I suppose I would live in a bus station while I worked an unpaid internship at a prestigeous brokerage house. Then I would bust my ass so that I would be the one out of twenty or so candidates who is picked to come work full time as a stockbroker.
Yeah, but you’d need a scrappy, doe-eyed son who has been abandoned by his mother and develop skill at mindlessly solving the Rubik’s Cube in under forty seconds.
Stranger
From scratch, I would create my own job. I would go door to door selling my abilities (house repair, mowing the lawn, etc…). When I was a kid I use to clean shopping center lots. They would give me bags to fill and I would pick up trash.
I would live in one of the local shelters while saving the money for a place to live and then apply for a real job once I have an address. When I have enough credit I would buy a used mobile home, pay that off and use it as part of a down payment on a fixer-upper house (which is how I bought my house).
To get to my financial position would require job-hopping or working 2 jobs and a lot of pb&j’s. Basically it would require earning more money and spending less. I would also work on the weekends at a flea market selling whatever crap the public wants to buy.
I would be starting in California and work my way around the world (oops, better grab my passport) getting passage how ever I could across the the oceans.
Really? It’s insulting to advice people to find ways to preempt a financial disaster? If there truly were no way to save even smaller amounts of money, reduce expenses, etc., then it would degrade them to think about other approaches such as developing stronger ties with families, friends, churches, or other organizations which could help them for a short time?
There are different reasons for homelessness and different remedies to the situation. I feel worst for those who are addicted and homeless. They have a harder time putting a plan together and sticking with it.
- Work for a labor pool.
Not yet at Step 4.
I have done a version of this but I had some money. I don’t know the whole solution but I have used some tricks. I live in a semi-rural area but it is only a 3 mile walk before you hit some businesses and then there are lot of other businesses within a couple of miles. The main trick is to use hotel services to stay clean. One that I know of has showers in the pool area and they are always open. You can also use the bathroom in a few areas with no problem.
Maintaining hygiene takes very little money and can be free. Just ask for an emergency hygiene pack at the hotel front desk and you will get a toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream and soap. They aren’t going to cross-check if you are staying there for something so simple. I have done this a few times myself but don’t ask me why. It works great. You would have to me super poor to only have one set of clothes. If that is really the case, there are thrift stores with decent clothes and, if it gets really bad, I know of a clothing donation drop-off that you could pillage.
Other options are even easier. You could find an AA meeting and ask for someone to help with your basic needs. Most likely, someone will. Churches are another good option. You then just bug the shit out of people for any job until you get one. Temp agencies are also good. Within a month or two, you should be able to buy a crappy car which you can live in close to work. Food is easy as well. Just go to McDonalds and buy two - three things off of their dollar menu each day. It won’t be good for you but it will keep you alive even if you lose weight. Libraries are a good place to hang out and have free internet access.
I don’t think this is a hard problem is very hard if you brainstorm and are willing to exploit things that are available. It would be very hard to starve to death in the U.S. if you are of sound body and mind.