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Bitstream's Life Sucks Vol. III: Hooray for Homelessness!
Bitstream
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hello, I'm Bitstream. You may remember me from such posts as BLSvI: Financial Fiasco, and BLSvII: What Warrant? I'm here today to bring you the next exciting chapter in the ongoing saga of spiraling stupidity.
Despite my best efforts to scrounge up the money I need to get on with my life, the universe just keeps finding ways to fuck me over. In a nutshell:
I made some stupid mistakes a few years ago, and forgot about certain debts to the state of Michigan. Early last month the state seized my assets without notice, breaking my bank account and setting off a chain reaction of financial horribleness that outpaced my meager earnings. I ended up going to court over my overdue rent last week, and was given the extra time I needed to get the money together. Unfortunately, a speeding stop earlier this week resulted in my being arrested on the warrant the state's aforementioned asset-seizure was supposed to have lifted. I am still working on getting this new fiasco cleared up, but in the meantime paying my bond has left me unable to pay the court-ordered back rent to my complex. I'll be getting back approximately $2500 on my taxes, but of course I don't see that money until next week. Other family members have attempted to help, but random setbacks have kept any aid from actually reaching me. Thus, I can't pay what I owe by the eviction deadline.
As of tomorrow morning, I am homeless.
[/livejournal]
Sorry for the drama, but I had to vent a little. Anyway, my question to you, O Help and Advice Forum, is this: how do I go about being a hobo for a while? I've got an offer from a coworker to let me crash on her couch for a few days, and another guy at work is looking for a new apartment/roommate, which is lucky but requires time to find a new apartment. I'm looking at at least a few days and potentially a couple of weeks of living out of a bag.
I'll be talking to the local storage units tomorrow about a short-term solution for all of my furniture/computer/household crap, and I have a fair amount of cash up-front if needed, so I'm not too worried about that. My major concern is making sure I keep all of the necessary stuff with me. There's the basics, a few changes of clothes, work clothes, toiletries, phone etc., but I want to make sure I'm not forgetting anything crucial. I know a few people on the boards have spent some time in similar situations, so I'm hoping someone might have some pointers and/or suggestions. Was there anything you wish you had had with you? Anything that helped you out that everyone should have?
Apologies if this is rambly, but I'm kind of in the middle of a nervous breakdown over here.
Despite my best efforts to scrounge up the money I need to get on with my life, the universe just keeps finding ways to fuck me over. In a nutshell:
I made some stupid mistakes a few years ago, and forgot about certain debts to the state of Michigan. Early last month the state seized my assets without notice, breaking my bank account and setting off a chain reaction of financial horribleness that outpaced my meager earnings. I ended up going to court over my overdue rent last week, and was given the extra time I needed to get the money together. Unfortunately, a speeding stop earlier this week resulted in my being arrested on the warrant the state's aforementioned asset-seizure was supposed to have lifted. I am still working on getting this new fiasco cleared up, but in the meantime paying my bond has left me unable to pay the court-ordered back rent to my complex. I'll be getting back approximately $2500 on my taxes, but of course I don't see that money until next week. Other family members have attempted to help, but random setbacks have kept any aid from actually reaching me. Thus, I can't pay what I owe by the eviction deadline.
As of tomorrow morning, I am homeless.
[/livejournal]
Sorry for the drama, but I had to vent a little. Anyway, my question to you, O Help and Advice Forum, is this: how do I go about being a hobo for a while? I've got an offer from a coworker to let me crash on her couch for a few days, and another guy at work is looking for a new apartment/roommate, which is lucky but requires time to find a new apartment. I'm looking at at least a few days and potentially a couple of weeks of living out of a bag.
