6 ms·

Also, where should people be homeless? Literally I cannot pay rent next month and have no one willing to take me in. Where should I go? AFAIK there are zero le

Also, where should people be homeless? Literally I cannot pay rent next month and have no one willing to take me in. Where should I go? AFAIK there are zero legal options for me when I’m unable to pay for an apartment. I do not own a car. If I insist on being an upright citizen and following the law…do I just show up to a police station on January 1st and turn myself in for vagrancy and hope they throw me in jail?

pigeons 4y ago
What part of the world do you live in.
- runnerup 4y ago
  USA
Retric 4y ago
Homeless shelters are a short term solution. Various housing programs are available depending on location, but tend to be really slow.
- runnerup 4y ago
  There are widespread reports that there is no shelter availability for single men in my metro area. I suspect that multiple times per week I’ll be unable to find a cot in a shelter. Not sure what the legal thing to do then is. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Emergency-domestic-violence-shelters-struggle-to-14878668.php https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/... I’m also a bit concerned about the safety and conditions in the shelters, being that close to unpredictable strangers. But I’d prefer that over doing anything illegal.
  - TylerE 4y ago
    Any chance you'd qualify for Section 8? https://hchatexas.org/housing-choice-voucher-program/voucher-holders/ https://hchatexas.org/housing-choice-voucher-program/voucher... It can take a while to go through all that, though. You can see available inventory here: https://www.myhousingsearch.com/dbh/SearchHousingSubmit.html?ch=HCHA&type=rental&region_id=30507&c_b_b_h=&return_listings=return_listings_available&s8=t&bedroom=-1&bathroom=-1.0&low_rent=0&high_rent=1400&exclude_waitlist=f&building_type=-1&senior_housing=4&zipcode=&default_zipcode=Optional+ZIP+Code%5Bs%5D&bus=optional&smoking_status_id=optional&language_spoken_id=1&nosp=False&inclusive_group_and_pops=f&showmax=50&submit=CLICK+HERE+TO+SEARCH https://www.myhousingsearch.com/dbh/SearchHousingSubmit.html... (Disclaimer: My day gig, speaking on behalf of meself only, etc. We are sponsored by the HCHA as their housing search provider.)
    - ebiester 4y ago
      And three years from now, he could have a house. Is section 8 fast anywhere?
      - TylerE 4y ago
        Probably not. If it takes 3 years to get through.. that means now is the time to apply!
  - bittercynic 4y ago
    From a friend's experience with shelters in NorCal, you're mostly safe from crime inside the shelters (except for theft) but at high risk of being a victim of crime and harassment when you're nearby/outside. You will be perpetually ill with coughs and colds if you stay in shelters. edit to add: I don't know of any solutions. Sorry for sounding so hopeless.
p0pcult 4y ago
Do you have a cryptocurrency address? Can I help?
- runnerup 4y ago
  I’m not suffering that much and we shouldn’t make HN a place to spin a yarn for cash, or we’ll lose what makes HN great. The story is largely truthful, except for the character who has a pathological need to follow every rule. In reality, I’ll be late on my rent, my various credit scores will take a hit, but I’m not going to get evicted that quickly and should be on my feet again before the end of January. The lack of employment is entirely my fault, with the peripheral assistance of crippling anxiety and self-doubt. But I can choose to make ends meet bagging groceries, etc for $15-17/hour. I’m also a reasonably median performance programmer in C++ and Python so I should be able to find salaried work in the next month or so! If I was actually post-eviction / move-out negotiation with my apartment I’d probably sleep in a car if I owned one or set up a very hidden tent far away from other homeless people near a $10/mo gym with showers and lockers. Those plans may be illegal currently, but they are also still probably the best choices for a homeless person looking for work. Done properly, this doesn’t result in harm, inconvenience, or cost to the public. IMO, if someone can notice me enough to complain about me…I’m not being safe.
  - noobermin 4y ago
    Best of luck to you.
dilap 4y ago
