In my previous guide I talked about why people become homeless. In this guide I'm going to talk about common misconceptions misunderstandings and bad information which can lead to some devastating effects both to individuals and Society.
First of all there is a common understanding among societies and populations which has very little regard for homeless people and tends to look down on them.
The most common phrases I hear in regards to homelessness is "why don't you just get a job?"
Though this sounds reasonable and justified upon first glance, it really doesn't work...
No one likes sleeping on a cold sidewalk. So, if it were as easy as just getting a job. We would have no homeless and no unemployment.
Being homeless in and of itself is a full-time job. Just think of it, you do not have access to the most basic requirements and needs of sustaining a reasonable life.
Such as food, water, shelter, transportation, companionship.
What exactly does that mean?
Well lets break down normal living routines so its easy to understand why getting a job is a terrible idea. Then we'll work out why we should be thinking about the whole thing differently.
As a homeless person you often find yourself spending most of your time completing your very basic yet essential needs. Most people don't understand this so let me explain.
When you're living out on the streets most of your day is spent looking for a place to go to the bathroom or trying to find a warm place to go to sleep. Compound that with being depressed because you have nobody to talk to and you surely are fighting an uphill battle.
Now let's forget about all the other issues like not having a place to put your stuff...
So! You have to carry it all with you at all times... Let's forget about the fact that you probably don't have a car and it takes you 2 hours to get somewhere that it takes somebody else 20 minutes to get to.
Let's forget about the fact that you are so demoralized from your current situation and you basically have no friends. No family no one to talk to! Leaving you emotionally out of tune. This results in bad mental health which results in bad physical health. This leads to lower energy levels and you will be more prone to sickness and disease.
Sure occasionally you might run into some kind-hearted people that may offer a helping hand. But spend even a month being homeless and you will quickly find that most people realistically can only dedicate a few hours or a day at most to helping anyone. Often its a blanket or a sandwich... Not great but better than nothing. Blankets are heavy and you must carry them, sadwiches can be a good moral booster.
Let's face it if you have a home and you have a job you likely have very little time to spend doing anything else like helping others because most of your time is spent elsewhere. Via at work, with kids, school, or watching TV...
So your on your own. But don't worry I'm here to help.
So here's one of the reasons the ignorant comment "why don't you just get a job" doesn't make any sense.
As a homeless individual you have many jobs in fact their full-time jobs and they don't pay a penny. But you must do them and they consume precious time and energy.
First job you have happens before the day's even starts. You have to find a place to sleep where you're not going to freeze to death and you're not going to get harassed at 3 in the morning by security guards or thugs.
Lets just say you managed to get 5-6 hours of sleep at night. If you've done that then you did pretty good.
Your next job is find water and a place to go to the bathroom. Now most people don't appreciate the fact that they have running water at home and they have a bathroom that they can literally walk to in 10 seconds. However as a homeless individual this may take hours.
It might seem crazy but not everyone feels comfortable taking a s*** on the sidewalk and considering most retail outlets which have public bathrooms don't like homeless people sleeping outside of their establishments. You're likely going to have to walk some distance before you find a bathroom.
Let's assume that it takes you half an hour to get to that restroom it's going to take you another 20 minutes to do whatever it is that you need to do once you get there.
But wait, ever seen one of these?????
Let's now add 20 waiting in line to get a code or twenty minutes waiting outside the door waiting for it to swing open. And by the grace of god congratulations you can now take a poo and get a sip of water from the tap....
Or maybe you're a bit more high maintanince and you want to wash your hands washing your face and maybe brush your teeth or having a quick shave.
It might take you 5 minutes to was up if you sleep in a bed, it will take you 25 if you sleep in a bush...
Your first job of the day is now complete you've earned $0 its and it cost you roughly 1 -2 hour, and if you're lucky you haven't been completely demoralized for having used the wrong bathroom and having been kicked out. Or stared at and insulted.
Your next job is to find yourself some food to get a cup of coffee maybe? Now this is not as easy as it sounds because you don't have car and you don't have money.
It may take you a couple hours of panhandling to get yourself $3-4 that will afford you one cup of coffee and if you're lucky something to eat! Hurray :)
You have spent 4 hours made $0 but you got to use a bathroom, eat a cheeseburger, have a cup of coffee and now your ready to live the American Dream!
