Living in a vehicle shares many of the same qualities and responsibilities as living in a house. It requires maintenance, care-taking, cleaning. Done properly, a casual onlooker shouldn't be able to tell that you've been residing in your car.
Take the time to learn a few basic auto repairs. Know how to change a tire, replace a spark plug, and even change your own oil. Keep a handful of tools in the vehicle as well, relevant to your make and model of car. If something happens to your car that you're unable to fix yourself, don't be ashamed to ask those close to you for help. It's nearly certain that anything they charge you will be a lot less than what an auto shop would. If your problem is even beyond what your contacts can repair, it may be that an auto shop is your only other option. It will likely cost you a pretty penny, but keeping warm and mobile should be worth the money.
Next thing to worry about is on-board sanitation. Trash can collect very easily in such a small area, and it would behoove you to make sure your vehicle is tidy. Every square inch of space is valuable, so don't squander it collecting garbage. There are several additional benefits to having a tidy vehicle as well. Part of being homeless is learning to blend in with common society, and having a clean car helps facilitate that. It also allows for the carrying of passengers, should you have a need to do so. Pests can sniff out a meal in almost any condition, even inside of a messy vehicle; keeping out the trash means keeping out the mice.
Be careful when choosing where to park your vehicle. Avoid residential areas if at all possible - all it takes is one overly-suspicious homeowner putting in a call to the police to ruin your whole night. Remote and isolated areas are also undesirable, as there's no security from someone willing to try to break into your car. Try to find somewhere with proper lighting and a healthy amount of traffic, but make sure that it's somewhere you can park with impunity. Personal tip: I tend to look for places where truckers park their semis overnight; truck stops and rest areas are ideal for me. If you're staying in a city for more than a couple days, try finding several places that meet your requirements for parking overnight. Staying in one area for too long is bound to catch someone's attention, so rotate through your areas to keep suspicion low.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Writer Undergoing Maintenance
I will not be posting an entry this week. Expect a new entry next Wednesday.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Pre-Homelessness Prep
In the four times I have been homeless, it has never once occurred overnight. There had always been a buffer between the deciding event and the actual homelessness. That brief window is crucial to ensure that you start your adventure off on the right foot.
First thing you need to worry about is clutter. You are going to have to trim your house-full of possessions down to what you absolutely need to survive. It's a daunting task I'm certain, but once you consider your basic needs of food, warmth, and shelter, you'll find that most of what you own will be of little use on the road. Any small multitasker is going to be a necessity (folding knife, thermos, backpack, water bottle), as will several sets of clothes (I tend to keep a week's worth of summer wear in my trunk, along with a day's worth of long-sleeve stuff, during mild weather and vice versa) and non-perishable ready-to-eat foods (if you can spare the space and money for some kind of camp stove it will drastically increase what you can haul/eat). I can't say anything for the female side of hygiene, but I know that men really only need soap, shaver, comb, and toothbrush (anything more is entirely up to you, but I cannot stress enough the need for packing light). A few entertainment items can be brought along so one has something to do in their downtime.
So what do you do with what's left over? You can either sell it via yard sale, consignment, Craigslist, etc. or you can stick it some form of storage if you're lucky enough to have it available to you. Personally, I would sell as much of it as I could save for items of great sentimental value (if any), then donate what I didn't sell to Goodwill. Any money you can have stashed before becoming mobile will make things a bit easier for awhile.
There's no real way to mentally prepare yourself for homelessness, or at least not one that I've found. Each person handles it differently, and there's no way to know what you'll experience until you get out there. But later I'll talk about ways to handle the stress and sadness that comes with the territory.
It's also important to network with others as much as possible before you become homeless. The more people you know, the more potential resources you have available to you in an emergency. NOTE: This is NOT me telling you to take advantage of your friends and family. Just know that close kith and kin will generally be willing to help you in some fashion when asked, though each individual is different in how, what, or how much they can offer in assistance. And don't be put out if you are turned down; times are hard for everyone. An extended network can provide rumors about potential jobs, food, shelter, and other services that may not make the public eye. I'll discuss that more in a future post.
Lastly, make sure you have a viable and stable method of communication with the outside world. A cell phone is ideal, but you may not have the funds to continue paying for minutes. I personally rely on email, as I have a laptop and can check it several times a day. I also communicate using virtually every internet-based service out there. (Also, if your funds allow, take out a P.O. Box. Government services such as food stamps require a mailing address, and they will turn you away if you don't have one.)
Every situation is different, but hopefully I've provided enough information here to get you ready to face your upcoming challenges.
-Adam
First thing you need to worry about is clutter. You are going to have to trim your house-full of possessions down to what you absolutely need to survive. It's a daunting task I'm certain, but once you consider your basic needs of food, warmth, and shelter, you'll find that most of what you own will be of little use on the road. Any small multitasker is going to be a necessity (folding knife, thermos, backpack, water bottle), as will several sets of clothes (I tend to keep a week's worth of summer wear in my trunk, along with a day's worth of long-sleeve stuff, during mild weather and vice versa) and non-perishable ready-to-eat foods (if you can spare the space and money for some kind of camp stove it will drastically increase what you can haul/eat). I can't say anything for the female side of hygiene, but I know that men really only need soap, shaver, comb, and toothbrush (anything more is entirely up to you, but I cannot stress enough the need for packing light). A few entertainment items can be brought along so one has something to do in their downtime.
So what do you do with what's left over? You can either sell it via yard sale, consignment, Craigslist, etc. or you can stick it some form of storage if you're lucky enough to have it available to you. Personally, I would sell as much of it as I could save for items of great sentimental value (if any), then donate what I didn't sell to Goodwill. Any money you can have stashed before becoming mobile will make things a bit easier for awhile.
There's no real way to mentally prepare yourself for homelessness, or at least not one that I've found. Each person handles it differently, and there's no way to know what you'll experience until you get out there. But later I'll talk about ways to handle the stress and sadness that comes with the territory.
It's also important to network with others as much as possible before you become homeless. The more people you know, the more potential resources you have available to you in an emergency. NOTE: This is NOT me telling you to take advantage of your friends and family. Just know that close kith and kin will generally be willing to help you in some fashion when asked, though each individual is different in how, what, or how much they can offer in assistance. And don't be put out if you are turned down; times are hard for everyone. An extended network can provide rumors about potential jobs, food, shelter, and other services that may not make the public eye. I'll discuss that more in a future post.
Lastly, make sure you have a viable and stable method of communication with the outside world. A cell phone is ideal, but you may not have the funds to continue paying for minutes. I personally rely on email, as I have a laptop and can check it several times a day. I also communicate using virtually every internet-based service out there. (Also, if your funds allow, take out a P.O. Box. Government services such as food stamps require a mailing address, and they will turn you away if you don't have one.)
Every situation is different, but hopefully I've provided enough information here to get you ready to face your upcoming challenges.
-Adam
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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