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Are you allowed to post your email for paypal donations? I've been homeless before and ran into the same problems you did (being too old/too young for certain shelters) and I wouldn't mind sending you a 20 so you can get something hot to eat and treat yourself to something nice. Not sure if that breaks any SA rules though.
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May 21, 2015 12:19
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I think it is against the rules, but as cheesy as this sounds it's the thought and I really appreciate it  I hope I don't sound like I'm lowkey trying to beg donations on here  This morning has been an adventure. I woke up and realized that my lovely, half-falling-apart wallet was missing. My birth certificate, social security card, ID and my laundromat card are all in there so I started to panic (and cry). You can't get access to 90% of resources here without an ID, and you have to present it every time, I was told this is keep people from selling their ids to kids so they can buy beer/smokes or whatever. I also can't take my license exam without it, or even get a job. After hyperventilating for about an hour I did the smart thing and retraced my steps from last night and sure enough, it had fallen out at the soup kitchen. I got really lucky there. Usually I keep it in the little hidden inside pocket of my backpack with my laptop but I needed it to get dinner last night and stupidly stuck it in my pocket, someone turned it in to the volunteers there (probably because there was no money in it hahaha). Lucky as gently caress. I am reading all your responses--even the one about sucking dick hah--and looking in to everyone's legit advice. I'm going to go do my daily study lesson, but I do have some kinda funny homeless adventures if anyone would be interested in hearing them?
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May 21, 2015 15:21
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lets hear em OP!
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May 21, 2015 15:32
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I look forward to reading about your kinda funny homeless adventures.
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May 21, 2015 17:33
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I guess "funny" might be subjective with these but here we go One of the very first semi-permanent fixtures in the homeless community that I met was Crazy Edna. No one knows for sure if she's actually homeless or if she just occasionally goes off her meds and wanders off into the streets. She shows up every couple of weeks for a few days yelling about whatever group of people she thinks is currently ruining the world, and passing out cigarettes and butterscotch candy, then disappears again. She considers herself everyone's Homeless Grandma. There's an abandoned looking empty lot literally across the street from the apartment building I used to live in, and until the artist commune started regularly calling the cops on the homeless population there, that's where I slept at first. That's where I met Edna. I was digging through my backpack hoping to find a stray cigarette when she sneaks up on me out of nowhere and just shrieks "WHERE THE gently caress DID YOU COME FROM?" "I--what?" "I'M EDNA, CALL ME CRAZY EDNA." And then like a switch she starts talking softly, asking me what my name was, where I was from, why I wasn't able to go home to my parents, and such. We are chatting pleasantly when the switch flips again, "DO Y'ALL WANT A GODDAMN CIGARETTE? I HOPE YOU AIN'T SMOKING NO loving MENTHOLS", doesn't wait for my answer and shoves a half empty pack of Marlboros in my hand, "KEEP THEM GOD drat YOU, I GOT ANOTHER. Son of a bitch". We became friends quickly. I'd listen to her talk about the colonies of feral cats that lived under her sons front porch (where I am reasonably certain she lives, and wanders away from) and she would somehow magic a pack of cigarettes for us to share. I never saw her panhandling but she always had cash. People loved Crazy Edna because she would wander around the streets of the art commune and loudly critique the front yard "art" displays, especially if there were tourists walking around. "THAT AIN'T ART, THAT'S A GOD drat BUCKET OF PISS AND poo poo WHAT WOULD YOUR MOTHER SAY?" "WHAT THE gently caress IS THIS?" (While repeatedly poking a laminated, faded picture of the Virgin Mary that was nailed to a tree) "WHAT THE ACTUAL gently caress IS THIS?" If the actual artists came outside, somehow she would charm them into not calling the police right away by having long, intense discussions about Frida Kahlo or John Singer Sargent or someone, which would eventually turn to how the Presbytarians/New Zealanders/Soprano Singers are ruining the country. I'm sure she was part of the reason why the cops started staking out the lot. Then one day she would just disappear. Everybody would be absolutely certain she never got picked up by the police, "she just does this" they say. A couple weeks later she'd be back lke she never left, and when I'd ask, she just stare at me "What the ACTUAL gently caress are you talking about?" Then the candy would come out. "Butterscotch?"
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May 21, 2015 18:26
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Should probably mention that everyone knows Edna has mental issues, its obvious. A couple of the guys are actively trying to figure out where she comes from/go to so they can try to get her help, but any serious prying causes her to start hissing violently like a cat.
