Dude if you’re homeless and don’t have any severe mental issues, and if you’re sleeping in alleys and eating out of dumpsters…you have failed, even at being homeless.
If you got creativity and boldness you can find access to free food, showers and other facilities, comfy places to sleep, and places to store your shit.
There is definately a such thing as a well groomed homeless person. A catch is that you have to start off as a well groomed (and relatively attractive and relatively young) homeless person to stay one, you must blend in to do the above, obviously.
I have been homeless for the last ten days and not because of abuse or drugs, but because of ignorance. I have an anxiety disorder that does not prevent me from working, but causes me to be choosy when seeking work environments. For three years I had a job in security where I was inundated by the public. Being an introvert and having an anxiety disorder made ever moment feel like an emotional ticking time bomb. I didn’t explode, but I did get terminated, I believe due to my anxiety and how it compromised my decision making process. I left on good terms but, in the eyes of my family, fired is fired. For the last two years it has been an up hill climb in trying dissuade them of their myopic point view. Unlike Sysyphus, however, I have never been able to get to the top of that hill.
Ignorance? Well, my family does not understand, they think I am either lazy or mentally incompetent and I need to become dependent on the State. I don’t believe I am lazy and my college degree tells me that I am not mentally incompetent, I just have a disability. Unfortunately, because it’s intangible and exists only in my mind, my family is unable and frankly unwilling to understand it. Before I go on, I want to make it clear that I very much wish to be self-sustaining and not a ward of the State. Anyway, you might be asking how did I become homeless? Well, for a whole year I collected unemployment and in the eyes of my family that is tantamount to having a scarlet letter on your chest. Over the past year, I have held a few temp jobs which only lasted a few weeks. So, because they think I am lazy, they told me that they cannot in good conscience let me live with them. During this time I have been crashing at my Alma Mater only because a shelter would exacerbate my anxiety and frankly I don’t have a lot of street smarts.
In my mid thirties is this where I thought I would be? No and I am not sure where I am going which frankly is very scary.
I can’t post a snarky zombie joke here because I’m so sorry for the person who revived this thread.
Quite a few homeless will have a membership at a gym where they can shower each day. The YMCA has low cost showers as well.