Prologue

This prologue is just going to briefly touch on several subjects I'll be covering in the next few weeks. Please remember that this is all subjective advice, based upon my personal experiences.

1. Start preparing for homelessness as soon as you sense that it might happen to you. Get your affairs in order, trim down your possessions to only what you absolutely need, start stockpiling non-perishable ready-to-eat foods, save as much money as you can, et cetera. Every bit of prep you can do beforehand is less you have to worry about while on the road.
2. Get a car. Doesn't matter what it looks like or if it even runs. A car is shelter, storage, and warmth. If it runs, make sure it stays that way. If it doesn't, get it there. Every bit of money you can scrape together that isn't going to imminent basic needs should be going to getting the car up and running. I've been lucky enough to have a car most of the time I've been homeless; the one time I didn't was during a winter in Wisconsin, and I would have killed to have even a non-working auto.
3. Be wary of offered help. When you are a have-not, it's tempting to jump at any offer that appears to help your current situation. I have a homeless friend that just recently had her saved money swindled by a co-worker offering her a place to live. Be informed. If someone is wanting something in return for their help, make damn certain the person is trustworthy and the help is worth giving up your precious commodity.
4. Figure out the root cause of your homelessness. If you are unemployed, just getting a roof over your head isn't going to solve your problem. It'll help temporarily, but if you can't pay the bills you'll end up right back up on the street.
5. Problems tend to snowball quickly. When something crops up, take care of it as quickly as possible. You've got enough to worry about without the added troubles.
6. Try to stay positive. This is exceptionally difficult for some and fairly easy for others, it just depends on your overall mindset. Do little things to get your mind off of your situation. Go for walks in the park. Sit in the library and read. Sit and people-watch if that's what interests you. Your job may be to solve your homelessness issue, but no job makes you work 24/7.