Archived

-
This site is no longer being updated. I keep it live because all of the information here was written either while I was homeless or very shortly after I got off the street (with the exception of this post).

It's sister site, the San Diego Homeless Survival Guide is also archived, but is in less of a deep freeze than this site. It is no longer having new content added, but I occasionally edit existing content for various reasons (usually formatting and typos).

I still write about homelessness. You might be interested in these other sites of mine:

Popular posts from this blog

Hotel Stays, Especially in Inclement Weather

-
I hate the shelter system and have never used it. I once started the intake process at one when there was an incoming snow storm. Ultimately, we just asked for a change of clothes for each of us and a shower for me. Then we left and went to seek a sheltered spot to camp, which we successfully found and spent the night perfectly comfortable -- far more comfortable than if we had been in the shelter, where the discomfort may have been more about social crap and other people controlling us than about physical comfort. But, I don't know. I am not convinced we would have been physically comfortable in the shelter either, with all the limitations they expected us to abide by. However, we have had kind strangers put us up in a hotel a few times when I was ill or the weather was bad or whatever. In my experience, this is a far more civilized means to help homeless people than the shelter system. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect the shelter system to go away any time soon. But...
Read more

Affordable Housing

-
A high percentage of people on the street have serious medical or mental health issues. This often fuels addictions and then the general public concludes that homeless people are all alcoholics, addicts and crazy people and it either is basically their fault or there isn't much that can really be done because we don't know how to cure insanity. In short, it gets dismissed as a personal problem, not a symptom of a systemic problem. But, homelessness is on the rise nationwide. So, it really doesn't make sense to act like homelessness is merely caused by individuals being irresponsible or unfortunate. This is clearly a systemic problem. In the 1950s, new homes were around 1200 sq. ft. and housed an average of about 3.5 people. These days, new homes are around 2500 sq. ft. and house around 2.5 people. They also have more amenities, such as appliances. Meanwhile, homelessness is on the rise and the availability of affordable housing has been shrinking for decades. Additional...
Read more

Social Connections

-
Most homeless people are not simply poor, they are people whose lives have come unraveled. This is not something that happens simply because you lost your job or even because you drink too much. The fabric of their lives has come undone and a large piece of that is the social fabric. Lots of people have some sort of personal crisis without ending up on the street. For example, you can lose your job and not wind up homeless because your spouse has a job or family takes you in until you can get back on your feet. People who are homeless are people who have not just run out of money, but have also run out of all of those kinds of options as well. In fact, hard to solve social problems are often a root cause of homelessness. Some people wind up homeless because they are fleeing an abusive situation, and they have nowhere else to go. So, this isn't necessarily a case of someone being difficult themselves and wearing out their welcome with all of their friends and relatives. Some peop...
Read more