Have you ever been homeless?

[cubby]

Security, before I didn't have a job, before I became homeless I worked in a Call Center at Comcast.

I eventually got a job driving a tow truck, the guy who hired me used to be a missionary, took pity on my situation. When I wasn't taking calls, I would learn to work on cars, started with changing oil, until eventually helping rebuilding engines on the weekend. The guy who hired me was a bit of a Mentor and owned a few wreckers and what not too. Great guy he passed away some years after, but he was a real honest guy, never over charged people, did work for free sometimes for people, and felt it was more important to take care of people who would do something with it, rather than how much was in their pocket.

Probably didn't hurt that he was well off financially, He taught me how to invest and budget. Not like other people, most of whom spent money to buy something they could never have. Just little things here and there and saving money.

Wow - sounds like the break that changed everything. It's amazing how one person, or even one act, can change someone else's life so dramatically. That kind of education is so important - it's one of the reasons I could have seen myself being homeless. But I caught a lucky break so . . . .

Security can be interesting - probably some good stories.

[Allybeboba]

No...
Being homeless can happen to anyone if you don’t have a backup plan though or a good family to lean on.
Family will always be the most important thing to me. This is something I have always instilled onto my children.
During the recession one on my cousins lost her job and had to resort to living with us for two years until she could find employment in her field of expertise.

Peace

[Doctor Amadeus]

Wow - sounds like the break that changed everything. It's amazing how one person, or even one act, can change someone else's life so dramatically. That kind of education is so important - it's one of the reasons I could have seen myself being homeless. But I caught a lucky break so . . . .

Security can be interesting - probably some good stories.

Yep, and it's why I believe despite some people with serious problems homeless some who never helped themselves or really knew how, that everybody deserve a life line and a chance, which means other people have to give up something, which is their illusion that those without are really so much different than those with.

Helping people out of poverty isn't charity, it is the smarter thing to do, if people want to do something about the problems in this country, rather than pay lip service and say they do. Sometimes all people need is a little help. Sometimes the investment doesn't work out and not all solutions work for all problems.

As I said I am forever grateful so I don't have an option to forget those still struggling. SJW or not rather fight for those that can't and speak up with those that need it. Someone did for me.

[Celista]

Do you mind me asking what caused you to leave home? Did you enter the foster program? We're you aged out?

Both of my parents were abusive (in different ways) but I left because of my dad. The first time I left home it was because he had progressed from using his fists to a baseball bat when hitting me (it was a hard plastic baseball bat and not a wooden one but it still made me black out). I ran away from home.The bruising and spraining was pretty bad--some police officers came by for documentation and they were pretty upset by the photo taking process of the injuries. We tried reconciliation after six months and I left home again when my dad told me to shut off the TV in the kitchen (that I wasn't watching) and he got upset that I didn't do it fast enough (I was taking the pasta for dinner off the stove and draining it in the sink) and pushed me to the ground and started punching me. My mother pulled him off me saying to him that I wasn't worth it and told me to leave. So I did. I didn't say anything at all during this entire incident.

Anyway, I had a social worker and there was talk of emancipation but in the end I got to choose between staying with a friend's family or moving to independent living and it ended up being a hybrid of both for most of the rest of high school, then I left for college. I don't think I would have been aged out. I am not sure if I was technically a part of the foster care system or not. For a good part of it I was limited to where I could stay legally because of my parents which is why I was in the shelter to begin with.

Anyway, long story but there's the complete answer.

[Shinrael]

I have. I was screwed royally by the Army. Long story short, I received severe injuries during AIT from a drill sergeant overplaying his role with some serious bias. Ended up getting a permanent back injury that only got worse with time, an injury which stemmed to extreme pain in the lower knees, effectively crippling my ability to walk to about 10-15 minutes of movement per day. Got an honorable discharge, went to get back surgery as recommended from that discharge only for the VA to discover that my entire medical history had been "misplaced" and without data that the original specialist had on my back, he would have to re-evaluated the findings... that appointment was scheduled and I "awaited" my appointment to no avail after it getting pushed back time and again over the course of three years for some seriously stupid reasons. Eventually, I got an appointment at a VA hospital that was 4 hours driving distance away, for whatever the fuck reason, my wife at the time drove me there for the medical assistant to say that with no history, regardless of my discharge and the notation on the discharge, that he would not service me, period. Went to get another opinion, and that ass of a medical assistant instead of "declining my treatment" lied and stated on my report that I was entirely fine without even looking at me. So, I went through several more hoops with JAG reps and I hired a lawyer who got me a deal that if I could get a civilian doctor, which I would have to pay for, to show data that I was injured all this time, that I would have a case... I did, many thousands of dollars later, and got an appointment which will apparently be mailed to me at such and such a time... It's been years and they have yet to offer me a static slot to appeal to my original benefits that I deserved since my honorable discharge.

