What are "HOMELESS RULES" People Don't Know about? - Reddit Podcast

what are some rules about life as a homeless person that would surprise you when dumpster diving if you find a pair of shoes or clothes that aren't your size then you leave them neatly by the side of the dumpster for the next diver look out for each other and be good to each other we're all struggling so let's make it as good as we can for each other when I was homeless we paid for each other's food clothes and any other Essentials if one was truly in need honestly I think most people would be surprised by how much the poor take care of each other my family was homeless for a few months after coming to the US other immigrants gave us food clothing babysitting informal English lessons job leads and most importantly advice and guidance when my mother working as a house cleaner got a chance to clean out fridges she shared with other families with small children first my parents never ate anything before we ate they only ate what we didn't there were some thieves and general bad people but everyone knew who they were Shady employers were much worse and much harder to avoid a lot of business just exist to scam the poor and needy it's sickening in happier news I found some of the other families that helped us out on Facebook a few years ago and everyone is doing pretty well for themselves a kid I was friends with in the shelter is a professor at a well-known college and my parents own a business you don't beg on someone's Corner if they're already there my dad told me about the time he had to live homeless for a week for a class he was working toward being a Catholic Deacon he has a lot of stories from it but the one that St with me was his first night of being homeless he woke up covered in layers of cardboard with a rock on top to hold it in place the other homeless took care of him on his first night on the streets when I was in college my sociology professor gave us the option of being homeless in a big city for a weekend for extra credit I wonder if anyone ever took him up on that particular assignment uh that seems like a dangerous assignment that can result in a lawsuit he' probably make them sign a liability waiver one of my college professors made us drive through an ethnic neor neighborhood a ghetto and map it out we all had to sign a liability waiver exempting any danger including injury and death this was not an extra credit assignment either we had no real choice there's a certain level of tenure where apparently you can just send your students out into potentially dangerous situations for ships and Giggles then huh be wary of items given to you by other people my cousin counseled homeless youth for a few years and one of his favorites got sent to jail for accepting a gift of a cell phone the phone ended up being stolen out of the owner's car and had GPS attached to it the police found him with the phone and arrested him on the spot my cousin was called in as a character witness to testify on his behalf not sure what happened after that though sleep with your phone by your ball bag so if someone tries to rob you while you sleep they can't find your phone you share what you have with your group what goes around comes around if there are a group of you each person can stand on a different corner to bag and make far more than you would by yourself to homeless people normally group together it does seem like it would be safer that way I've been both solo and hanging out with a group each have their own pros and cons solo means you don't have to share do whatever you want easier to Hitch but in a group you aren't as lonely and you're safer from people who like to pick on the homeless how are you on Reddit dude I've heard it's next to impossible to break free from homelessness tell us your story if you will I use a smartphone in this day and age it's a huge resource for being homeless if you're lucky enough to get your hands on one that is I chose to leave home at 17 after an altercation with my mom she was a tweaker I packed a guitar and a sleeping bag and some clothes and headed for Portland after I got there I slept under Burnside near the mission as my first night out was an eye openening experience I played guitar to earn change for food and the occasional stay at a flop house then I started hitching to change the scenery that's a really long story I was out for about 4 years I'm lucky enough to have made a lot lot of good friends over the years and one of them is helping me get back on my feet still a pain in the butt finding a job but oh well respect your elders AKA don't f with the oldtimers oldtimers age-wise or homeless wise like who outranks who a guy in his mid-40s who had been homeless for a decade or a 60-year-old who had just lost his home usually the guys who've been there longer The 40-Year-Old guy out ranks the 60-year-old guy in this case but it wouldn't be well looked upon to F with the 60y old guy either unless there was some kind of rumor going around about him and unfortunately rumors don't need much verification for the homeless Community to believe them when it comes to the newcomers I lived on the streets in Seattle in 2000 and lived in shelters and transitional houses for many years after that I was 15 at the time and there was a pretty big homeless population there we had some weird rules I mostly lived on Broadway and each homeless group really had their own rules there were also the avants who lived up by the univers un they had a whole political system people were at the top and people were at the bottom you could also get kicked off the A and most of those kids would end up on Broadway almost everyone on Broadway was a junkie or gay and there were the downtown kids mostly young Foster runaways or kids with mental issues lots of jug down there so I guess we were sort of the crazy group the big one I remember