My mind can't be quiet so I have to use my cellphone too much/can't controll myself, how can i protect myself, all is about money

I may be going back to Philly on Wednesday with no place to stay. I’m an oldish, petite woman and my friends don’t have the extra room. Are shelters safe? What do you take with you? Should I just sleep in my storage locker?

IHG IS H.H. Holmes hotel corporation. So are you aware that hotels IHG has a downstairs room or group of people that watch you all day. They literally watch and wait for you to leave and steal your shit. It’s insane I go to the car come back my jbl speaker gone. I go to check in the car and come back my laptop gone… and just pay attention there are people that permanently live there. And that’s like 3GS a month. B.S.

Just curious -- homeless and 50, spinal stenosis with CES and other health issues. What are some good business / cash gigs that work for you? I can't lift or stand/walk a lot but am curious what others do for money outside of panhandling, day jobs, online surveys, etc.

https://jacobin.com/2024/05/houston-homelessness-housing-first-policy

In another thread, we got to talk about signs. So I am curious... What sign has landed you the most income?

So are there any ways to have a mostly portable fridge or something? I have meds that have to be kept cold and I can't exactly go without them.

Just venting mostly I think...got off the street in 2011 after 13 years. Had a fiance for 3½ years who bailed on me for a coworker in 2019, left me $6k in debt (paying off her engagement ring and other stuff) finally got into low income housing, been here for 4 years this November (or would have been)...I've lived alone, no friends or social circle/life..got a letter from housing on the 26th of Last month saying I missed one months rent magically in December 2022 (which I didn't) they cant keep property managers, been through 4 in two years..there mistake is costing me my place, and in 20 days I'll be back outside...I've done EVERYTHING "right" I'm supposed to do. Pay bills/rent on time, got my credit score up to 750, I dont drink, smoke or do any drugs. Yet some how I'm still getting fucked. Trying to work with my local legal aid office, but don't know it'll do anything.

I'm just so ready to give up..I'm 44 years old, and just burnt out, and alone.

Sorry for the rambling, just need it out of my head. Stay safe out there guys, and who knows, maybe I'll catch you on the road.

Fist and faith, Squirrel

Hello I am a young female 23 years old and I recently became homeless and have a job at Walmart and still struggling to get hours. I was considering panhandling in my time off as a last resort but I am quite an attractive woman and I fear that someone will try to harass me or hurt me. How can I panhandle safely and is it even possible without being sxually asslted?

I've had a few days in a motel room and I'm feeling a lot better. It may just seem like a luxury but my god being able to sleep secure and have a toilet to use any time really makes it easier to feel like a human. It's sad that it's over but today is a good day.

Truly the lack of green in my diet was driving me insane.

I am so fortunate that spring is here I have been eating so much green.

I'll never take for granted my foraging skills ever

The critical elements of Florida’s bold new statewide homelessness policy emerged from the written prescriptions of a Texas-based conservative think tank bent on thwarting the nation’s “homeless-industrial complex,” according to records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.

Emails show the Cicero Institute offered Florida lawmakers a menu of reforms last summer, sending them to the staff of House Speaker Paul Renner in July. It then worked persistently to secure the passage of House Bill 1365, which banned public camping and sought to move unsheltered people from sidewalks to sanctioned, highly structured encampments.

So successful were the Institute’s efforts in the Sunshine State that when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill in March, Cicero’s co-founder, billionaire tech investor and GOP mega-donor Joe Lonsdale cheered it as setting an example for the rest of the country to follow.

“When we started working on homelessness, many people considered these ideas fringe. Activists have vociferously opposed us at every turn. It takes guts to stand up to the homeless-industrial complex,” Lonsdale wrote in a blog post. “This is the strongest set of homelessness reforms in the nation, and we were proud to work with Florida leaders to see them adopted.”

And Cicero has many ideas about how Florida – and other states – can go further.

Also included in the policy memo, which the Sentinel obtained among other documentation of Cicero’s efforts in a public records request, are reform proposals making it easier to involuntarily commit somebody to psychiatric treatment, banning local care organizations from pursuing so-called “Housing First” initiatives to address homelessness, and funneling money toward mental health and substance abuse treatment instead.

Advocacy groups and organizations on the ground fear these policies – and Florida’s new law – will make their work to treat and combat homelessness even more challenging. Since the law’s requirements for sanctioned encampments make those facilities difficult to fund, locate and operate, and shelters are full most every night, it’s likely to force law enforcement to arrest people who have nowhere else to go but the streets, they say.

“What I anticipate though is this becomes a checklist,” said Martha Are, the CEO of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, assessing the influence of Cicero’s policy menu.