I'll be talking to the local storage units tomorrow about a short-term solution for all of my furniture/computer/household crap, and I have a fair amount of cash up-front if needed, so I'm not too worried about that. My major concern is making sure I keep all of the necessary stuff with me. There's the basics, a few changes of clothes, work clothes, toiletries, phone etc., but I want to make sure I'm not forgetting anything crucial. I know a few people on the boards have spent some time in similar situations, so I'm hoping someone might have some pointers and/or suggestions. Was there anything you wish you had had with you? Anything that helped you out that everyone should have?
Apologies if this is rambly, but I'm kind of in the middle of a nervous breakdown over here.
Bitstream on
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That is a real link by the way I am not poking fun at your circumstances. I wish you the absolute best of luck and if you make it through this it could become a rather interesting story down the road.
Shogun Streams Vidya
Have you tried Western Union? A loan shark is obviously bad news, so I wouldn't do that. If you can get the owner *anything* will he let you stay a couple of days? It's a pain in the neck to have to find a new tenant.
What kind of car do you own? How much crap can you legally cram in there? I can't say I've been in a similar situation, but on the plus side you do at least have a job, which is a lot better than nothing. Come to think of it, is there any chance you might be able to get an advance on your next paycheck? I mean, how much do you owe that you can't pay back? If it's only a couple hundred bucks, there's gotta be someone at work who can help.
I'm sorry I couldn't be of more assistance.
And I take it your refund is going into your account electronically, and you won't have to wait around at your old place to pick up mail?
Failing that, yeah. Get on the horn with family and friends - how much are you short? If it's only a small amount, you can try to get them to EMT (email money transfer - do you guys have that south of the border?) or Western Union it to you.
If you're totally desperate - try talking to your employer. If it's a matter of "advance $200 on my next check or I end up homeless" they might just front you the money. :P
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
I was just being stupid. Normally I'm a very safe driver, but I was already a little late leaving the house and I opted to gun it to get out onto the street ahead of the next traffic push. The cop was waiting just past the intersection to catch people doing just that.
I spent a while in a Western Union office tonight, trying to get them to let my sister buy a money order via check - no personal checks allowed, and her daily ATM limit is $300 so she couldn't get me what I needed. Like I said, it's not so much that the money's not there, it's that there's never a way to get it here. And I've already stretched my complex manager's charity to the limit at this point; there's no way in hell I'd get an extension now. As for tenants being hard to find, that's certainly not the case from my experience around here. Michigan's economy is worse of than most, and there's a long line of people looking for a cheap apartment like this one.
Ha, I forgot to mention that part of my arrest involved impounding my car. It's currently sitting at an impound lot accruing fees until I can get new insurance on it (fantastic timing there) and get it out.
This is the crucial part. For all the bitching I do when I get home, I'm very lucky to have a job at all right now, especially one that's so understanding of my situation and rearranging my schedule to help me out. Unfortunately a pay advance isn't going to help me; I owe just shy of a thousand bucks to my complex and my average paycheck is about two hundred. Between the paycheck I just got today and the bond payment I'll be (hopefully) getting back on Tuesday, my next check will just about get me there.
The fact that you didn't immediately assume I was lazy and/or a criminal puts you above the majority of people I've talked to about this. It's amazing how much stigma is attached to going from one-paycheck-away-from-homeless to just plain homeless. It's really hard to get straight suggestions and help when people, family members even, draw their conclusions ahead of time.
That's actually a really interesting read. I like to think I won't be going any further than the couch-surfing stage, but the ideas there are still pretty pertinent.
As tempting as a comfortable private place sounds, I think the extended-stay hotel option is just a bit out of my budgetary means. There is one literally right next door to my job, though, and I suppose I should go check them out.
Mostly. The actual refunds will be direct-deposited, but the stimulus check (which I didn't get last year thanks to a filing snafu that H&R Block straightened out for me this week) will be mailed. Shit, I should have my mail forwarded to my sister. Thanks for the reminder.
It sounds like getting any amount of money short of everything he owes won't help much, but if that's not the case this is a solid idea. If you've got a couch that's more than complete crap you can probably get a couple hundred for it. Ditto for a TV.