is that you always take off your shoes when you sleep and if you sleep outside sleep on top of your bag and tuck your shoes under it sometimes my bag was way too packed to pull that off comfortably but people would take your shoes just to mess with you they'd call the annoying or new kids oogles but they wouldn't ever kick someone else out of the neighborhood like avats just too much smack going around really to have that kind of control probably the most offensive thing you can do is finding out where someone else whose homeless lives if you follow them they will stop and talk to you and if you just enter a squat Uninvited well it's really dangerous it was respectful to pretend like you didn't care where your friends went at night at at any point you can get Uninvited too you'll just be locked out that night they don't give a crap about where you're staying this isn't a pity party Broadway is pretty small too just about seven blocks long so people would Panhandle right next to you all the time if they weren't at least two shops away they were probably doing it to tee you off or it's just their normal spot like I always camped out in front of this Mexican place because they had awesome leftovers but it was absolutely uncool to sit or lie down around other homeless kids or stand on the side of the sidewalk the stores are on it's illegal on Broadway and doing that just attracts the cops I remember asking other homeless kids to stand all the time just because I was sick of getting picked up by the cops lots of theft too no real like idea of a moral code at all there although people would share their substances with you all the time that way they had someone to bug about sharing back when they didn't have any cash later on I lived at tenent city and still got stuff stolen from me quite often even though they have a decent Community there back story time i' moved down to Florida with a friend almost on a whim had about $1,000 saved up at the time he was going to get us out of the state and meet up with a girl who he later caught cheating on him and I'd just recently broken up and wanted a good escape from Minnesota after 2 months we were no longer welcomed at our arranged place to stay and I hadn't yet landed a job we had an apartment lined up but at this time I was already a few hundred short of the deposit check which had been written to secure an apartment already I'd already met a few people my age who were homeless and knew of an abandoned apartment complex with screened in porches I'd paid my phone bill 3 months in advance and had something about $120 of credit on the bill old candy bar phone minimal texting and low minutes plan but unlimited on nights and weekends that made it pretty easy to stay in contact with people and very essential for getting a job came to find out later that my friend never replaced the rent check which means I should have just stayed with him but I only found out after one of my former roommates up there had convinced me I needed to come back and whip the boys in the apartment into shape I paid her a full month's rent before moving out just so she would have some backup in case her boyfriend and the other roommate had issues still on the lease and Hurricane Katrina was coming those 90° palm trees I shipped what I couldn't carry on the bus back to my place and hopped on a Greyhound anyway my community's rule was if you're trying to run away from good parents and are underage we will make sure the police find you this kid was 15 and after talking with his friends we heard no reason for him to be running away just teenage angst made sure the police took him home and I left my cell phone number in case he ran away again just because I was homeless that didn't mean I didn't work two jobs would work about 56 hours a week at the gas station between two stores and then did the usual selling papers on the streets in the morning as a former homeless teen though I will say that I was welcomed with open arms I didn't come from a good home and so when I finally got kicked out and ran away kicked out at first then when I didn't come back they claimed me as a runaway I was shown how to get money where and when to sleep how to get food and the best diners to chill at during cold nights there's no way I would have made it myself if it wasn't for the help I got from fellow homeless people a lot of really striking stories here I can't get over how rampant homelessness seems in the US compared to other First World countries I've lived in even with the people in question working more than full-time in some cases I was 15 when I ran away from home because my mother threw a cast iron frying pan at my head I didn't even have the chance to grab my shoes or a good pair of pants and there were people who instantly helped me on my feet I was able to shelter a tent city by the end of the day I was directed to Three Square meals per day and from there my own place and my own life I was on the streets for a matter of 9 months my advice don't loan out anything you need to expect back you don't have to make friends with people to survive in fact it's often better if you don't know a lot of people just don't behave like a butthead to anybody you never know when they'll help out there's no need to burn a bridge before you have to cross it if someone is helping you out be super freaking polite about it a lot of shelter and programs have strict guidelines for how long you can use their programs if you're polite they might help you out a little Beyond theirs or they might use their contacts to get you in a better position moving forward to the next step if someone shares something with you if you can return the favor do it if you're a run away don't take anything with you that was paid for by your parents the cops can go after you as if you were a thief if you have to run then treat it like a clean break aim not to