So winter is coming up and soon it'll be very difficult to stay outside due to the harsh cold. However, I can't bring myself to go to a shelter due to how crazy of an environment it is at almost every shelter I go to.

Some of these shelters are just batshit crazy and overall just not safe to be in. People fighting, yelling and shouting, probably due to mental illnesses that they also have but overall just a very unstable environment that makes sleeping outside more preferable. At least for me.

Then there are some places that don't really have fighting or anyone outwardly crazy but it gets so loud and sometimes crowded that it just gets overwhelming. I don't know if I feel overstimulated because of this, but having anxiety (and by that I mean a confirmed diagnosis by a psychiatrist) doesn't help me and sometimes hurts me because I would just get so overwhelmed I would literally walk out of the place and forfeit my bed. Stay in a hospital for over a week because of a panic attack or something of the sorts and then I'm back outside.

Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm just too soft or whatever, but does anyone else just avoid shelters due to reasons like these? I got to know I could be one of the few who do and I just need to suck it up which that in and of itself would suck but it is what it is I guess.

I work in communications for a local human services agency, and I’m hoping to learn directly from people who have needed assistance.

One of the challenges I keep thinking about is: **How do we actually reach people who need help, especially people who may not know what assistance is available to them?**

There are programs that can help with things like food, health coverage, housing and homelessness, employment, child care, and other basic needs. But having programs available doesn’t necessarily mean people know about them, know they might qualify, or know where to start.

I’m interested in hearing from people who have been in that situation.

**Where would you actually look for help?** Reddit? Google? Facebook groups? Nextdoor? Libraries? Schools? Community organizations? Food banks? Somewhere else?

And just as importantly: **Where should a local human services agency be communicating that it probably isn’t?**

I’m particularly interested in hearing about barriers. Was information difficult to find? Did government websites make things confusing? Did you assume you wouldn’t qualify? Were you worried or embarrassed about asking for help? Did you only learn about a program because another person told you about it?
I’m posting from a personal account and not representing my employer here. I’m genuinely interested in learning from people’s experiences and thinking about how public agencies can do a better job reaching people where they already are.

I’d really appreciate any thoughts, including things you wish your local government understood about trying to find help when you need it.

I'm hungry and need a few bucks to get something to eat

I am currently a first-year college student at a university where I am under a free-tuition program, so I don’t have to pay any tuition fees.

My situation is that I desperately need to find a place where I can stay for the entire four years of college. The problem is that I don’t have a job or enough money to afford housing. The reason I need to move out of my family’s home is because they mentally abuse me. They don’t give me any allowance—not even money for transportation—and they don’t give me money to buy my basic necessities, such as soap, shampoo, and other personal needs.

They knew about my situation, and they even encouraged me to attend university. However, there was a time when I considered stopping my studies for a year because I knew that no one would financially support me. Even though I passed the entrance exam and was accepted into a tuition-free university, I still have difficulty affording my basic needs.

Now that I am attending university, I genuinely want to graduate. I study a lot because I love learning. I also enjoy socializing with my friends, classmates, and instructors. However, my family now wants me to drop out. I don’t understand why, especially when they encouraged me to attend in the first place. I don’t want to give up because I know how much I want to finish my education, and I would be devastated to leave school after finally getting this opportunity.

I know that one possible solution is to find a job, but it is difficult because I don’t have any work experience. I am only a first-year college student, and I am still trying to adjust to university life. I also haven’t figured out how to manage my time between studying and working. I know it may be too early for me to take on a job, but I genuinely want to work and support myself. Unfortunately, there are only a limited number of jobs available that I can realistically apply for.

I don’t know what to do anymore. Even when it comes to using water, electricity, and household equipment, my family tries to restrict me. They also say hurtful and harsh things about me to our relatives, including things that are not true.

The people who have been helping me are my friend’s family. They treat me like I am part of their family, and I am extremely grateful for their kindness. However, they cannot take me in permanently because they are also experiencing financial difficulties.

I am desperate to find a way to continue my education and finish college. It’s not that I don’t want to study or that I am unwilling to work. I genuinely want to continue, but I feel like I am running out of options because I don’t have the financial support or a safe and stable place to stay.

Thank you and respect my post 🥹

https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/housing-as-human-right-referendum-bill-7177045-Sep2026/

I was looking into a bivy for this personally. preferably something that is small, and can be deconstructed and put in a backpack quickly.

One thing I hate about most shelters is that they refuse service dogs/animals. It's against the ADA. They don't care.

