The hypothetical here is that even though I’ve spent the last 35 years of my life working to ensure I have financial stability, every bit of it evaporates overnight, AND AT THE SAME TIME every friend and relative I have is refusing to even let me crash on their couch for a few nights.
It’s kind of out there.
Bear in mind that @kayaker is at least the third person in this thread to claim that suicide would be their chosen course of action. I think I was the second. Look at the scenario you’re proposing. We’re not talking about the typical situation in which someone gradually slides into a life of homelessness. You’ve asked what we would do if all of our resources - home, job, wealth, friends - were suddenly gone. Most of us have never dealt with anything close to that kind of deprivation, so to be abruptly thrust into it without any kind of street-survival learning curve and then expect none of us to so much as contemplate suicide is unrealistic.
It does not mean that any of us is advocating suicide as a blanket solution for the societal problem of homelessness.
OTOH, from the last few posters, I spent the better part of a decade barely hanging on, often paying my mortgage within a day or so of them foreclosing on me.
My current situation is better, but it is entirely tied to my business. If something happens to it, then I will lose everything I have, and still owe a whole lot more.
I don’t think that my parents or sister would let me crash with them, and I don’t think that I would want to.
So I have put quite a bit of thought into what I would do if I were to lose everything, as that’s been a bit of a Sword of Damocles basically for the last 20 years.
I think this kind of situation is what bankruptcy is for. Your debts would be restructured and you wouldn’t necessarily lose your housing. You could probably stay in your house provided you can find a way to pay a mortgage, like a traditional job. I would guess that if you own a business you probably have the skills necessary to be hired somewhere. Your finances will be really tight for a while and most extra cash will go towards repaying your debts, but I don’t think this sort of scenario would mean ending up homeless.
Nope, you’re fighting the hypothetical OP.
Yep. Apparently my SO and kids died somehow in the hypothetical. And then the OP has the balls to question my choice of suicide.
The possibility of becoming homeless has always been a fear. It’s what has kept me motivated to go to work.
I would try and find some place to setup a tent and campsite. My appearance would be a priority. It’s necessary to get a job. I would take any job that I could find. I could do carpentry and landscaping. Save every dollar that I could.
I would apply for public assistance. Let EBT pay for my food and I could save my earnings from part time work.
I remember it’s expensive to get into an apartment. There’s rent and utility deposits. Maybe a credit check. I’d eventually get back on my feet. But wouldn’t have the life that I currently live.
That would be my initial plan. The reality could be much worse. There’s a lot of homeless camps. Finding a secure place to pitch a tent wouldn’t be easy. The people already out there have already claimed the best public spaces.