be homeless it can be fun just living on the street and not having expectations but your goal should be to get the freck out of there try to get your education in order get certifications and get yourself a job a lot of programs are available for the homeless take advantage of them don't do substances or get drunk I know that sounds like a written rule but there are a lot of homeless people who commune by getting trashed together or become homeless after picking up a habit freaking avoid this it's expensive both in time and money and most people aren't going to give you crap if you say no and they won't give you crap if you say yes your resp responsible for yourself you can submit your own stories to be featured here on the channel the story submission link is in the description below and if you want to listen to some viby music in the background check out easy mode also linked below and subscribe my brother who is mentally ill was homeless on the streets of DC he says the other homeless people got him food and forced him to eat it when he looked like he would starve because the voices in his head were telling him to avoid all food they also made sure he had shelter and generally kept his completely helpless butt alive for almost a year like someone else said I never had a problem with food anyway my rules were one find a group of people you can trust that's not easy to do by the way and stick with them two don't be the guy with the sign asking for money ever if you must ask for money state the reason why and if someone says instead of giving you the money I'll just pay for it myself and give it to you don't turn that down freaking ever three people think all homeless people are on on substances because that's the stereotype they're presented with do your best not to blend in with those people you'd be amazed at what people are willing to do if you're making an honest attempt at getting on your feet and you do your best to present yourself that way for don't do anything stupid to get money like crime or doing the deed with people for money you will regret it and don't be a freaking rat on people who do do it that crap will get you killed remember a lot of the people in your world are off the grid five if you're getting nowhere in the city you're in get out of there there's always someone headed your way six never ever turn down a chance to do some work never that may be an opportunity to get you started again seven even if you're not religious if a religious family offered you a place to stay sometimes if you go to church with us but not always don't turn it down and don't do anything to them such as steal or Rob from them that's how reputations get started eight you're never too good for anything if you think you are that might be why you're out there to begin with nine yeah those clothes might stink but at least you have some 10 Americans if you're young enough the military may be your best option money food bed and job and all that you have to do is show up 11 stay off substances that again might be why you're out there and could very well cost you a chance to get off the streets I'm sure that's not what you're asking but it's been over 20 years since I got back on my feet and those are the things that have stuck with me my source being homeless for 2 years I was homeless for about 4 months in Las Vegas rules I learned in the area keep in mind that I'm a girl by the way one don't walk around without some sort of knife because drunk stupid people like to pick on homeless people two search each machine you can for loose change and vouchers also if you spend a dollar at the penny slots and need a drink you can get free ones on Fremont Street which is also a great source of free entertainment when you're bored three if you find a friend make sure one watches while one sleeps four make use of shelter money in Vegas there's a social service run by a church outfit that provides you with housing vouchers if you're one of the first 10 people in line in the morning you can find a friend double up on the vouchers in some places and get weekly rental for an entire month this is awesome during the summer when it's 120° outside and you need AC and a shower this is also cool if you find a job with a telemarketing company or something that requires you to shower daily five if you get involved in substances or have a gambling problem and you're already homeless you're pretty much destined to remain homeless in Vegas six if you have food stamps share I once had a homeless man buy me a sandwich and it was the most humbling experience of my entire life my backstory well I was 23 and newly divorced with no job and nowhere to turn my ex kicked me out so I moved to Arizona from Texas I'm originally from California and stayed with some friends I met the wrong kind of people and ended up on a four-month bender with a guy will call dbag basically I did all sorts of bad stuff and had no support from my family because they saw the path I was headed on and told me I needed to pull my crap together so I was homeless in Vegas because it seemed like the land of opportunity once I realized it wasn't I stopped doing substances I got that voucher and got a job at a telemarketing place then after a few weeks I called my brother basically ate my Crow and came to live with him three jobs an apartment and an illness later I was back at my mom's after 2 years 2 years after that I was an EMT then Social Services became my calling 2 years ago I moved back to Northern California got back into school and got a job at a car wash now I'm a 4.0 student in college and I'm focusing on finishing two degrees and transferring to a UC in the next year it's been a lot of hard work reflection and blind luck also financial aid is awesome I wouldn't change anything and I'm almost 30 and I've done a lot but the Adventure Continues basically just keep going and