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May 21, 2015 18:48
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Unexpected Road posted:I think it is against the rules, but as cheesy as this sounds it's the thought and I really appreciate it It is against the rules if you don't have mod approval. In this case, you have mod approval. If you're comfortable sharing your e-mail, go ahead.
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May 21, 2015 18:52
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slinkimalinki posted:You're a good person and it'll all be ok soon. Thank you for this, thank you so much.
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May 21, 2015 20:45
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Ok your thread on this forum here has unironically moved me to action. Let's have that paypal email sir. I'll pony up some dough if you agree to spend it on cigs and smoke at least 1 in my honor. I guess food would be OK too....
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May 21, 2015 21:41
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detectivemonkey posted:It is against the rules if you don't have mod approval. In this case, you have mod approval. If you're comfortable sharing your e-mail, go ahead. I didn't know I even had a paypal, good to know I do in fact use the same password for everything. I promise I didn't make this thread to beg, but if anyone wants to my email is burrmilton@gmail. I don't drink or do drugs and I don't smoke unless someone offers me one. I wish I had some good news to update this with, but I just found out that the soonest I could be considered for any of the Transition programs is mid-June, so I'm pretty bummed out. I saw a Help Wanted sign up at Longhorn though, so it's application time.
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May 21, 2015 21:52
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Hi, OP, I just sent your e-mail address some $ via PalPal. I hope others will do the same. Please keep us updated on your progress. Hoping to hear this become an E/N success story!
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May 21, 2015 23:13
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I did, too. I hope it helps out! Consider it payment for the story you wrote above.
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May 21, 2015 23:18
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Op try to apply at hotels, most the of them will give you a room
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May 22, 2015 00:36
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Oh my gosh you guys thank you, it means so much to me thank you thank you. I treated myself to an ice cold Coke to go with the extra PB sandwich I got from the shelter yesterday and oh man it tastes so good, I haven't had a Coke in months. It's a luxury thing you know? When I would get a few bucks I always squirrel it away in case of an emergency and this is just such a nice treat. Tomorrow I'm going to get a pair of shoes that aren't coming apart.  It's so humid out tonight but the mosquitos are out in swarms so I'm bundled up in a blanket trying to save myself. The hygiene kits usually come with small bottles of that spray repellent but they don't seem to be affected this time. I almost miss winter. If any Floridagoons are lurking, I'm sure you guys remember the Great Florida Winter that was maybe two weeks of February. It was a bitch to be out in it even though I don't think it got much colder than the low 30s, maybe upper 20s. Robbie, the self-proclaimed Professiobal Vagabond was in town during that and got a small group of us together and we snuck inside an abandoned gas station to sleep where it was a little warmer. We had a small can fire that didn't do much for keeping anyone warm but it was nice to toast chunks of bread or heat up hot dogs over, like having an actual cooked meal outside of the shelters (they were packed, mostly single parents with kids and none of us would have wanted them to be out in this). The first night we were going to swap ghost stories but Robbie ended up dominating story time because the man is a master story teller, all "100% true tales" of creepy places he has seen on his travels through Florida and the weird places he's stayed or slept in. They all began with some variation of "So no poo poo, there I was.." It was a real good time. He took off once the weather started pushing back up into the 50s and was gone until a couple weeks ago when he showed up again. I owe him a lot, he was the one to tell me about the Adult Education programs and helped me get this course for this license. Robbie left a couple days before I started this thread and I hope when I see him again I'll have passed my exam and am doing better for myself.
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May 22, 2015 03:50
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Hey OP. I just wanted to say I found myself oddly moved by your thread as a fellow queer guy who has had... well, serious issues in life that got really bad in the last few years in terms of just.. coping and trying to become something of an adult and falling flat on my face. I'm a queer fella like you, but unlike you I have pretty supportive parents (my mom's also gay and my dad is very progressive and a great guy) and while they couldn't help me much financially or let me live in either of homes for various reasons, they did help and support me when I couldn't afford my apartment anymore this past year and had a mini-crisis when I couldn't find any sort of place I could afford in time. Everything somehow worked out in the end, and I got a fair amount of help doing a lot of paperwork and getting in touch with the right people to get a subsidized place that's really quite decent, but I feel like I got really lucky, to be frank, I mean... I have very, very, VERY easily ended up homeless if I didn't have the right people still helping me and it's a scary feeling. It all just makes me realize how lucky I am to just be on the right side of the glass at night, especially in the winter, and that nothing in life is guaranteed or entitled and the world's a big and scary place sometimes. But everything will be ok! You are doing better clearly and taking steps and you're still young and vigorous and will get back on your feet again.
