Then check with your city and county to see if they offer rent subsidies to low income people.
All I need is a computer and internet access and I can probably pay our bills. I would like to leave this area as it is very expensive but I really need to stay. My youngest is getting free preschool and all kinds of district help that took months to get. My eldest is in the gifted and talented program. I can’t take my kids away from this great school district unless we have no other choice. At worst, we have two rooms with a full bath in the back I could rent out to get more cash. I could scout up even more writing work, cut the food bill to a bare minimum and avoid any treats like vacations. I’d need to manage only for another six years or so.
My bro is a a fuck up who lives with my dad. Dad’s a crazy and scary old man. My husband’s bro has no room and I would rather be living in a tent than beg anything from his bitchy mom. So family’s out. The only thing we might be able to do is plead with my nice neighbors to stay in their basement.
The whole thing really is scary now that I think about it. I don’t know about Fitzgerald’s second acts in American lives but it sure seems as if there are no safety nets.
There’s usually a long waiting list for these, especially if you live in a large, metropolitan area. However, put yourself on the list because as the economy improves, a number of people will drop off the list. Also, many cities have “emergency housing” to get people into shelter. What defines emergency? That varies by community.
I’d go with a small RV or camper. You can find them pretty cheap - easily as little as a van - and you get more space/accommodations. IIRC, Wal-mart lets you park on their lots for free, and it makes things much less intrusive if you’re staying with family/friends, though the neighbors might not care for it.
In our case, we have a family crash pad. My grandmother put in her will that her house be kept as a place to stay for anyone who’s fallen on hard times. This has had some pros (my sister had a place to stay when she got divorced, a cousin who moved back into town lived there until she found her own house) and cons (it’s steadily going downhill as no one will pay to fix anything, my brother’s been there since she died and won’t do shit).
Wife gave me the boot after a blowout for a while, packed enough clothing, tools and ppe to be able to work, dropped it onto a shopping cart, and walked to train station, went to urban centre. Couch surfed one night, found cheapest weekly rates hotel above strip club. Bought bare minimum food, apples, bananas, bread, bologna, bag of rice. Got hotplate and small, sturdy saucepot. One travel mug and thermos, drink crystals and instant coffee. Bought cheap chicken, ground beef etc. day to day. Found cheapest possible places to eat, took any job that paid. Lived like an animal, but hey.
Was in talks for a small bachelor in a converted industrial unit, was cheapest:ghettoest (cromulent) ratio I was willing to go. Would have worked pretty handily, but patched things with my wife.
I will admit, I am blessed to be a spry fellow, capable of walking great distances/working long hours. Very blessed for it.
Hope it helps, and best of luck to everyone.
Sorry for double, forgot to add… did laundry by showering with clothing underfoot. Buy robust, all-black clothing, it works out suprisingly well.
I’d move back with my mom. She’d appreciate the company. If I needed to stay at school, though, I’d just sleep in my office or the grad student lounge. I could shower at the school’s gym. I’d have free wireless internet that’s faster than my current internet. The lack of privacy would suck, but it’d be more than livable, at least short-term.
That being said, any situation where I’d be homeless would probably involve my not being in school anymore. So…back with my mom!