That said, I've been working on what I could since then, taking strength training courses to realign and strength my back over all of these years. Since then, despite what initial doctors threatened about me losing my ability to walk entirely over 5 or so years, which I still have the records of, physically, sadly enough. I've since regained the ability to walk, even jog a steady pace for a brief amount of time, and I can say "fuck you" to the system that betrayed me, condemned me, then forgot and ignored me.

I've been steadily working, self-employed as a computer repair / technician / and teacher with my own business that also trades and salvages computers resources which I've used to fund my life and lifestyle, as well as pay my own medical bills that the Army has forced on me with their sickening negligence.

Woah.... The things some people go through in life are ridiculous. The system is ridiculous. "Human" is ridiculous.

[AlphaOut]

I've never been homeless. But I'm also not judgmental to people who are homeless either. I do what I can for the community and those just down on their luck.

[Twoddle]

I've had pangs of desperation but never actually been homeless.

[Puri]

Being homeless can happen to anyone if you don’t have a backup plan though or a good family to lean on.

That's just nonsense. It can only happen if you let it happen or live in a country that apparently has no safety net.

[fiestatastic]

Yeah, got kicked out of the house when I was 13. Minor though, so it's easy to get a job running corners. Did that until I could join the military at 17.

- - - Updated - - -

That's just nonsense. It can only happen if you let it happen or live in a country that apparently has no safety net.

Your perspective is nonsense, and goes to show that you have zero experience not being coddled. Enjoy your good life, but stop making assumptions that anyone else enjoys being spoiled in the ways you are.

- - - Updated - - -

Both of my parents were abusive (in different ways) but I left because of my dad. The first time I left home it was because he had progressed from using his fists to a baseball bat when hitting me (it was a hard plastic baseball bat and not a wooden one but it still made me black out). I ran away from home.The bruising and spraining was pretty bad--some police officers came by for documentation and they were pretty upset by the photo taking process of the injuries. We tried reconciliation after six months and I left home again when my dad told me to shut off the TV in the kitchen (that I wasn't watching) and he got upset that I didn't do it fast enough (I was taking the pasta for dinner off the stove and draining it in the sink) and pushed me to the ground and started punching me. My mother pulled him off me saying to him that I wasn't worth it and told me to leave. So I did. I didn't say anything at all during this entire incident.

Anyway, I had a social worker and there was talk of emancipation but in the end I got to choose between staying with a friend's family or moving to independent living and it ended up being a hybrid of both for most of the rest of high school, then I left for college. I don't think I would have been aged out. I am not sure if I was technically a part of the foster care system or not. For a good part of it I was limited to where I could stay legally because of my parents which is why I was in the shelter to begin with.

Anyway, long story but there's the complete answer.

Blows me away tbh that people don't comprehend that these situations are pretty common in the US. Must be really great to live in a bubble where you've never met people that have similar circumstances ... in the USA. It's a country where vets are left to rot on the streets.

[therealbowser]

Why the hell do mods keep letting Amadeus spam these stupid, mindless threads?

Wow, who shit in your cereal this morning?

@X Amadeus X, you have my respect if you were able to rise out of such a terrible situation. That couldn't have been easy. I cannot even begin to imagine what that would be like.

[Flarelaine]

Why the hell do mods keep letting Amadeus spam these stupid, mindless threads?

Move on if you're not interested. You can even ignore him and won't even see his threads. No need for a tantrum.

[Puri]

Your perspective is nonsense, and goes to show that you have zero experience not being coddled. Enjoy your good life, but stop making assumptions that anyone else enjoys being spoiled in the ways you are.

Well, or you should take a look at your perspective. Here in Germany having no current official address would be illegal. Authorities here have the obligation to always get you a new home - but some prefer living on the street instead of some home for homeless.

[Flarelaine]

I've never had to sleep on the streets, but there was a time during/after my divorce when I was at the mercy of friends and family. I'm still thankful to them.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Wow, who shit in your cereal this morning?

@X Amadeus X, you have my respect if you were able to rise out of such a terrible situation. That couldn't have been easy. I cannot even begin to imagine what that would be like.

Thank you it was a long time ago, but when I look at things now I feel worse for others. Got people with college degrees, vets and people who lost everything out there now.

