Officially Homeless

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I applaud you. No matter what you do in life there are others who will not understand your motive. Who will challenge your methods. Listen to the one sending you. You know what you are trying to experience, you know how you want to go about it. My bet is that it will be far different than you expect. And you will learn. Take the journey...be safe! God Bless! And keep us posted...I wanna read the book!
 
I was thinking about this post the whole evening while I was cleaning the fishing boat. Pretty much everything I was thinking about you fessed up to before I got back in. I knew this was going to be a journalist thing, they do it periodically in Chicago, but at night they stay in the Radisson. Then they write their story and blame..yup me. I was going to suggest that you were either doing it for money or were truly insane. My money was on money. If you were truly insane you would have wrote a book to tell us what you were going to do (Adolph, Barack, Marx, etc.), or said nothing at all. This is beginning to look like a publicity stunt. I don't think anyone is trying to dis you, they just know this is dangerous, has been done before, and the outcome is 100% predictable. However, i do completely support all the freedoms this country is still able to grant, so I say go for it if you must. One thing that didn't sit well with me was the I'm going to do evil (take money from unsuspecting strangers under false pretenses), to do good (give it to the food bank). Completely unsatisfactory, and a good example of liberalism at its finest.`I am officially attaching the title of "Robin Hood" to you. LOL
 
I applaud your effort, and I think its a noble experiment, but unfortunately, you are missing the key ingredients: Despair and hopelessness.
 
Well, as for thinking I am doing it for money. That is not true! I am doing it for the experience. I am not a greedy person, you can ask anyone that knows me. As for taking money on false pretence, I dont feel that is true either. I feel I need to try it (panhandeling) atleast once. After tonight, I will not be able to post on here for a wile. And just so you know, I am not stating in even a motel 6. I am doing this for the experience and hope to help people. Although, when people act as some people have been, sure makes you second guess yourself. I'm getting criticism for trying to help people. I guess you guys help how you help and I'll help how I help. Freedom is grand! Later!

Thanks again to the ones that support me!
 
I also want to thank the ones that have shared stories for doing so.
 
Be careful! I worked in a state mental hospital while attending college in the 1970s. There were three major institutions in Suffolk County, NY at that time, housing probably over 30,000 patients total. De-institutionalization released them to "community" residences and they had to attend local MH clinics for their daily medications. Most simply evaporated into society and heading toward the cities. Most became victims of predator humans in one way or another, many ended up in jails for various crimes, but most were harmless to others. However, there were some that you had to keep your eyes on because they could become violent in a second.
 
I dont think anyone here is criticizing you. Most have just pointed out that you will not get the real experience because your situation is not real. You can paint your face black and live in a ghetto, but you will never get the true experience of being an African American. You can paint your face red, and live on an Indian reservation, but you will never get the true experience of being a Native American. You will never get the real experience of being homeless, because you have a home, you know it is only for a short time, and you know that if it gets too bad, you can always just quit.

I hope the experience is good for you, and you learn something. Stay safe, and good luck. And try to learn this one simple lesson: Not everyone will agree with everything you do in your life, so lose the chip.
 
howdy,

Just thought I would let you know that everything is good. A bit cold and boring, but good.
It's already been interesting and sucks. I feel for all those that are homeless. Maybe I won't be helping other people in my quest, but it sure is a learning experience for me.

Anyway, no chip on my shoulder. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. :)
 
Reminds me of my brother in law's brother. My brother in law took in his little brother after he had burned many bridges in the family. He was living on the streets in Salt Lake City for about a year. He gave this 21 year old kid a room in his basement, 3 meals a day, cable tv and found him a part time job to help him turn his life around. He even drove him to and from work everyday.

After a month his brother had managed to steal money from him, get fired from his job and run up a huge **** bill on his pay per view. My brother in law actually gave him another chance and this kid refused and prefered to live on the streets and that is where he is today. I will never understand some people.
 
That sucks. Makes me feel bad when you do try to help someone and all they do is burn you.