Do this if you haven't. Everything that isn't necessary for you to be productive or can be easily moved/portable, get rid of it. You don't need all those DVDs, sell them off. Burn your CDs to your laptop or computer and sell them. If you have games just sitting there, sell them. Books, get rid of them, you've read them already. If you have a DVD player, sell it, because you have one on your computer.
I did the clean slate approach right after college, and it really worked. And the space you save (and not worrying about it) really makes up for it when you've in that transition phase, which you're in now.
I've actually been doing that to a lesser extent in an attempt to de-clutter my life. I've sold most of my DVDs and games, keeping only the stuff I watch/play on a regular basis. I need to do the same with books and just haven't gotten around to it. While I wish I could sell this stuff off right now, my car's impounded and the public transit system in Grand Rapids is godawful. Once my car's back out of hock I'll be able to get rid of a bunch of crap I don't need. Until then it's all going into storage with the important things.
Hope things start working out better for ya.
Yeah, make sure you have a permanent mailing address in the county in which you are planning to rebuild your life.
Most assistance programs in the US are administered by county. That includes food stamps, housing assistance, Medicaid, etc. Those programs are going to require that you receive mail, and if you're receiving mail outside the county, that will at worst make you ineligible and at best make things difficult on you.
If for whatever reason you don't think your sister can take your mail anymore, go to a UPS store and get a mailbox. Unlike PO boxes, UPS store mailboxes have a real street name and address.
Also...
If you can afford it, a YMCA membership or the cheapest membership to a gym will give you a place to shower, even if you're sleeping in your car (once you get it back).
Get a public library card. That gives you a safe place to be during the day, plenty of reading material to keep you from getting bored, Internet access to look for jobs, and a clean place to go to the bathroom.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Here was my day to day life for the week I had no place to stay that wasn't encroaching on my friends.
-Wake up in the back seat
-Go to an apt complex and go in the clubhouse (find one that has a pool), use the shower there to clean up and get ready for the day (most will not even bat an eye, as long as you look semi-presentable, I found out it worked well to wear a swim suit, then hop the fence on the other side, so they didn't see me leave).
-Make plans for the day with friends/go to work (I didn't have a job at the time, but thats what you will do eh?)
-If no plans are made or they are later, go down to the most active coffee shop. Get a hot cup of water and put my own teabag in it (I bought like 4 boxes of satchels Earl Gray just for this, since it was a lot cheaper then buying actual coffee everyday). Grab a free paper from the rack and sit outside smoking, drinking tea, and reading.
-Meet people that randomly walked by and say hi, go for walks around town since all my stuff was secure in a car parked on the street/in an apt complex.
It was actually a ton of fun once I got past the "shit, I have no home" bit. I crashed on couches for I think 2 nights, but I felt like a real dick staying and using some one else's house/shower. You may not feel this way, but for the love of god maintain an open line of communication with who ever you are staying with and try your best not to abuse it. People are understanding of your situation, but to abuse their good nature will leave you with less friends when its all over.
Tips for survival of not having a computer/things to do in down time:
-Libraries, go there, sit/read/use public computers
-Parks, learn to just enjoy sitting in the sun for stretches of time, it may seem boring at first but just sitting there watching kids play and people walk around can be quite enjoyable.
-Walk/hike, if you have a day off/free and no one to hang out with. Pick a point and walk in one direction, grab your iPod/walkman put on some music and just enjoy it.
-If your cold, duck in a public dinning place/coffee house/bar and order the cheapest thing you can and sit there for as long as you can, preferably with a book/paper.
-If you play guitar or some kind of stringed instrument take it with you. I sat in a heavily trafficked park one day and just played (read: practicing, not like I was really showing off or anything) and managed to make 50 bucks from passers by just handing money to me for no reason. I wasn't panhandling but it turned out well.