Cicero’s approach is not unique. Across the country, interest groups are pushing state legislatures to write their ideas into law, and some of the most successful have been conservative organizations working with GOP-led legislatures like Florida’s. The Florida-based Foundation for Government Accountability, for example, has pushed labor law changes that critics say weaken protections for child workers, scoring a signal success last year in Arkansas.

Cicero has interests in other issues as well, but its main focus has been homelessness, a vexing issue that has increasingly preoccupied state and local governments in Florida and elsewhere.

In the Orlando area alone, homelessness has increased 75% over the past five years, which providers and advocates say is a reflection of the region’s soaring housing costs and shortage of affordable units.

In the same five-year timeframe, rents increased nearly $600 per month.

Currently, the nation’s predominant strategy to combat homelessness is called Housing First, an approach to end a person’s homelessness as quickly as possible by placing a roof over their heads, often in a hotel or an available apartment. Then, the person receives other services such as mental health or substance abuse treatment, job training and other needs, in hopes they can sustain their new lifestyle.

“Housing First is treatment,” said Eric Gray, the CEO of the Christian Service Center, which operates Orlando’s day services center for the homeless said in an email. “Science shows us that trying to treat an individual for ANY medical condition is near impossible if they aren’t also in stable housing. Housing IS healthcare.”

Andrew Sullivan, a University of Central Florida researcher specializing in homelessness, said his research and that of others routinely reveals the merits of the strategy of providing housing, and that laws like Florida’s public camping ban don’t reduce homelessness.

Cicero disagrees, attributing homelessness to untreated mental illnesses. It’s trying to move states away from Housing First principles to its slate of alternatives, said Devon Kurtz, who wrote the memo to Renner and oversees the think tank’s homelessness policy.

“What Cicero cares about most is getting states engaged on this issue,” Kurtz said. “For the past three decades, it’s been ceded to the federal government through continuums of care.”

Along with its success on the camping ban, Cicero scored a little-noticed victory over Housing First in Florida by securing budget language that requires recipients of state challenge grants typically used to house people to instead “prioritize mental health and substance abuse treatment” as well as short-term shelters, sanctioned camping sites and safe parking sites.

That grant program accounted for $20 million last year, with the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida receiving about $900,000.

Cicero initially sought to outright ban use of the grants for any Housing First or permanent housing program, but state leaders held off on going that far.

Are said that rising homelessness numbers aren’t a reflection on the Housing First strategy, but instead a commentary on a tight housing market.

“To blame Housing First is kind of like blaming the emergency room for how many people came in with COVID during the peak of the COVID crisis,” Are said. “The emergency room was implementing the best interventions they could, but they could not control how many people were getting infected with the virus.”

So far, Cicero has helped get bills passed similar to Florida’s camping ban in Republican-led states including Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Kentucky. The group says that the steps Florida is taking on homelessness policy beyond its ban makes its approach the nation’s “strongest.”

In Florida, Lonsdale has donated at least $213,000 to politicians and politician committees over the past three years through his company Lonsdale Enterprises. That included $50,000 to a committee controlled by DeSantis, $10,000 to another controlled by Renner and $60,000 to the Republican Party of Florida.

A few weeks after the memo was sent to Renner, Lonsdale contributed more than $23,000 of food and drinks to the Republican Party of Florida. The emails show Renner met with Cicero representatives at a conference last summer in Utah. Lonsdale also hosted a fundraiser in support of DeSantis’ presidential bid.

While Cicero representatives never testified publicly about the camping ban bill, its lobbyist worked with lawmakers and staff on it prior to and during the three-month-long session, the records show. Legislative staffers solicited the group’s input.

For example, in October, months before the session began in January, a House staffer emailed one of Cicero’s lobbyists about the plan: “where is Cicero on the questions/follow up we discussed in our meeting on the homelessness proposals?”

Garrison, who carried the bill through the House, is slated to be a future House Speaker.

It’s unclear what level of interest Florida leaders have in Cicero’s other homeless policy proposals. Renner, Garrison and Daniel Perez, the incoming House speaker, didn’t respond to emailed questions and a request for an interview.

Kurtz wasn’t sure either, but was hopeful.

“We hope so,” he said of Florida implementing the remainder of Cicero’s package. “In future sessions, we do hope to work more on the mental health and substance abuse side.”

I found a spot in this plaza to sleep at and got woken up a couple hours ago by the sound of 2 people obviously having some sex upstairs on the second floor

I get curious and I start thinking you know why are you having sex at your office instead of home or a hotel

Either filming a porn movie or someone's cheating on their spouse

So I ran out to the parking lot and wrote down the license plates of the vehicles out front and I'm waiting for these people to depart so I can figure out who's who

Just bored can't fall back asleep right now

Hi if you’re in La and you’re willing to join a housing authority agency to try and get a Section8 voucher please let me know !

I’m not homeless but I’m doing a research project for my work in which I’d like to see how long it takes/what the process is to get section8 housing in LA.