Did the guy come and get the fury?
 
to much to read through but I read the first page.

although I think your heart is in the right place and that its awesome that you want to be part of a cause and help others.

I am going to have to agree with others in that I don't think there is much to gain from it....not so mcuh that there isnt much to gain from it I guess, just maybe not the impact you may be looking for I guess.

I would call it urban camping LOL.

Although I havnt been FULLY homeless like some of the folks here have mentioned... I have felt the stress's of being homeless for a short period of time and it made it even worse when it wasnt just me that was going through it......Myself, my wife and my 1 year old son at the time were booted out of our home and we had to live out of a mustang for a month!......now, my wife and little one were able to stay with family for most of that time BUT I myself was to stubborn to accept the help so I decided to still sleep in the mustang that was packed with ALL of our belongings.....no job at the time, no money at the time and a little one to have to worry about.

it wasnt a good feeling at all.

anyhow, although I think its cool you want to do what you want to do.....I think that to some people (especially the truly homeless) may find your efforts offensive......I guess the best way I can describe this would be......its like a white guy putting on brown facepaint and walking into and african american church and acting like he is one of them (thats not a racial slur by any means...just an example). and they may look at you ,having a car to sleep in that you can fire up and turn the heat on if it gets too cold out,your computer (if you have a laptop that is),your job, the ability to get food if you need it knowing you have access to the funds...and so on.

homeless people have NO CHOICE but to deal with what they have....they don't know where the next meal will come from,they don't know if they can find warm clothes by the time cold weather snaps, no job,no showers.

I just think that to do it "right" you would have to drop the job,have no vehicle,no possessions,sleep under newspapers and the hole 9 yards...and that would be just plain silly.

I am not saying that ALL homless people are this way but ALOT of them have options and potential and are only in the position they are in because of the choices they have made.....some have drinking habbits and drug habits and don't want to help themselves .....where as....some of them got layed off from work and bills took over and so on and got stuck with what they have without a choice and actually need the help.

I agree with others that there could be better ways to go about doing what it is you want to accomplish......instead of allowing yourself only $25.00 a week for food.....keep the situation you are currently in and set back a certain amount of cash out of every paycheck and start your own website to bring awareness to the cause in your area and make youtube commercials and add a paypal donation account and put it out to your local news station and radio stations and so on, start fundraisers and start bake sales or some sort of a raffle.....get the words out.....you would be surprized with the type of impact you might be able to make.

anyhow, hope I didnt offend you and if you decide to stick to your decision than good luck and be safe and make the best of it....just be carefull with how you go about it.
 
J-MacsMopars said:
Did the guy come and get the fury?
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Yep. I hated to see it go, but the guy couldn't stop smiling when he picked it up. It went to a good home. He had plans of taking it on a poker run the evening he picked it up. He also wants me to paint his dart when it's ready.
 
drop out , turn on and hang out? brand new, never heard of it

just remember, the road you travel was paved by taxpayers that contributed to the common good by working 40 plus hours weekly to provide for their own family

If you want to help the homeless out ,try being productive
 
bill hincher said:
drop out , turn on and hang out? brand new, never heard of it

just remember, the road you travel was paved by taxpayers that contributed to the common good by working 40 plus hours weekly to provide for their own family

If you want to help the homeless out ,try being productive
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Exactly!
 
bill hincher said:
drop out , turn on and hang out? brand new, never heard of it

just remember, the road you travel was paved by taxpayers that contributed to the common good by working 40 plus hours weekly to provide for their own family

If you want to help the homeless out ,try being productive
Click to expand...

First post states he is keeping his job.
 
To Original Poster,

I've been homeless before. IT SUCKS! Reality can SUCK! HARD!

Theres a saying "the hungry dont stay hungry for long"........its not a reference to food,,,but a reference to personal drive/motivation to better yourself.

After experiencing homelessness earlier in my life,,,,,I still do NOT give people on the corner a dollar,,,,,,not even a penny, I do NOT feed homeless people in any way. Its a dog eat dog world out there......we all fend for ourselves.