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May 22, 2015 04:27
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I really, honestly love hearing personal stories where things turned out alright and everyone was relatively happy and safe in the end! It's that little reminder that when things start coming together everything will be okay eventually. I'm so glad that you were able to find a place in time that's meeting your needs and that you had such a good support network. If you ever have the opportunity to pass on what you learned from the experience please please do, because I think the number one problem (especially in my area) is that people don't know what options they have or what they need to do when things go to poo poo.
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May 22, 2015 04:40
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what do you do for work that its so hard to find a job?
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May 22, 2015 13:35
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corn in the fridge posted:what do you do for work that its so hard to find a job? This question doesn't really make any sense whatsoever.
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May 22, 2015 13:38
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Jerry Cotton posted:This question doesn't really make any sense whatsoever. im asking what the op did before getting laid off and why they couldnt get a job because "work was scare" what is that job?
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May 22, 2015 13:43
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Unexpected Road posted:Thank you for this, thank you so much. Duder, I've known you for years. I thought you were dead because you cut off all contact. I had no idea times were so hard for you. You are a wonderful person and I'm proud to call you my friend.
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May 22, 2015 14:13
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corn in the fridge posted:im asking what the op did before getting laid off and why they couldnt get a job because "work was scare" Essentially a quality control inspector/specialist. I worked for an "organics" company and would inspect incoming international shipments of organic produce for parasites/bugs/hidden bag of drugs that shouldn't come into America. Also made sure it wasn't gross and rotting. It was a really good job, a lot of hard work but I got paid well. Then we found out the owner was an idiot with money and investments, and he laid off 80% of the staff in order to keep from completely going under (he still went under months later). There was less than 50 people who worked for the company when I worked there. Like I've said before, I'm not picky and I am willing to work 2-3 jobs to make ends meet, I've done it before. This is the only gap in my resume, I was with the organics company for 4 years, and another job for nearly 8 (worked both for a while until first job found someone to replace me). I've been working since I was 14.
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May 22, 2015 14:14
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so you're not afraid of work and you say your not picky surely there must be some menial warehouse jobs or cornershop clerking or burger flipping or anything to put a roof over your head while you search for more gainful employment?
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May 22, 2015 14:29
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corn in the fridge posted:so you're not afraid of work and you say your not picky surely there must be some menial warehouse jobs or cornershop clerking or burger flipping or anything to put a roof over your head while you search for more gainful employment? I wasn't kidding when I said I have been applying everywhere. My biggest obstacle is relevant work experience I think. Restaurants want you to have serving experience, but the only way to get that is to actually be a server. I've applied for every job I can find. Warehouses here want older people than me with a lot more experience, which I can understand. The warehouse I was at one had two guys who could drive the forklift. First question? "Are you certified to drive a forklift?" and stop listening after I say that I'm not. I'm willing to learn and I learn quickly! I don't know what's up with fast food places not calling back. We are moving into post-season here so business is slowing down. Sounds bad but this is usually when places start hiring to train new guys to handle season, so there's that to look forward to.
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May 22, 2015 14:42
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I'm exhausted and that last message was really garbled, sorry 
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May 22, 2015 14:45
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If you were in San Francisco, I'd have a (part-time) job for you, assuming you are actually as nice and together as you seem from your posting. I'm sorry you're in Florida for a lot of reasons. If you were to live anywhere else, where would you choose?
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May 22, 2015 17:48
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I was randomly surfing the forum and I clicked on your thread for some mystical reasons... Wow, just wow. Please don't give up anything! I don't know you but your moved me. Maybe you're in a lovely situation but I think you're doing everything you can to get out of it. Like many said here, I'm sure you'll be fine soon, maybe slowly but surely steady. Sorry for my English, this isn't my first language. But I think that you can write and you can hook people to your words. Proof? Read every comments here. Having a laptop, did you think about writing what you're living right now? Maybe you could write a book, a kind of "my story" type of thing. Or a novel/fiction based on your story? Even if it won't be for money (well who knows!), maybe your words would help others in a similar situation? I would love to give you some money but I'm in a tight situation right now (but well, still 100 light years away compared to you). I can only give you some good words to cheer you up! Bookmarking this thread to follow your stories
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May 22, 2015 19:08
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Unexpected Road is one of my best friends in the world, even though we've only ever talked online, and is one of the most wonderful and fascinating people I've ever met in my entire life. Hopefully my endorsement won't do more harm than good.
