Do I get to keep my guitar? Because I’d return to busking and hope to make $50 in a couple of hours, which I used to do when I was young and cuter. Would take myself to government offices in the hope of getting some relief and leads on cheap shelter. Sleeping outdoors is no problem; getting up after, that’s huge and achy. If I may presume I could grab some truncated version of my emergency go-bad, would have tarp, rope, blanket, water, food bars, really awful tasting food bars. After that, I’m toast.
I was homeless few years ago. Went to a shelter for a few months, got a job which let me stay at a motel half the month and a friend’s the other. That made it impossible to save. Finally housing came through. Slept a few nights at a bus shelter.
Do I still have my credit card or any money at all? Do I still have my vacant block of land? Am I caring for myself only or do I still have kids and partner?
For immediate shelter I would sleep in my car. If I could, I would buy some bedding that fits in the back (station wagon). If I don’t have any money for this, I would sell my guitars and keyboard.
My first thought for work would be to go back to what I was doing second half of last year, sorting freight for a courier company.
Would there be an application form to fill out, and would they require a home address?
They already have my details from working with them previously. If they needed it again I’d just give them the same details again.
I know my post about buying a van may have come across as a bit flippant, and yes, the part about living “down by the river” was a joke, but the rest was serious. Assuming I still had my car and my camping gear, I’d trade the car for a van and live in it. And maybe adopt a nomadic lifestyle like Frances McDormand’s character in Nomadland.
I was wondering the same thing about applying for government assistance. If you don’t have an address for them to send correspondence to, how exactly do you get your assistance?
I have a lot of clients who find themselves suddenly homeless, sometimes with no one who can take them in. Those who have cars usually sleep in them. Fast food joints have toilets, and sometimes there’s a friend or relative who will let them come in for a shower even if they can’t stay there. Those who don’t have cars sometimes go to shelters, but some feel safer on the streets. There are a lot of tent encampments almost everywhere in LA. Though it’s still possible to die of exposure, the climate here is mild enough that other people are usually a bigger threat than the elements.
There are post offices that “sell” addresses. Yes, they’re just post office boxes, but they write to address to look like a real physical address.
So PO Box #1 would become 123 John Smith Lane, Unit 001 (as an example). I think this would be easier for Dopers because we could actually look this up, or ask other Dopers for this info.
What would a simple Google map search turn up for such an address?
The UPS Store #191
427 Princess St
Kingston, Ontario, K7L 5S9
Phone: 613-549-4224
This was just one example. This doesn’t look like Google, but their store finder. (Also I just noticed this was in Canada. I chose New York as an example!)
So I looked at Google and it’s obviously some sort of business address. It listed the most common businesses there, including UPS. It might seem like a condo complex with a business section for the lower floors.
The kids are on their own so:
Put everything I treasure in storage at a family’s place and sell/give away the rest. Sell my cars. Put on my hiking boots and fill my duffel bag with changes of clothes and toiletries. Start walking east picking up odd jobs that pay me enough to make it to the next place Somehow make it over the oceans eastward. If and when I make it back to Denver, I’ll figure out my next move.
Go to a shelter and use their computer to
- find a WOOFing or similar community with reach of a ride share or bus ticket. Grow organic vegetables and live in the dorm.
or
- make aliyah and become an Israeli. Work on a kibbutz if nothing else.
Another work option would be fruit picking. New Zealand has a shortage of fruit pickers at the moment and accomodation is often included in the arrangement.
Sounds feasible.
Truly, I can’t imagine that no friend or relative would take me in. I am lucky. But if that were the case…
If eventual eviction were unavoidable but hadn’t happened yet, as soon as I saw the writing on the wall I’d start trying very hard to find work as a live-in nanny or housekeeper while I still had a home address for the applications. I’m middle-aged and would have no references, but if I came up with a good story and were willing to work for basically room and board (and moving expenses, if applicable) you never know.
If that didn’t work out in time, I have no idea. Are there other live-in jobs? Maybe there are nonprofits that might be willing to give me work in exchange for room and board…?
I have plenty of camping gear. I try to find a job while living in a state campsite perhaps using the Salvation Army or some other organization as an address. I’m not liking my long term prospects though.
Even back in the 80’s when I lived on the street, using such organizations as “home addresses” got your application round-filed immediately, because businesses had a printed list with those addresses highlighted. I imagine that with Google maps and the like, the simplest of background checks will separate real addresses from organizations and mail service places. Even fast food places will go through that much effort.
Are you specifically interested in how to get around not having a physical mailing address or is that just something emerging from the answers we are giving?
I have been involved in the hiring process at several businesses and I’ve never heard of anyone checking up on an applicant’s address. Nobody has time for that. Of course, I’ve only worked in two states so have no idea if our hiring practices are standard everywhere.
As a retired food stamp worker in Arizona I can answer this question for our state. The only time we ever checked someone’s physical address is in cases of suspected fraud. If you don’t have a physical address or a PO box, General Delivery is still a free service at the post office. Max food stamps was 192 per person when I retired, I understand it’s gone up a little since then.
I am interested in finding out if not having an actual physical address decreases the chances of an application being accepted nowadays, because it certainly did back when I was homeless.