[BloodyAngel12]

I was homeless for about 4/5 months and sofa surfed at my Dads, who helped me get back on my feet.

[Chemii]

I think the title and question are simple enough have you ever been homeless?

Unfortunately, though I was just a kid at the time.

When you were homeless, assuming it was for economic reasons, what was the lowest point, what kind of experiences did you have, and ultimately how did you finally get out?

When I was 9 or 10 me and my mum were removed from our home over some very skewed custody battle for my baby brother that involved people lying about my mum in court. My brothers dad was abusive in almost every way so when it fell on it's head and she lost the court case we had basically nothing, my mum was paying obscene amounts in child support fees, based on the lies, so even though she had a job, we moved around a lot of places to rest our heads for about a year - involving moving to the next city to get away from that abusive bastard.

My mum worked like 3 jobs to get us back on track, losing touch with my brother as a kid was pretty rough but my father split with my mum when I was just a baby so it was just another broken home for me. A year without Christmas presents, charity shop clothes, moving schools a couple of times, getting in trouble with the police, usual degenerate shit. My mum was upset and crying almost daily. I got a lot of hugs but I know she really missed my brother as he was only 2 at the time.

Eventually after about a year of living on sofa beds and hostels the council fixed up a grant and my mum scraped together what little she'd saved to buy a 2 bed terrace fixer upper, place was a shack but a home. After about 3-4 years things stabilised enough and I got smart at school. We eventually also got to see my brother again on weekends.

Any ultimate life lesson?

To be honest I remember more about the years that followed than the direct experience. Maybe I blocked it all out. The things I remember were stuff like the amount of kids who wouldn't be my friend because of my house or I couldn't afford sweets or toys, wearing crappy clothes that didn't fit me e.t.c - it was upsetting because I was pretty lonely, leading to being bullied. That's really how I discovered gaming. It's quite distressing to be scared of going outside as a child and teenager.

That said because I spent a lot of time by myself, I was looking after myself, learning to wash, clean, cook, iron before I was a teen just to help my mum. I learnt pretty early that you can basically learn anything given enough time, which has helped me in life for sure.

I guess now I'm older I notice most people are spoilt and spend half their time worrying about stuff they don't own. My sister who is 13 years my younger drove me crazy as a young adult complaining about iPhones, iPads & laptops in her early teens - shes basically useless in almost every way, even though she just turned 20.

Anyway I'm waffling. Basically - don't be a cunt and you'll be OK.

[zenkai]

I think the title and question are simple enough have you ever been homeless?

Me yep, I was went a couple months, stayed in a shelter and had to sell everything I owned. Until I did enough daily labor to where I could get a hotel on a cheap bi weekly rate. Then I got a job as a tow truck operator.


.

Good for you, if only more people did that instead of blaming other people for their problems and not doing a thing.

[Queen of Hamsters]

My family was technically homeless for about a week back when I was 11. Reason? We were about to be forcefully evicted on some BS reason because the landlord wanted to renovate and sell the homes rather than rent them out. We'd never missed paying rent, we had 2 cats (pets were allowed) and we weren't a messy family by any means.

Luckily it was a bit of a scandal that he was going to put a single mom with 6 kids and 2 cats on the street, so he was educated on the laws of this country and we got to stay. My mom remained in the apartment for 8 more years, even after 3 of 6 kids had moved away. :d
The landlord actually got her the apartment she now resides in (also a rental), he wanted to be rid of her that badly.

Here in Sweden, you have to try really hard in order to get legit homeless/on the street, and even then there are other safety nets still. My uncle is now officially homeless after 10 years of our society giving him chances and attempting to help him. He now sits downtown lamenting how society has failed him to anyone that wants to hear. I'm glad he doesn't recognize me when he's drunk, otherwise It'd be hard for me to take the bus.

[Afrospinach]

Twice. The first time I will not go into but the second time was just while I was back in NZ for a couple of months and had one day where I had no idea where I was going to sleep that night. Worst feeling in the world TBH.

[Veyne]

Technically, yes. My family lost almost all of our assets due to the universe shitting on us something major in my teens, some of it was controllable, like my dad losing millions in the stock market due to bad decisions, but a lot of it wasn't, like my mom and dad both coming down with cancer at the same time (both made full recoveries, btw, which is incredible. But in the midst of the medical problems, we lost our family computer business due to no one being able to actually work it, and this all happened right around the same time both Dell and Gateway starting to sell their computers at nearby retailers in a small, well-off town that we used to be the only providers of computers and computer services in.

There was time of about a month where we were in between homes that one of our family friends was kind enough to open her house to us while we found a place we could afford.