As for your extra stuff, like others have said, sell as much as you can off and save the cash. The rest of it either pack in boxes and ask family to store it (if they are close enough) or do a storage unit. Most of those are cheap enough the cost is minimal really. Hope this helps a little bit, I have other advice but some of it is situational. Edit: I lived on 2 bucks a day for this time, hot water for tea was free, I would walk into hotels and act like I stayed there for food, and some times bought food if I was late getting to the buffet or something. This may not have been right but I wasn't hurting anyone really.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Good luck.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I went down to the complex office to see how late I'd be able to keep my furniture in the apartment and met the new assistant manager, who is apparently much nicer than the old one. She offered me an extension on the spot, and said she'd do everything in her power to keep me there. If I can get that loan from my sister today I'll be OK, and as my tax money comes in I can pay them off the rest of the way.
I hope this works out, but either way I want to thank you guys for the support and suggestions. If nothing else, packing all of my shit while reading about all of this has made me realize how much unnecessary crap I have. The local secondhand shops are about to get some big donations.
I'd try to get some cash out of anything worthwhile. You wouldn't believe the shit people will buy on Craigslist/Kijiji.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
If there's a decent chance of them getting your money, they're going to try and keep you around. Honestly I'm not that surprised to hear something like that, but it's good for you.
Take it over homelessness, unless you have some reason to believe that they'd kill you in your sleep or something. Seriously. Don't choose homelessness.
I just handed over $700 to the office, and I get to stay for now. Just have to pay the remaining balance of about $350 by next Saturday and I'm in the clear.
I'm broke, I'm tired, and I have to unpack all of my stuff again, but I get to sleep in my own bed tonight.
Unfortunately, my parents live an hour from the city and I currently have no car. They might have been able to take me in, but I would have lost my job, which is a much bigger problem than housing.
As it is (with a couple of miles each day of walking to and from horribly placed stops) I can take the bus to work until I can get my car back, hopefully next week. I'm still in for a few weeks of tight budgeting, but I should be able to make it.
If you choose homelessness, you've basically chosen something worse than just folding. You're leaving your chips on the table and trying to curl up on the toilet seat of the men's bathroom to sleep off your losses. Not only will someone steal the chips you DID still have while you were sleeping (your job), but you'll have lost your spot at the table (your home) and you'll likely have gotten robbed in your sleep (the dangers inherent in homelessness).
If you choose declaring moving in with your parents/finding a new job and life elsewhere, you've chosen merely to fold. You'll lose the chips on the table, but you'll still have a seat at the game, and you won't have to worry about anyone mugging you while you try to sleep. Even outright declaring bankruptcy is more recoverable than just dropping everything and becoming homeless.
Hopefully my analogy was helpful somewhat.
Hope everything works out Bit. Sucks that this happens, but it will make for a lifelong lesson in the future, you know?
I think it's important that you maintain a good relationship with your parents at this point. Even if they are assholes or whatever. In this economy, you may need to move back in with them. And if that happens, you should be prepared to make a lot of sacrifices.
I offer the following anecdote: my best friend from high school is currently homeless and I haven't spoken to him in years. Like you, he had a mix of bad luck and poor decisions. He drifted around for a while between cities and stayed with friends, including me. But I had roommates, and in any case he couldn't find a job while he was staying with me, so eventually he had to go.
For a while, he lived with his parents, who were assholes. But eventually they kicked him out. After that, his life never recovered; he never got out of the spiral. I'd heard both sides of it, from him and his parents (according to the parents, he was a lazy bum; according to him, his parents are Rush-Limbaugh-listening uncompromising idiots). But looking back, it seems to me like this was his last resort and he took it for granted, and now he's homeless.
I'm definitely not saying "move back in with your parents now." I'm just saying, it's important to leave that option open for yourself, especially because it seems like you're on the brink.
Edit: to echo what others have said, I would definitely take "Living with parents + No job" over "Homeless + Job." You will be able to find other jobs. You will probably not be able to recover from homelessness. I really hope you understand how absolutely shitty and dehabilitating it is to not have a permanent residence.