(Part 4) Top products from r/homeless

Depends where you live. So I live in California & these options were available to me at one point or another or still are & homeless.

Monthly bus pass. With this you can seek out the longest route that runs 24hrs & sleep for about an hour and a half to two hours before boarding off then back on again for another nap. If you befriend the driver at the same hours they won’t trip. They sometimes like the extra person because it makes them feel as if nobody else will mess with them during those hours.

Storage. Stay away from big brand & go mom & pop. You can crash inside your unit during the day as needed. This will help if you get sick. I have a storage, mailbox & cellphone.

Sleeping outside. Save money for rainy weather or you can tuff it out. Carry a pocket knife & always be prepared to use it. Don’t ever pull a weapon if you’re not prepared otherwise it can be taken from toy & used on you. The pocket knife you can use to stab in to somebody thigh & twist. They will go sown & not be able to get back up. Only in self defense. Otherwise if the local authorities piece together that it looks like it wasn’t self defense then you’re in trouble. Also find a corner to sleep in this way nobody sneaks up behind you. Remember to push somebody off if they’re on top as they’re coming frontal, bring knees to chest & push/kick with legs

best pepper spray to buy, have it sent to a amazon locker near you if you can. my partner has one since I got it for her & works every time

In case it’s cold at night. Use one of those extra size backpacks. I carry three jackets to sleep in & a pair of baggy sweatpants that go over my day clothes & a blanket & sleep easy then pack everything away in the morning.

I find 24hr gas stations that sell food to be reasonably ok for sleeping but camping near a hospital ER is better. Not on hospital ground just on the sidewalk. 24hr bathroom, if you feel you’re in danger you can just walk up & go inside & just ask to use the bathroom or let the security guard know there some creep outside. They also usually have water fountains. So it’s pretty chill imo from my experience & easy to charge stuff as needed .

you can try The National Center for Homeless Education

Have you tried reaching out to The Office of Residence Life or the off campus office for resources? Does your school have Academic retention centers (ARCs)? They can help as well. I’d start with the office of student body. seek out opportunities for free housing, such as working as a resident assistant in a dorm. Look for resource centers for homeless college students in your area and check your school for year-round housing options.

If you can find a school buddy. It’s possible to use financial aid to live in a off campus apartment with some roommates. Also try checking with your finical aid department for additional loans or grants you can quality for.

This is all I have, good luck 🙏

i figured since i did some research on this a while back that maybe this could help with your food issues.
if you get a cooler like this one

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Can-Party-Stacker-Cooler/dp/B0030BGA0U/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538939638&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Coleman+25-Quart+Cooler

or any smaller cooler that can typically hold 20-30 quarts of liquid and pack it with ice you can keep things that normally would be refrigerated for anywhere from 3-5 days as long as you top up the ice 1-2x a week.

if you consider the added benefit of food choices and costs a $20 upfront cost and $1-2 a week afterwards a week isnt so bad and could save you money in the long run.

2nd thing to tackle food wise is what to do with dishware and cleaning it.
having access to metal glass or hard plastic plates will help cut down immensely in costs as in order to clean them you simply need a little bit of water from a water bottle and a dishtowel wiping the plates down before applying any soap or water can reduce the total amount of time and supplies needed to clean them as well
any goodwill you can find yourself several varieties of plates and bowls for dirt cheap if you are needing them

if you can afford it you can also use papertowels over the plates for non liquid foods to help reduce cleanup as well.

next lack of a way to heat your food. if all you are doing is simply heating up precooked food you can easily use the heat of the car and or your engine with some alluminum foil to keep things hot that has been opened. think having lunch and dinner same meal could mean opening in the morning leaving in the car wrapped in alluminium it'll be hot by lunch and put 2nd half back in to keep warm for dinner.

alternatively you could possibly find a convenience store that might let you use their microwave a few times a week or more

thats all i can think of for now other than keep dirty laundry in the trunk so it doesnt stink up the car?

also unless its a significant drive to find one i would suggest cutting starbucks out and looking for a bookstore/library/any other air conditioned place you can sit down and it doesnt cost you anything to be out of the heat for a few hours

They already make Tyvek shoe wraps for painters, thats a good point, I was thinking whole body protection.


Ive been trying to spread the tyvek suit idea around, but I could easily buy boxes of the shoe wraps in bulk to just hand out, or even just give to local shelters.


Thanks for pointing out that, I was very focused on the rain protection.


But on my mourning walks, (been walking at 5 am) the first thing I noticed was how soaked my non-water resistant shoe gets. Its annoying.

Already experiencing blistering and peeling just from walking in the mourning. So much so that I started to just go sockless for part of the walk once they get wet.


I was thinking of using sandals just to see... Its kinda silly but Im just trying to figure out solutions on my own, I really need to start talking to people that actually lived the Experience.



Heres a Link for a box of 200 on amazon with grip protection, feel free to point this out to anyone that could be interested.

http://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Tyvek-FC450S-Skid-Resistant-Disposable/dp/B0085OAB7A/ref=pd_sbs_indust_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0HMXHY106VBSMPPETJBC

While you still have some money, get a PO box so you have a stable mailing address. Safe deposit boxes at the bank are also surprisingly cheap- like $40 for the year and are a good safe place to keep important documents.

Get a space blanket or sleeping bag. They are windproof, waterproof and you will never ever die from exposure while you have one. They also fold into your pocket.

If you ever get low and need someone to talk to, feel free to PM me.

http://www.amazon.com/Kirkland-Signature-Vitamins-Minerals-500-Count/dp/B002RL8FCU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405533771&sr=8-2&keywords=multivitamin

This is what i ended up buying him. I think these are as good as any other multivitamins and they are like 1/2 the price. .03 a day ain't much to keep essential nutrients in your system.

Get him some of these, trust me they're worth their weight in gold and last forever.

https://www.amazon.com/Meals-Ready-Genuine-Military-Surplus/dp/B005I5ML36

>How about those sun reflectors? Would that be better?

slightly. A car-cover would be better. Nobody cares about a covered car parked on a public street (probably belongs to some pretentious jerk who is afraid bird poo might hurt his delicate paintjob--whatever) though even tinted windows might help some. remember to leave window cracked to prevent fog build up on the inside (a dead giveaway that someone is in there). Nobody will jack with you if your car is covered with a car-cover.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F232000-Indoor-Safe-Portable/dp/B002G51BZU/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1411528054&sr=1-1&keywords=heater+portable+propane+indoor

https://www.amazon.com/Stansport-712-Tube-Tent-Orange/dp/B002ZZSXG6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tube+tent&qid=1562160398&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=gateway&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Britta-Products-SSR-01-Luminous-String/dp/B0071T7PTW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8