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May 22, 2015 19:51
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CK07 posted:If you were in San Francisco, I'd have a (part-time) job for you, assuming you are actually as nice and together as you seem from your posting. I'm sorry you're in Florida for a lot of reasons. If you were to live anywhere else, where would you choose? That's really nice of you. Thank you Somewhere with a good economy haha. I don't really know where I'd choose to live if I could, definitely not Florida though. Maybe Denver, or somewhere near mountains?
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May 22, 2015 20:40
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ShiroTheSniper posted:I was randomly surfing the forum and I clicked on your thread for some mystical reasons... What's your first language? Your english is really good actually! It always amazes me when people apologize for their English, like man you know more than one language and you're trying, you don't need to apologize, that's really cool! I like writing little stories, I don't know how I could put these together into something cohesive enough to be a book. And I really appreciate the cheer, thank you so much!!
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May 22, 2015 20:46
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I'm sorry, OP. Hang in there - we're all rooting for you on the 28th!!! Just know that you're not a failure in any way, shape, or form. Life can hit us hard sometimes and you sound like you're doing your best.  You seem like a good guy.
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May 22, 2015 21:33
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Sent you something through paypal, especially after the story of Edna. Keep us updated with whatever, especially if they involve stuff like that.
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May 22, 2015 21:34
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Agreed; the Edna story was great. Please post more if you feel so inclined. Although I don't think that "write a book about being homeless" is a really good money-making strategy at this point, you should definitely consider doing more writing; you seem to be pretty good at it.
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May 22, 2015 22:54
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You are a good person, and things will get better for you. I'm sorry you're in Florida, everyone I know says the place is a miserable pit. Then again I'm in Buffalo so pot, kettle.  Sent a little something to your paypal. Get yourself a good, filling meal.
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May 23, 2015 00:20
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A kid younger than myself just got arrested for accepting a couple bucks and a cigarette from a guy in a car in exchange for loving directions. He didn't even have a sign on him. I didn't think they could get us for getting money if we weren't holding a sign. Cops are gonna be watching the corner now
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May 23, 2015 00:26
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corn in the fridge posted:im asking what the op did before getting laid off and why they couldnt get a job because "work was scare" Yea the whole 'I had a great job and then became homeless' really doesn't add up at all.
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May 23, 2015 00:38
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tsa posted:Yea the whole 'I had a great job and then became homeless' really doesn't add up at all. 
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May 23, 2015 00:44
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Unexpected Road posted:I really, honestly love hearing personal stories where things turned out alright and everyone was relatively happy and safe in the end! It's that little reminder that when things start coming together everything will be okay eventually. I'm so glad that you were able to find a place in time that's meeting your needs and that you had such a good support network. If you ever have the opportunity to pass on what you learned from the experience please please do, because I think the number one problem (especially in my area) is that people don't know what options they have or what they need to do when things go to poo poo. I... well, I got luckier than I deserve. Everyone deserves a bed and a meal and to not have to worry about where the next ones coming from, and it's criminal that so many people in this country go through what you're going through. A couple things I learned... Well, make sure you are absolutely taking advantage of all the possible options that you can given your circumstances. I don't know what it's like in Florida, and I probably don't need to tell you this, but supplementary income, food stamps/EBT... If it all possibly try not to neglect your healthcare. I don't know what it's like in Florida (probably not very good) but the state Medicare program here in Maine is quite good and makes a *lot* of options much more cheap and affordable if you're, well, low-income enough to be eligible. I would be in a lot of trouble if I hadn't gotten onto it. Very often you can find social workers or organizations that are there where you can just talk to someone who will hook you into the right paperwork to do, and you find out there was extra help you could have been getting you didn't even know about. Always keep your eyes open for good deals involving subsidized housing - there are several people in my current building I just moved into (which is a very nice building that was just build last year) that I've spoken to who were actually homeless this past winter before they moved in here, and you wouldn't tell it all by looking at them. They kept their heads down, kept applying and trying to find the best options, and found one. I also would take the writing suggestion seriously - really. Just here in Portland (Maine), there is a local paper that does good social stories monthly with a fairly leftist bent (but they're good), but my point is that they've had several feature articles recently by this particular author who lived in the homeless community here in Portland for a long time, and has been writing about those experiences (some stories like your Edna story, that sort of thing) and of course about the experiences in general, also the less amusing ones. And you're a better writer than he is or at least as good, I can tell you right now. One thing I want to say, though - and I don't know how susceptible you are to this or what your history is - but please be very careful of the drug thing. I personally know how much the homeless population and the drug addict population (especially opiate users) intersect, and I don't know what it's like in Florida, but here the areas around the soup kitchen/shelter are practically an open-air drug market. So, so many homeless folk here are addicted to opiates - and if they aren't addicted to opiates, they're generally almost certainly alcoholics. I'm pretty sure that if memory serves, Florida has always had a famously bad opiate abuse problem, unless it got cleaned up lately. So I'm not saying you're the type of person who would fall into something like that, but... It's a tough way to live, being homeless, and it's tough not to despair and to keep your hopes up. And god knows vast numbers of miserable people who *aren't* homeless become drug addicts too, but the risk factor is a little higher when your life is seriously in a very rough place, and part of that risk is just that it's all around you - and I can't imagine it's all that different where you are. So just... You know, watch out for that, because more than anything else (around here) substance abuse in the homeless population is just a death spiral for the people on that road, because there's generally little to no way they're going to be able to pull themselves out of it on their own at that point. So just... I really am glad to hear it sounds like you're on the right track, and I hope it gets easier in the warmer weather at night in the summer, and that the next time there's a cold night you are on the right ride of the glass.