I think you meant this as a rhetorical question, but I'll go ahead and answer it anyway. The practical answer is you do become homeless, but not out in the open -- you'll set up a tent somewhere somewhat hidden (maybe in the middle of a park, for example), and hope nobody notices it. Every so often your camp will get discovered and cleared out, which will be inconvenient. It certainly seems pretty mean-spirited to harrass the homeless in this way, but it does have the benefit of (mostly) preserving the beauty and safety of public space.
- runnerup 4y ago
  That seems illegal? I’d like to follow the laws. I am in the USA.
  - dilap 4y ago
    Hard to follow the law without a certain amount of cash, unfortunately. If it comes down to it, I'd definitely recommend trying to get your hands on a van before going full homeless.
chaostheory 4y ago
Homeless shelters exist for this purpose. There’s also HUD or similar entities if you’re not in the US. There are also private nonprofits like churches that help with homelessness
- runnerup 4y ago
  There are widespread reports that there is no shelter availability for single men in my metro area. I think I’ll be able to get a cot some nights, but I suspect that multiple times per week I’ll be unable to find a cot in a shelter within a 4-hour walk of city center. It’s hard to go around and ask at each shelter every night…there’s a limited time window for checkin so if my first two tries are full I probably won’t make it to a third option before they lock up for the night. Not sure what the legal thing to do then is. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Emergency-domestic-violence-shelters-struggle-to-14878668.php https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/... I’m also a bit concerned about the safety and conditions in the shelters, being that close to unpredictable strangers. But I’d prefer that over doing anything illegal.
- mullingitover 4y ago
  > There are also private nonprofits like churches that help with homelessness It's honestly shocking that the US has absurdly wealthy churches and we have greater than zero homeless people on the streets. Helping the poor is the core tenet of the christian faith. If they practiced what they preach, it should be impossible to lay down on the street for more than five minutes and not be swarmed with offers for help.
  - RobertRoberts 4y ago
    Many people _refuse_ housing for these reasons: (I've been directly told these, or have seen them reported) * Housing is dangerous/scary (robbery, rape, physical violence, etc...) * Housing is a conspiracy (to control people or other irrational ideas) * The rules of housing are too restricting. (can't have a pet, visitors, noise rules, cleanliness rules, curfew rules, behavior rules, etc...) There are others as well, but can't recall immediately. A church can't fix these problems, no matter how rich.
anon291 4y ago
> Literally I cannot pay rent next month and have no one willing to take me in. Well in most cities in the United States, there are numerous open spots in rent assistance or shelter programs. For example, in my city of Portland, there is a lot of money spent tackling this problem. In fact, each night, the city has empty rooms available for anyone, but they go unused. Unfortunately, part of the problem is the narrative pushed by the media that America has no social welfare. We have quite a lot. Unfortunately, the narrative we don't prevents people from seeking it out. This is similar to how narratives about COVID swamping hospitals led to so many people not seeking medical intervention that they died or let a preventable illness go untreated. And it's what caused so many hospital closures. Moreover, if you cannot pay the rent next month, you can contact your local st vincent de paul, and they will often cover it for you: https://www.svdphouston.org/ https://www.svdphouston.org/ Below you said you are simply going to be late, and able to resume making payments in January. If that is the case, there are numerous programs available that will help you to make your rent so you don't take the credit hit. Again, if you lived in my city of Portland, I know several charities that will simply pay your rent no questions asked, not even expecting the money back. Please contact your local social services agency or one of these charities. Many have funds that go unused each month.

