even that. And even though I understand, I think the answer would still sting.

I do know I plan on blocking my mother, brother and her boyfriend before leaving because I don't need that energy.

I'm going to keep working my two jobs to ensure I have cash, and I'm going to do my two years at school and transfer to university where I'll have a dorm.

Any advice would be nice 👌 tysm.

I'm thinking a southeast us state.

Hi so I’ve been couch hoping / staying at friends in cali im not originally from here. I’ve been trying to look for work but can’t find nothing.

I guess her and her mom got into an argument while I was in the room and the mom had said how I don’t think ur friend wants to work which isn’t true I’ve gone to apply but don’t get anything back etc. I’ve even gone walking 4 hours away to look for work. I understand they have their own bills problems etc. I barley eat they food so they could have enough I mean it’s like 14 people in house.

I even told my friend before if it was a problem I could go to my state and go shelter. If me being here was too much.

As for that after her and her mom argued my friend said she’s going to move soon bc she dosent want to keep arguing with her mom.

That’s fine but what kind of bag or duffel bag should I get to fit my things im thinking of thanking them and taking a greyhound back to my state so I could try a shelter or what no I don’t have much and already got rid of some what what I can’t carry I’m 4”11 so what kind of bag should I get ? Or duffle bag.

Also what kind of questions should I ask the shelter that I’m trying to go to ?

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/i-may-end-up-in-tears-telling-my-story-how-a-former-mpp-and-toronto/article_eba3406c-b5c7-11ef-a0db-f3304969008b.html?utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_source=Twitter

Lost my job and place to stay. Ended up homeless for what seems like the millionth and 1/2 time. Ready to start over somewhere. Get a new job and save for a room. Looking for resources in Nashville. I have nothing but a lot of hope that I can make it out of this and make next year the best one yet..

It's heartbreaking. Sorry, guess I can't post links in this sub in the OP. I just wanted to share so there's more awareness, especially for people like me that need to do more.

https://projects.propublica.org/impact-of-homeless-sweeps-lost-belongings/

For his 21st birthday back in 2019, Jaden Smith, son of famed actor Will Smith, decided to celebrate with the launch of his series of ‘I Love You’ vegan food trucks that provide free, healthy, and sustainable meals to the homeless community of Skid Row in Los Angeles.

Now, 22-year-old Smith wants to expand his food truck movement to a full-blown vegan restaurant that will continue to give free meals to the unsheltered. If you’re not homeless, don’t worry, you can still eat at Smith’s restaurant, but according to him, “not only do you have to pay, but you have to pay for more than the food’s worth so that you can pay for the person behind you.”

Smith hasn’t yet revealed when his new restaurant will open nor where it will be located, but he’s instructed his followers to “keep a lookout.”

On top of his vegan food truck initiative, Smith and his father own the Just Water company that addresses the contamination of the main water system in Flint, Michigan. He’s also in collaboration with 501CTHREE.org’s Water Box project that provides access to clean water for communities in need.

The young actor and musician hopes that his two-year-long effort to feed disadvantaged communities will “[give] people what they deserve, healthy vegan food for free.” There is a lot of talk about how the maintenance of a healthy and sustainable life is not as accessible to the underprivileged. Smith’s vegan food trucks work to close this gap by feeding thousands of people in Los Angeles, as well as the unsheltered in Harlem, New York.

https://www.optimistdaily.com/2021/05/jaden-smith-expands-free-vegan-food-truck-into-a-restaurant-for-the-homeless/

So I was booted out my home I been couch jumping for a lil over 4 months.

I had a friend who said I could stay with her and her family ( only problem was she was a state away. )

She came got me im here now have yet to find a job and her mother keeps bringing up me not being able to find job. I mean this is cali employment is tight. I’ve gone to every store nothing. I get told apply online I had 1 interview just to not get a call back.

I’ve expanded outside the area but nothing still I went to an agency the first month I got here the ladies didn’t seem to want to actually help. I haven’t gotten a call from said agency.

Each time im in the room she ask if I found a job yet. Y’all idk how much longer I have to stay here. But what more can I do?

I’ve tried telling my friend I can go to a shelter but she was like no we can find something here. However im genuinely the one looking for work. Like we barley talk as friends it’s she goes to work or out with her friends. I told her if it was to much for me be here I could go shelter. Idk what to do

I've always told myself i'd never post, on reddit, but here i am. i'm not sure if im writing just to vent or hoping for some advice that might be able to help me in the long run.

I am 21 years old, and was not born in the state that i am in. my mother moved us here when i was in 6th grade and we lived with my grandparents for years. eventually my aunt had my grandparents removed from my mother's care, claiming that she was unfit to care for them — and following those events the terror begun. my mother suffered from multiple strokes and was beginning to lose the ability to make decisions for herself, but no matter how many times i tried to tell the doctors this or try to find a way to have her marked as mentally incompetent, the doctors would always say she was fine. despite hardly knowing where she was or what she was doing.

in the end, she ended up getting scammed by some man on facebook that had tactfully managed to convince my mother to sell my childhood home. in doing so, my mother thought she was going to be taken away by some white knight in shining armor. but the only thing she was taken away by was the police, as they had her admitted to a nursing home.

i was almost 18 at the time this happened, but my mother refused to give me my documents at the time; likely as a way to force me to stay in contact with her. i did everything i could to retrieve them from her, but while she was staying at the nursing home she was no longer allowed to pay her phone bill and we lost contact.

over the past four or so years ive been struggling with homelessness, primarily because i dont have a form of identification. no social security card, no birth certificate, no medicaid card or ID. ive been asking and seeking help from DSS, SSA, and just about any government assistance i can get, but for years ive been being told there's nothing that can be done without going to my birth state, because i dont my ssc or ssn. and if you know anything about homelessness, you know its hard to find a ride to a grocery store, let alone a six hour drive to a state over.

my fiancée has done everything in his power to support us, but here recently he can't find a job no matter how hard he's tried. he's applied to every place imaginable, and been rejected, ghosted or just flat out ignored.

i'm currently in the process of trying to obtain certified medical records that i can take to my local SSA office, in hopes of getting my social security card and maybe getting started with the process of getting my ID, but for the time being me and my fiancée will have to live on the streets.

i suffer from asthma, pots and multiple other physical conditions that make me extremely nervous to be doing this, and wondering if ill even make it out of this alive. we've run out of couches to surf, and cars to hunker down in. to make things worse, when i first moved down here i say a few homeless people wandering around, and now ive not seen them in months. while i hope theyve found somewhere safe to call home, i fear they've been run off or hurt and if thats going to happen to me and my fiancée. advice, or even just comforting words are appreciated at this time.

https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_24_327

Washington, D.C. has seen a 12% increase in homelessness since last year, according to a report from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which also said the number of people served by housing programs reached an all-time high this year.

I am from the DMV but this is no Shocker or no surprised tbh this has been going on in this area for years we all know this my thing is they doing all this highlighting but no resources coming that needs to be addressed . Keep raising the prices but still screaming there’s homeless rising yeah it’s going to continue to increase and increase till your whole block full Of tents all the way down and going to end up camping out on the officials office . On top Of that these warehouses over capacity no help in the warehouses then we gotta wait till Next year cause they off for the holidays more back Up lists waitlists still going all the way back seven years no answers . Can’t trust the gov to help you gotta battle this thing spirtually

https://wjla.com/amp/news/local/homelessness-washington-dc-homeless-people-housing-poverty-addiction-organizations-central-union-mission-jobs-shelters-meals-lunches-dinner-assistance-dc-dmv