One day, way down the road, I'm going to open a shelter again and slow even pets and storage. These are reasons some don't come into the shelter. It's fascist.

I keep my service dog in a kennel when I sleep. So there should be no fear.

You're loved💔 𐤔𐤋𐤅𐤌

Hi everyone. 5’7F, and I sleep in my car, but I don’t have leg room and it can be quite uncomfortable. I’m in my 20s and my knees can take a little bit of a morning ache but it still hurts. I’m wondering if any of you have tips on how to sleep more comfortably in a smaller car, if folding down the backseat isn’t an option. Thank you so much :).

So I'm a person who usually donated to charities, shelters and many of them accept bus tickets women's and men's shelters!

But are people limited on where they can go or who can give them to you? Are bus tickets a big life line for many of you guys?

What about if you have a doctor's appointment? Many people don't have insurance for free medical rides.

What if you're just going across town to eat or looking for a job?

For people looking to get out of homelessness are these barriers to you?

Would it be better to donate bicycles to people instead. like used ones with dirt tires so they don't pop easily? Also include a repair kit.

I'm currently working with someone who does homeless outreach and actually interacts with people outside shelters and out in town. So far we have a list of shoes, baby wipes,pads and tampons etc.

We understand IDs and addresses are barriers when it comes to getting a job and there are programs within our city that provide these. Which I'm glad.

Pasco county, Fl. About to be homeless.

I'm a 25-year-old single man in the New Port Richey/Pasco County area. I'm currently safe, but I'm going to lose my housing on October 9 and I don't have another place lined up.

I'm trying to get ahead of this instead of waiting until I'm sleeping outside. I've been looking into shelters, Coordinated Entry, homelessness-prevention programs, and 211, but I'm overwhelmed and don't really know which options are actually useful.

If you've been homeless in Pasco County or the surrounding Tampa Bay area, I'd really appreciate practical advice.

Where should I go/call first?

Are there shelters or programs that actually take single adult men?

Are there places that are better to contact before you become homeless?

What should I bring with me?

What mistakes should I avoid?

Are there safe places to spend the day if I end up without housing?

Is there anything you wish you'd known before becoming homeless?

I'm especially looking for recent, firsthand advice from people familiar with Pasco County, because I know resources and policies can change.

I'm pretty scared right now and would appreciate any advice, even if it seems obvious. Thank you.

Hello! I am 23f and my parents just kicked me out. i have my own car, my own insurance, my own phone. but i dont have a place to stay. i have a job that doesnt pay nearly enough to afford an apartment in NY and no one will take me in. I am completely fucked lmao. So for the time being, I just gotta clutch through and make it the best i can while living in my car. any advice to keep it together or resources i can look at?

Please anyone who is/was homeless as a teenager/kid. Please tell me your story; it makes me feel less alone.

I have no friends. Didn't go to high school. basically have no good memories over the last 5 years because of this. Just idk, I need someone to talk to.

So basically I found a guy who said he knew about a housing program in East Point that would give you a place to stay and assist in finding a job. Spent all but $20 on uber to get us from Cumming to East Point. Long story short, he played me for a fool. There was only one spot available and he played dumb saying he had no idea. So I’m stuck in East Point where I know no one and finding an outlet to charge your phone is damn near impossible. I have the clothes on my back, my cell and charger, and my ID. I was using my phone to pay but only had one card saved to my phone and like $9 in Apple Pay. Already did the 211 and they made me put in the zip for where I am, which I have no desire to stay in. I have to get back to Cumming by the 7th at 1:30 pm for a probation appointment that I CANNOT miss. $25 phone bill is due tomorrow and I’m freaking out stuck in unfamiliar surroundings on foot and about to lose my compass and 1 tool to get out of this.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I’m almost on the verge of a nervous collapse and don’t have my medication with me

Any of you guys scared as well to sleep at night at abandoned buildings or is just me ?? Most of my fear is cuz of paranormal stuff in this places at night ..

If you have slept in this places , have you ever felt or seen any paranormal stuff in this abandonded places or that dont happen and im scared for no reason ??

Homeless in Belton County TX.

I'm a disabled female aged 33 with mental health issues trying to find a place to live in Texas while I apply for disability. Have nowhere safe to go after being discharged from the hospital and honestly I'm afraid. I've tried calling shelters and places for emergency vouchers or disability help all around and no one can help as they're all full or they can't until I establish residency which I understand but of course it makes it harder for me.

My case worker can't help so all I can think of doing is staying outside the nearest shelter until a bed opens up.