You just spent 6 hours at a job that paid you 1 cheeseburger, 1 cup of coffee, a sip of water, and a poo. Your on your way!
The first time I tried to Panhandle I made roughly $7 in about 4 hours so it's not as easy as people make it sound.
I mean think about it if you could make $10 an hour why the fuck go to work???? Quit your fucking jobs and sit on a corner someplace, hell you will save money on gas and get fresh air. All you enviornmental nuts, you reduce carbon emmissions by being homeless. Instead of giving away cups at Starbucks and filling up landfills you can just chill outside your college campus and be more enviormentally friendly.
Enough is enough. Its time to stop beating up the poor and desperate to justify feeling guilty for not giving away a quarter or a dollar. If your broke and cant afford to give them a dollar, show them my guides. If your not broke and have a dollar, give them your credit cards.....
If your reading this learn from me, you should follow my guides. I'll show you ways to get food for free, how to get drinks for free. I'll teach you how to cut corners and save your time dramatically and save energy.
Your next job which is arguably the most important job is to figure out a way to get out of your current situation. That will be discussed in the next guide in greater detail.
This involves dressing nice, getting clean easy ways to get money. use of resources more efficiently. Meeting friends etc....
These things ate far more valuable and fesable which require less energy and time.
Managing Energy consumption is critical for surviving homelessness, due to not having adequate rest and shelter, food, and resources. Home Shelters in my opinion are cespools for disease and crime.
Energy and time management are more valuable resource than money. This is why having a job is counterproductive as a homeless individual and should be avoided.
When you have a home trading time and energy for money can be beneficial. Without a home, its akin to suicide.
Every time you move muscle you burn energy, every time you have a thought you, burn energy as a homeless person energy is an extremely valuable resource. If you use too much energy and cant recover it via rest and food you will literally die before you get anywhere.
This fact in my opinion is why you find so many homeless on drugs. People don't always become homeless because they take drugs, people take drugs because they become homeless... Drugs give an added boost of energy and for a brief moment in time and that sadness that you feel fades away.
Sure you might die sooner but when you're living out on the streets the sooner it all ends the better off you'll feel...
This is a terrible thing to say but it is the sad reality of what goes on in the streets. There is a better way, you don't have to die to make it end.
There was a time when I'm really gave up and laid down on the sidewalk and I just waited to die. Really I was so exhausted from walking 8-10 hours a day with a 50 pound sack I couldn't stand any longer...
Then some lady came and stood over me and said "get up! Be a man!" A fucking homeless lady might I add, fat, middle ages and dumb as a doornail. Someone who doesn't know a damn thing about being a man, or getting out of homelessness. Talking to me as though I hadn't been through enough, and i needed to be patronized. Then she tried to recruit me for her church slave ship program.
Ill give her credit though she almost got me to stand up, but its a good thing I didn't because i would have puncher her in the nose.
It's not about being a man or getting a job, it's about being smart.
The best way to start acquiring money as a homeless individual is you going to Human Resources office or social security administration office and you apply for food stamps General Relief benefits or social security and disability benefits
Next you need to learn how to Panhandle effectively I'm not saying this because working is bad. Working is not bad working is good but when you consider you are not a suitable candidate for a regular job panhandling is literally your best option
Suitable candidate for a job typically has a place to shower, enough clothes to last the week, the transportation which can get them to work in an effective time Manor
Paying $2 just to get on the bus to ride for an hour or two to get to work after spending 4-6 hours meeting basic needs is not smart....you ever used 2 hours and lost $2 to go their job to work for let's say 4 hours to earn $40 it's just not worth it considering how much energy and time you will devote to this weathering and mind your other jobs finding a place to sleep finding place to use the restroom find me a place to eat xcetera
Panhandling is by no means a way of making enough money to get an apartment it's a way of using very little energy to gain just enough precious resources to survive
it's a very delicate procedure being homeless it's too much energy and you'll be too exhausted to know what to do with the resources that you've gained
Do nothing and you will die
best stay somewhere in the middle do a little bit get just enough stay alive
check out my next guide for proper pan handling procedures and techniques and some very useful tips and tricks