I can compensate you (not much but I will help) but most importantly we are going to try and get you housing !

Thank you !

So I’ll be either newly homeless in a couple weeks or less or either come up on something between these weeks. I’m 24 F live in Torrance, California, Los Angeles County.

I think out here in Torrance there’s a no camping law, and obviously I’m worried about the implications of being a woman that will be homeless. Need some tips and maybe some guidance.

Not sure what to do or if I have enough time, I work a job which is great about 4 days each week and looking to work more. Pay is 20 an hour, just started but I’m feeling I’ll be making decent enough money at least to get a room if I had more time.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions it would definitely help, not here to beg or anything just need some real shit at the moment.

Sleeping in car and need safe spots North Carolina off of 95 between Smithfield and Rocky Mount

Literally had someone try to scam me again. They said they would give me their old car and only needed me to pay gas for them to get their car to me from another state. I should've known better when they asked me for more money after I sent them enough to get to me. After the second transaction they blocked me. So now I'm out of money that I made today doing some online gigs and also feeling justified in my feelings of paranoia and distrust of humankind. Why are you grifting other poor people?!? I don't understand why this is a thing. I could understand poor people trying to put one over on the rich because they can bounce back but you're literally ruining impoverished people's lives with these scams! I worked so hard to get that money earlier this evening. I'm likely going to have a flare-up tomorrow because of overdoing it. But it's whatever. Work to to try to live, get scammed because the world doesn't want you to improve your life, not one bit.

Stay strong friends hope you are all okay and stay safe

I’ve given it some thought…this was something I was supposed to do after I graduated high school 7 years ago, now that I’m homeless and really reflected on all my mistakes and telling myself I will NOT be the one to live with regret, I’m going to enlist into either nation guard or the Air Force. I have recruiters numbers for both I’ll do a little more research on both and make my final decision by the end of the week. If you’re homeless with good health I’d suggest you do the same. There’s nothing on the streets for you, you are meant to do so much more with your life and I hope this message reaches you. God bless

A female friend recently cashed a $9K+ settlement check. She currently lives in hotels (you can guess what she does to pay rent). It's certainly not enough to rent an apartment.

Are there any type of programs/resources for homeless women that could housed for a few months, with reasonable rent?

I've recently been made homeless. The council have put me up in a hotel as temporary accommodation. They normally call me everyday but the previous week I didn't receive a single call from then which I thought was a little strange. Then I got a text fro my mum a few days ago (I gave the council my consent to speak to her) telling me to get in contact with my housing officer urgently as she's apparently been trying to get in contact with me but I've had no missed calls all week I checked. I tried to call her but she was in a meeting so I couldn't get through and will have to try again on Tuesday 5th May. Can I be put on the street for "missing" phone calls I never received? I do tend to overthink due to mental health problems. I don't know what to think. I've not done anything but yet I worried they pissed at me for ignoring them despite not receiving any calls. My mums message made me worry too due to it being over dramatic she does that alot. Am I overthinking?

Hello all, I've been partially homeless before, like living in my car or peoples couches. But now, I'm full on homeless. Recently made my way to Philly from my home city Harrisburg, PA in hopes of better opportunities to escape the situation I'm in, only to find out it's just as difficult, and maybe even more so. Lack of places to sleep, lots of noise and little privacy. Any veteran homeless/homeless in Philly have any advice? I'm craving a shower and a beard trim lol.

I'm saying this as a runaway teen myself. Do not do it if you have any other option. If you're being abused, go to the police or tell a trusted adult.

The things you will experience and see while on the streets are far worse than you could imagine and it is no way a solution to your problems. I thought living at home was bad, until I became a drug addicted prostitute at 16 and got raped more times than I can count.

I also didn't return home, because I had already been on the streets for several months at that point. It felt embarrassing to admit defeat and come home. I'm begging any teen considering running away reading this. DO NOT RUN AWAY, AND IF YOU DO DON'T FEEL EMBARRASSED TO GO HOME.

We can't relocate and don't have a car. We live in the woods in a tent for about 2 months now. 1st amd last time being homeless. The heat the past week is killing us. We are over 40 and have some minor medical problems. We have to carry our water in and can't keep up. Shelters are full. We have 1 battery operated fan and hope to get another soon but obviously money is super tight, like just spent are last $5 on lunch. Also getting very seawty and sticky which makes it more obvious we are homeless when we go job hunting. I hate the way it makes me feel!! It's only going to get worse because we are in Florida. Between the hours of noon to 4pm all we can do is hide in the shade of the tent and try to stay still so we can breath and not over heat. What are you doing to beat the heat?

Sweet corn is the best. Better and cheaper than canned corn and more nutritious.

I also added raw garlic into my diet as a spicy healthy snack