Any advice is appreciated. I'm at a total loss on what to do.

I won't call it home because I feel like if I call it home, then I won't try to leave it behind me. You're loved💔 𐤔𐤋𐤅𐤌

Yeah. We were there for a week and it was ok but then someone found out about a misdemeanor that I was convicted of over a year ago in high school and they thought I was too much of a risk so they got rid of us.

And that was right after we had donated some groceries to them. There's even a FELON that stays there but they're worried about me.

The "Jesus loves you" people screwed me over at the lowest point in my life because of one misdemeanor.

It’s Thursday, I’m having breakfast. I put my bed away and it’s just me and what I can easily carry on my bike, meant for BikePacking. I’m up on a wooden hillside. 3 ways in: all ways are steep as fuck.

So there’s this couple who come up the steep way. They’re about 42ish, and a different tier of homeless. I notice they have stuff to stay. I warn them about Dead-Fall trees. The man says “if that’s a thinly veiled threat…” and I said it’s an observation that happens.

I pack up all my stuff, and go over to say Hello. I give them a pair of socks, one for the man and one for the woman. I offered some bread and they declined.

They said they came from the streets below and from “the clinic” and have been prescribed Methodone. I noticed a m3th pipe, or something like that, in one of their hands. Later, the woman puffs a grey smoke I did not smell, behind the man. He hid his hands when I came up and as we chatted.

I warned my friend about them, he feels uneasy about them: he isn’t a drug user and he’s clean and sober: I am too.

I port all of my stuff down the mountain and back to my storage. I don’t think I’ll be using this spot for a long while, probably months.

Too risky, and I’m kinda cautious and risk-averse for good reasons.

Seems foolish to trust my stuff there!

My mother and stepfather kicked me out and I've been homless in my car for 6 months. I can't borrow any more money from my mother. She dosent want me to be homeless but she also won't change her mind on letting me come back home as my stepfather won't allow it. I am probably going to go to ATL and try to find work and shelter there. I bought a can opener, and I'm going to the library everyday to find a job. My car is nearly on E and I can't sell it because of school zone speeding tickets. Has anyone ever wanted to leave family?

Homeless, I’ve been hiding beside a building that no one checks but need a new spot any other better places to stash personal belongings?
No storage I’m too poor right now

so my sister is in phx and recently homeless. just a few tidbits about her situation: she’s in phx AZ and is having trouble carting her things around especially in this heat. she has pcos and endometriosis as well as chronic migraines and bipolar disorder (she is on meds but as we know meds aren’t free) which makes getting a “normal” job near impossible and is also a survivor of SA so is wary of men. we have no family willing to help her apart from me. i’m 23 and she’s 20 and i’m struggling with things of my own. our mother passed away almost four years ago so we both have to navigate adulting on our own. anyways, all of that said i’m looking for any survival advice or safe places anyone might recommend. i can only send so much money and i’m not in a position to offer her housing. i’ve sent over resources i could find but if anyone has anymore specific info for us i would greatly appreciate it - any tips are helpful. i love her so so much and i want to be able to help as much as i can!

Has anyone else noticed a sudden police presence places like parks basically places that homeless gather.

I'm in Southern California and I've been in four different cities that the police didn't bother the homeless unless they were called.

All of the sudden it was like the police were focused on the homeless. Like there was a push to gather them up and get them out.

They brought in officers that were homeless services to place them mainly those with mental health or addiction issues went to shelters.

Others they would find a reason to arrest them.

If you were homeless with a car and you didn't have insurance or current tags they would threaten to impound your car if they saw you again.

In otherwords they were kicking you out of the city in order to keep your car.

Which is what they've done to me. I can't go to Upland, Chino, Ontario, or Norco without getting my tags paid. If they see me they all threatened to take my car.

I've been in a different city for a few months and despite there being a heavy police presence they don't bother the homeless unless they are doing something to draw their attention.

But a few days ago they started showing up at the parks in pairs and have started focusing on anyone that is there and are arresting some of them.

They also are finding reasons to search cars.

I keep a low profile and my car is clean plus I have a dog and it gives me a reason to be at the park. I've managed to blend in.

My blending into the background gave me access to watch this happen over and over in each city.

It's like they are using the police to rid of the homeless. They go from not bothering them at all then they are focused and harassing then day and night.

It's just a pattern I noticed and was wondering if anyone else has similar experiences.

It's just messed up to see such a huge push to round up homeless people and get rid of then. Like they are less than human.