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May 23, 2015 00:54
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Unexpected Road posted:A kid younger than myself just got arrested for accepting a couple bucks and a cigarette from a guy in a car in exchange for loving directions. He didn't even have a sign on him. I didn't think they could get us for getting money if we weren't holding a sign. Cops are gonna be watching the corner now
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May 23, 2015 00:55
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I don't mean to be such a downer with the above post, that just hit me kinda hard. He's only been out here a couple weeks and he's about 19-20 I think. It sucks when anyone gets picked up but he was just trying to be nice. I've got a quick Edna story, then I'm going to pack up my little camp and move somewhere I won't be potentially messed with. So this takes place in April. I was in a pretty pissy mood lately because of some issues I'd had with my license expiring in March and the utter ordeal it was to get that taken care of (can't get services with an expired id, why? I don't actually know). The weather was starting to warm up and with it came extreme thirst and mosquitos. Just misery all around. Tempers were flaring all over and there was a small group of us hanging out in a little patch of scrub forest trying to beat the heat by snapping at each other. Then Edna shows up, pushing a Walmart cart just absolutely full of overripe cantelopes. You could smell them at 20 feet, sweetly sticky smelling but looking juicy as hell. When I say the cart was full, I mean it was FULL, piled high, and there she was just pushing it along like she should be whistling a tune. She spots us and stops, hands on her hips so she can properly glare at us. "WHERE Y'ALL MOTHERFUCKERS BEEN?" "What'cha got there Edna?" "GOD drat NUCLEAR BOMBS. WHAT THE gently caress DOES IT LOOK LIKE?" She pushed the cart over and everyone is already searching bags and pockets looking for knives. The smell is overpowering and it smells so good. We are all digging in, juice is everywhere and let me tell you cantelope has never tasted so good before this. Someone pulls put a bag of those little paper salt packets you get from fast food places, it was like a feast. Finally though, someone asks the question we've all been thinking. "Edna, where did you get all these?" "I found them you fucker." Rule #1 out here is Don't Steal, at least if you want to stay good with the community. When you steal, you make everyone look bad, you risk getting caught, and you lose sympathetic people who work in the store and you lose emergency temporary shelters. Edna was the one who told me this rule, so it wasn't like her to break it. "Edna you crazy rear end, where the gently caress did you get these?" "GOD drat YOU I FOUND THEM." She finally tells us she got them from behind the Walmart, that they were "just giving them away". I go with Deshaun down the road to try to covertly check it out. Sure enough, there's a pallet stacked with boxes of cantelopes and some really nasty looking tomatoes. There's also a guy smoking a cigarette next to them, and from the headset he's wearing we knew he worked there as some big shot. We were convinced she stole them and that's why he was out there, so we try to sneak off and he spots us. "Hey, what are you doing? You coming to get some of these melons too?" poo poo. Deshaun just grins and walks up. "Melons? Nah man, I ain't got any melon for no melons, but I'd take a smoke if you got a spare?" The guy laughs, drops his cigarette and steps on it. "I'm gonna tell you what I told that old bird who came by earlier, don't you let me catch you taking these melons, they're going in the trash." He gives us a look that completely goes over my head, an heads back inside. Deshaun stands around for a bit, looking up at the building, then heads over to the pallet. "Deshaun, what the gently caress dude he said--" "He said don't let him CATCH us, now help me look for good maters." Sadly, there were no good maters.
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May 23, 2015 00:56
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tsa posted:Yea the whole 'I had a great job and then became homeless' really doesn't add up at all.
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May 23, 2015 00:58
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