eventually something will break that's about all I've got it's pretty gnarly out there and I'm definitely glad I'm no longer homeless I gave back what I can these days and I'm pursuing a career in social services so that I can continue to help others what a story I can imagine being on the streets in a place with as many tempting diversions to burn your money on as vagus could turn into a sort of spiral of self-destruction well done on getting out of there really homeless for 5 years here since I was 18 here's a few I've noticed prison and jail culture bleeds into the homeless Community watch your words words normal people get to say can have serious meanings on the streets one example saying the B- word to someone might get you a tank watch your mouth or you won't last long no one's pressing charges or calling the cops if you get into a fight with someone it's all he said she said bull crap everyone takes it and conflicts resolve themselves everyone you're around is homeless you've got to stay in that shelter with them every night you'll share the same public spaces that everyone who's homeless has to you don't have a choice keep to yourself don't mouth off and don't f with anyone else or you'll get effed with your sigs are everyone else's sigs everyone on the street smokes and if you've got them you're probably going to end up sharing them I've been technically homeless about three times before the age of 15 but you wouldn't be able to tell it just by looking at me or conversing briefly average looking white 20-year-old male college student without explaining a ton of other stuff and including many sad stories I'll get to the meat of the question for my family I remembered that we would go to the library every day for several hours at a time it's a place where Extended Stays aren't particularly unusual Additionally you have AC heat internet computer access water fountains bathrooms lounge chairs and nearly endless educating vessels surrounding you in the form of books in conclusion if you're ever homeless go to the library I was homeless at age 17 but lived in a shelter and not on the street my experiences might vary from yours don't freaking trust anyone the women in my shelter would befriend you and backstab you just to laugh at you when you got kicked out are there a lot of working girls in the area chances are some of the women in the shelter are part of that problem mental illness mental illness everywhere doesn't have to be severe but there are a lot of messed up people be careful who you confront especially if you're unsure of their mental capacity do you own things of any value well better keep them to yourself because some but hole will try to steal them and resell them you don't mess with other people's children seriously you don't know who is friends with who and who might F your crap up also don't make comments about their baby daddies if it's very obvious they have several touch the subject usually don't steal each other's food if you do they will hunt you and find you I once saw a woman have substances planted on her so that she'd get kicked out once they found out she was stealing food I used to do food not bombs in DC we served meals every Sunday for several years and I got to know a lot of the homeless people in the city I saw quite a bit of mental illness afflicting some seriously brilliant people one guy would pull out photoc copies of the Shroud of Turin trying to convince us that Jesus had no private parts and go on a rent from there another homeless guy once cut him off saying he's trying to labote Jesus between the legs the latter guy ruled he had quote Thomas aquinus and lived for a pat by which he meant a little hug my experience taught me two things the first is that the group we dealt with were often super grateful for the food we brought because it tasted good it's sort of how I learned to cook had lots of vegetables and we didn't preach to them about religion I remember one guy saying I don't need you to try and save me before giving me a stale baloney sandwich the other thing is that the people we served almost never begged for money they would quietly try to make things work it tended to be the addicts who would beg that said there was this one guy who would ask for money whenever I saw him around the city and I'd offer to buy him food he jumped at the offer twice and went nuts at a 7-Eleven and a breakfast place respectively he was hungry there are some jerks in the homeless Community but there are also some Jerks with homes that's the long and short of it I have a bunch of stories but I'd say that if you have the the time to stop and talk with the person for a minute you can learn a lot and measure whether it's worth trying to help them out save every penny buy a tent put your tent next to a river go to the library every single day spend as much time as you can applying for jobs take the first job you can get keep bathing in the river and working until winter do not spend a dime on booze once winter comes get an apartment and keep working apply to your local Technical College and get a job in it stop being homeless it worked for me to any road folk in Tennessee make your way to hippie Hill in Cristiana it's near Manchester they will feed you and set you up with a tent or trailer to stay in until you get back on your feet all they ask for is a little bit of help around the land ask for hippie or mama when you subscribe make sure to hit the Bell to turn on notifications put the playlist on in the background to finish listening to all the stories or if you want some viby music to put on in the background check out easy mode if you like am I the genius give am I the jerk a shot everything Linked In the description

Channel: Am I the Genius?

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Length: 21min 5sec (1265 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 04 2024