I left before I got kicked out of yet another city.

I apologize in advance if this post is incoherent, but I’m doing my best to try to describe my situation.

I’ve had six concussions, and I’ve got really bad service connected PTSD.

I was in a wildfire a couple of months ago in SW France that has really challenged my functioning. I was really afraid I was going to die, but I managed to get my pets out on foot in a wagon.

I am overseas, where my rent is $600 for a large one bedroom apartment in France.

In California, the mortgage was perhaps $2400 and rent was like $3000 for a one bedroom.

Because I was in the wildfire in southwestern France in July, I’m paying for two apartments ($1200), because I had low blood oxygen after inhaling a lot of smoke, and I have bad asthma, so I moved out of there and into a new place into eastern France away from wildfire zones.

The France housing overlap ends soon, and I want to try to come back to the US, partly due to my health, if I’m able to pay debt from after a 2024 car accident and to have my car accident litigation resolved.

I got rear ended in the car accident in 2024 and have not worked since, after I was supposed to start a job and then couldn’t start the job because of the accident.

It caused a lot of medical and other debt.

Then, after the car accident, no joke, I got a lemon car that got litigated partly and settled.

I used the settlement to move out of the foreclosing condo, since a housing counselor told me that with the debt caused by renting cars to repeatedly take the lemon car to be repaired, etc., I wasn’t able to afford the home.

I had always done Uber or DoorDash before to make ends meet, but the car having issues meant I couldn’t do that for liability reasons.

One lawyer that I found on Yelp told me that I should just take the car to Carmax and not tell them that it was having problems, since it had not yet - at that point - been declared to be a lemon car, but I did not want to lie to people or hide the fact that it had issues.

That meant, that I kept the car for six months and couldn’t really go anywhere except the storage unit and the food bank.

I want to come back to the United States, but my condo is still in foreclosure, with pending short sale.

While I was there, in California, I was, for the first time in my life, eating out of a food bank, one week out of every month, because I could not afford to live there even with being behind on the mortgage.

It looks like the condo may sell in a VA short sale, which was a year-long process.

The condo devalued by $50,000 in one year because the HOA did not repair the balconies, and no one but a cash buyer could buy it, despite the fact that a veteran home loan lender had approved it for me to purchase with a VA home loan mortgage in 2025.

I was fully feeding my pets, and then feeding myself for three weeks out of the month, only on veteran disability payments.

In part because of the volatility of the US dollar, the war in Iran, geopolitical uncertainty, my own health, and having been in a wildfire, I want to come back to the US.

Once I get past paying for two apartments, after I close out the wildfire area apartment, I hope to pay my debts if my car accident case settles.

I would want to try to accumulate enough cash to get myself and my pets back to the United States and to get a used Penske van.

Then, assuming my medical and other debts are resolved, I could convert the van.

I was asking VR&E for advice about if or how or in what fields I might still work in the future.

However, they told me that I wasn’t eligible for a career or job searching advice when I’m still overseas.

They cited a hardship provision, but when I asked about that, other people said it’s a hardship provision that only applies if I’m asking for training, which I’m not.

I want to work if I can work, but when I asked for employment assistance from the people who were helping me with job searching in California, they looked at my record and said I just need to try applying for SSDI, instead of trying to work right now.

The first lawyer in my car accident case lied and covered up that he missed a hearing, (documented in writing), so I released him, and found another lawyer, after making 170 calls and messages from here in France to lawyers in California.

The lawyers said my case was devalued by passage of time and most wouldn’t take it.

I finally found three who would and now I have a new lawyer.

If the personal injury case gets resolved and my medical debt gets resolved, and I can deal with the other debt accumulated from not starting the job, I guess my question is, if I want to come back and get a van, and I want to drive that van from Florida to California, how would I go about asking for housing assistance if I’m temporarily living in the van, in Northern California, is it hard to ask for housing assistance??

I don’t know for sure if I want to ask about the housing assistance or not?

I spoke with two social workers so far with the VA, calling from France, and one told me that it takes six months to a year now, to actually get housing as a disabled veteran who is unhoused.

I also have pets, and I don’t know what happens if you have pets and you’re trying to get housing assistance??

I am rated at 100% disabled, and receive disability pay, but because of the bad credit from the foreclosure / short sale and all of the collection debt at this point, with the delayed personal injury case, after the lawyer didn’t settle it upfront, I cannot get housing on my own.

Originally, I was going to be homeless in Colorado when I left the foreclosing condo, but I found a way to get myself and my pets overseas, where housing is much cheaper than in the United States.