The only people I have pitty or compassion for (when it comes to homelessness) are people that have lost their jobs because of the current economic situation. (meaning forced lay-off, and job elimination because of outsourcing)

I am boggled by an intention to become homeless even though you described your motivations to grow as a person etc. Cold, hunger, and illness slap homeless on a daily basis, dont get cought up.

IMHO Just go camping more often. Learn how to be a proficient outdoorsman, teach a few children how to take care of themselves out in the woods, start/control fires, fishing, setup different types of shelters using surounding materials etc.

Passing on life skills to children would have bigger/positive impact IMHO.

Be easy,

Bad Shrimp
 
Well,

I will say, even doing a "controlled" homelessness thing is a pain in the ***. There is no comfort in it at all and it gets pretty cold at night. It gets very boring and due to something else, I am not going to be able to do it any longer. I can now let the cat out of the bag that I mentioned a little about.

A few weeks ago, one of the service writers at work quit. I have been trying to transfer up there for a while and I finally get to. The reason I will no longer be able to stay in my car is that I get to wear a nice shirt and tie to work every day. It's pretty hard to have nice clothes like that when your living in a car. So regretfully, I have to cut my experience short. I am honestly surprised at some of the posts here and I apologize if I offended anyone.

I felt that I had good intentions and that it would be a good way for me to grow and experience a different way of life. I never expected to know or feel how a real crack head homeless person does. I wanted to get experience writing because I like to write. No harm in that. Some people said it was for a stunt or money. There are many other things that I would have done if that was the case, like things that people actually care about, since it appears that no one cares about the homeless. I really do hope to someday be able to help homeless youth. Whether by starting a charity or helping a pre-existing one, I feel that they need to be off the streets and doing something good for them selves. I know that there is no way to get them all off the streets and that I will only be able to help the ones that want help. But really, if I ever only help one really get on their feet and make something of them selves. It will have all been worth it.
 
I would also like to add a little about my past. NO! I have never really been homeless. But I have spent a lot of time being what most of us (including myself) would call a piece of ****. I dropped out of school at the age of 16 to do drugs and think I was in charge of my life. From 16-19, I pretty much did the usual smoking and drinking and on occasion, smoking a little weed. At about age 20, I started smoking weed pretty heavily and ended up moving into a drug house away (200 miles) from all my family so that I could get drunk and high all the time. I was beyond broke and lived in a shitty old house and really had nothing. I didn't even have my family to turn to (by my choice(this is another reason I want to help the youth)) because I was so caught up in the drug. When I was 22, I started using prescription drugs pretty heavy. I was always jacked up. No matter what I was doing or where I was going. I was out of my mind. When I was 24, my life changed pretty hard for the good. One night I took way to many oxi's and smoked a bowl. I then forgot that I already took oxi and took more. Needless to say, I am lucky to be here. I have not taken pills since. I did however still hang out with those friends for a little bit. A few weeks after the OD, I was at one of their apartments and we got raided. Now I know some of you have been sitting with guns facing you, so you know. But when you have the whole task force there with weapons drawn. It's not happy time. I am happy to say that I have not done pills in over three years, I have not smoked weed in two years last month, and I drink very rarely.

My point being, that I may not have been on the street. But in all actuality, I wasn't far from it. I have not always had a good job. I have not always been a good person. But I have grown from all of it. I look back at my past and I know it was all by choice, but not to dis on my parents. They never would listen. They would only threaten. I feel that if I can listen to those kids that need help, I will never be able to replace their parents. But I can be someone that is there for them. I have, in some ways, walked in their shoes and can relate.

I hope that this kind of makes sense of my reasoning.
 
daredevil said:
Damn I better go find a rock.
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LOL.


Well....congrats on the promotion atleast.
If it means that much to you to help out than maybe invest in one of the alternative options that myself and others mentioned, you can still fight for the cause and make an impact and all the while it being a more "sensible" method I guess you could say.