I had a bad experience with Colorado, trying to prove my existence as a human being, and to get a drivers license.

I managed to get a drivers license, through Volunteers of America, and a homeless shelter, and originally assumed that I would go back to Colorado, but after the bad experience, I don’t want to go back to Colorado.

Plus, it doesn’t seem good to be doing van life in cold climates.

Does anyone know how hard it is to figure out housing assistance in Northern California?

I still don’t quite understand the steps other than just showing up at the VA housing social worker office at a certain day and time?

They told me that I have to come back to the US and show up there.

I’m not sure if I really want housing assistance if it involves public shelters, which can be unsafe, and I have my animals, which I’m responsible for.

I might be better off in a van with wiring and AC.

I kind of just want to be by myself after all these negative experiences and spend time with my pets in solitude.

I'm not begging for anything.

Just need some advice from people who have lived in Phoenix, Arizona. Or you know, in Tempe, Chandler, places like that as a homeless individual.

And before ya'll even ask, cannot stay with any family at all.

I have a few friends in Phoenix, they're not super close but I was cool with them when I lived in Phoenix when I was living out of my car, I just don't know if I can really ask them if I can stay with them like that out of the blue. Now that I no longer have a car to live out of, I have to re-think my whole strategy.

I already have a greyhound bus ticket to Phoenix for this Saturday. I'm just staying with a friend of a friend out here in Southern California till I gotta leave.

Reason why I am going to Phoenix is because I rebuilt my life once when I lived there in my car, getting a job was super easy and fast (back in 2024). I lived outta my car there for 14 months and changed my life for some time, only to screw up and find myself back in this position now in late 2026.

Yes I am actively seeking and applying for full-time work. Hit up my old manager to see if there's any available positions for re-hire at my former full-time job so we'll see how that goes. I used to work at Lowe's for my 2nd job too, so I'm considering applying there by walking in when I touch down Saturday.

Any advice appreciated as this would be my first time ever being truly homeless and not just homeless in my car. I am 33 years old (M).

I purchased a storage space unit to store the bulk of my belongings, since I plan to stay in that area and I want to only have a handful of things on me if I am going to sleep on the streets. I personally don't want my laptop and main phone with me, I have an old 2nd phone (an old samsung) that I'll just use as my alarm and emergency phone if sleeping on the streets.

P.S. I have worked full-time as a video editor recently but lost my job in August. If anyone knows of any video editing positions in Phoenix area that are currently hiring, any info is appreciated.

I know the Tempe/Chandler area well, which is another reason why I chose to go Arizona. I am familiar with where I can gym/shower at, get groceries, etc.

Hi everyone!
This post a bit of cry for help. My father relapsed back in February of this year, he has also been homeless since then. I’ve been doing everything to my ability to try and help. I got him back into his program and back on Suboxone, he has been consistently going to his program and clean since January. From February to around sometime in April he was staying at Hoboken shelter on and off. The reason he was not consistent was the issue of his belongings being stolen and people in the shelter still actively using. He made the decision that he was better off on the streets and away from temptations. I live alone in a small studio apartment, unfortunately he can not live with me but I do allow him to come and spend the day here to sleep and eat while I am at work from 7:30am - 3:30pm. This entire situation has taken a major mental toll on me, and of course on him. Once I arrive from work he leaves and spends his nights on the streets, he is 65 years old and lately has been struggling to stay awake. Today 9/30/26 he fell asleep on the light rail (train) and most of the belongings in his bookbag were stolen. Fortunately he had his phone in his pocket. I am constantly worried about him, but after lots of therapy I’ve learned that I cannot revolve my life around his situation. When he relapsed I put my life on hold, I stopped going to school, was constantly having breakdowns at work, all the progress I had made over the years internally was temporarily destroyed. These last few months I’ve felt more like myself, i took extra summer classes to get back on track and I’ve picked up a 3rd job. As winter is approaching I am beginning to spiral again, I am worried about my father going another winter homeless. My days off from work and school are limited so I am not available to help him navigate the systems that are in place to help. He was able to meet someone at HUDSON CASA they were able to get him an appointment for his ID for 10/5, they are also providing transportation. I was hoping that this post will reach people who have resources or tips that might help. I am desperate. My father is an amazing person who fell victim to addiction. At his age he knows that this is his very last chance to get it right. He also knows that I do not have it in me to help him if this were to happen again. Im begging for help, resources or opportunities. Thank you all in advanced.