I didn't see it lasting long and glad to hear you got an upgrade at work... Follow the dream and still find a way to play your part in helping out the cause if it's what you really want to do. Good luck in the new position also
 
Thanks. I am excited about the new position. I have been detailing cars for far to long. Now time for something different.

The thing that seems to be, is people are failing to realize that this was for me just as much or more than anyone else. Hell, I have already been making jokes about it and getting people to laugh, A LOT! Maybe I can turn it into a comedy routine. lol.

Like I stated. I really am surprised about some of the posts. I am curious as to why some where so against me doing this. Honestly, was it offensive to you guys that actually have lived on the street? (serious question) I really am curious. If I heard that one of my friends was going to do it. I would probably laugh at them and say good luck and be careful. Enjoy being young and single. :) Not tell them to be productive some other way. It's not like I was living on welfare or something, so no one can use the excuse that I was wasting money. The only person that this whole thing was directly effecting (for the time being) was me. For those of you that where worried about my safety, thank you. But if you knew Logan, there is like one murder in this whole valley a year. It's a pretty mellow place. I do plan to still write, probably just about something else for the time being. I also am still going to try and liberate myself from some of the day to day comforts just to try and get back in tune with reality. Again, thanks. I really do hope that I didn't offend anyone. If I did, please let me know. And I am serious. I really would like to know why you guys felt the way you did? Like stated before. I am very glad and thankful that you guys where all able to pull yourselves off the streets and make something of yourselves. That is great. But now, I need to go find a place to sleep. So till next time....

Jeremy
 
P.S. Dont mind the typos, im writing this from my phone lol.
Gl hear your sticking strong to staying quit!
No offense but myself and I am sure many others here have had rough times in life but not always is it that persons responsibility to fix everyone else who may be in the same situation.

Also correct me if I am wrong here, but wouldn't it make more sense to help out the addicted youth rather than the homeless youth? It sounds like you want to help those who may be on somewhat the same path you were on so it would only make sense. If that's the case, start an online blog for the cause or make a story and try to get in a newspaper, see if you could visit schools and talk to kids, see if you could volunteer work at a youth detention facility or rehab center or jobless shelter... Plenty of options for you.

Let me put it like this...... In this big "pond" we call earth ..... You can either throw a bolder or a pebble, either way ... You will make an impact and that impact will generate a ripple and those ripples will hit shore. No good deed is to small
J-MacsMopars said:
I would also like to add a little about my past. NO! I have never really been homeless. But I have spent a lot of time being what most of us (including myself) would call a piece of ****. I dropped out of school at the age of 16 to do drugs and think I was in charge of my life. From 16-19, I pretty much did the usual smoking and drinking and on occasion, smoking a little weed. At about age 20, I started smoking weed pretty heavily and ended up moving into a drug house away (200 miles) from all my family so that I could get drunk and high all the time. I was beyond broke and lived in a shitty old house and really had nothing. I didn't even have my family to turn to (by my choice(this is another reason I want to help the youth)) because I was so caught up in the drug. When I was 22, I started using prescription drugs pretty heavy. I was always jacked up. No matter what I was doing or where I was going. I was out of my mind. When I was 24, my life changed pretty hard for the good. One night I took way to many oxi's and smoked a bowl. I then forgot that I already took oxi and took more. Needless to say, I am lucky to be here. I have not taken pills since. I did however still hang out with those friends for a little bit. A few weeks after the OD, I was at one of their apartments and we got raided. Now I know some of you have been sitting with guns facing you, so you know. But when you have the whole task force there with weapons drawn. It's not happy time. I am happy to say that I have not done pills in over three years, I have not smoked weed in two years last month, and I drink very rarely.

My point being, that I may not have been on the street. But in all actuality, I wasn't far from it. I have not always had a good job. I have not always been a good person. But I have grown from all of it. I look back at my past and I know it was all by choice, but not to dis on my parents. They never would listen. They would only threaten. I feel that if I can listen to those kids that need help, I will never be able to replace their parents. But I can be someone that is there for them. I have, in some ways, walked in their shoes and can relate.

I hope that this kind of makes sense of my reasoning.
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