pigeons 4y ago

What part of the world do you live in.

runnerup 4y ago
USA

Retric 4y ago

Homeless shelters are a short term solution. Various housing programs are available depending on location, but tend to be really slow.

runnerup 4y ago
There are widespread reports that there is no shelter availability for single men in my metro area. I suspect that multiple times per week I’ll be unable to find a cot in a shelter. Not sure what the legal thing to do then is. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Emergency-domestic-violence-shelters-struggle-to-14878668.php https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/... I’m also a bit concerned about the safety and conditions in the shelters, being that close to unpredictable strangers. But I’d prefer that over doing anything illegal.
- TylerE 4y ago
  Any chance you'd qualify for Section 8? https://hchatexas.org/housing-choice-voucher-program/voucher-holders/ https://hchatexas.org/housing-choice-voucher-program/voucher... It can take a while to go through all that, though. You can see available inventory here: https://www.myhousingsearch.com/dbh/SearchHousingSubmit.html?ch=HCHA&type=rental&region_id=30507&c_b_b_h=&return_listings=return_listings_available&s8=t&bedroom=-1&bathroom=-1.0&low_rent=0&high_rent=1400&exclude_waitlist=f&building_type=-1&senior_housing=4&zipcode=&default_zipcode=Optional+ZIP+Code%5Bs%5D&bus=optional&smoking_status_id=optional&language_spoken_id=1&nosp=False&inclusive_group_and_pops=f&showmax=50&submit=CLICK+HERE+TO+SEARCH https://www.myhousingsearch.com/dbh/SearchHousingSubmit.html... (Disclaimer: My day gig, speaking on behalf of meself only, etc. We are sponsored by the HCHA as their housing search provider.)
  - ebiester 4y ago
    And three years from now, he could have a house. Is section 8 fast anywhere?
    - TylerE 4y ago
      Probably not. If it takes 3 years to get through.. that means now is the time to apply!
- bittercynic 4y ago
  From a friend's experience with shelters in NorCal, you're mostly safe from crime inside the shelters (except for theft) but at high risk of being a victim of crime and harassment when you're nearby/outside. You will be perpetually ill with coughs and colds if you stay in shelters. edit to add: I don't know of any solutions. Sorry for sounding so hopeless.

p0pcult 4y ago

Do you have a cryptocurrency address? Can I help?

runnerup 4y ago
I’m not suffering that much and we shouldn’t make HN a place to spin a yarn for cash, or we’ll lose what makes HN great. The story is largely truthful, except for the character who has a pathological need to follow every rule. In reality, I’ll be late on my rent, my various credit scores will take a hit, but I’m not going to get evicted that quickly and should be on my feet again before the end of January. The lack of employment is entirely my fault, with the peripheral assistance of crippling anxiety and self-doubt. But I can choose to make ends meet bagging groceries, etc for $15-17/hour. I’m also a reasonably median performance programmer in C++ and Python so I should be able to find salaried work in the next month or so! If I was actually post-eviction / move-out negotiation with my apartment I’d probably sleep in a car if I owned one or set up a very hidden tent far away from other homeless people near a $10/mo gym with showers and lockers. Those plans may be illegal currently, but they are also still probably the best choices for a homeless person looking for work. Done properly, this doesn’t result in harm, inconvenience, or cost to the public. IMO, if someone can notice me enough to complain about me…I’m not being safe.
- noobermin 4y ago
  Best of luck to you.

dilap 4y ago

I think you meant this as a rhetorical question, but I'll go ahead and answer it anyway. The practical answer is you do become homeless, but not out in the open -- you'll set up a tent somewhere somewhat hidden (maybe in the middle of a park, for example), and hope nobody notices it. Every so often your camp will get discovered and cleared out, which will be inconvenient. It certainly seems pretty mean-spirited to harrass the homeless in this way, but it does have the benefit of (mostly) preserving the beauty and safety of public space.

runnerup 4y ago
That seems illegal? I’d like to follow the laws. I am in the USA.
- dilap 4y ago
  Hard to follow the law without a certain amount of cash, unfortunately. If it comes down to it, I'd definitely recommend trying to get your hands on a van before going full homeless.

chaostheory 4y ago

Homeless shelters exist for this purpose. There’s also HUD or similar entities if you’re not in the US. There are also private nonprofits like churches that help with homelessness

runnerup 4y ago
There are widespread reports that there is no shelter availability for single men in my metro area. I think I’ll be able to get a cot some nights, but I suspect that multiple times per week I’ll be unable to find a cot in a shelter within a 4-hour walk of city center. It’s hard to go around and ask at each shelter every night…there’s a limited time window for checkin so if my first two tries are full I probably won’t make it to a third option before they lock up for the night. Not sure what the legal thing to do then is. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Emergency-domestic-violence-shelters-struggle-to-14878668.php https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/... I’m also a bit concerned about the safety and conditions in the shelters, being that close to unpredictable strangers. But I’d prefer that over doing anything illegal.
mullingitover 4y ago
> There are also private nonprofits like churches that help with homelessness It's honestly shocking that the US has absurdly wealthy churches and we have greater than zero homeless people on the streets. Helping the poor is the core tenet of the christian faith. If they practiced what they preach, it should be impossible to lay down on the street for more than five minutes and not be swarmed with offers for help.
- RobertRoberts 4y ago
  Many people _refuse_ housing for these reasons: (I've been directly told these, or have seen them reported) * Housing is dangerous/scary (robbery, rape, physical violence, etc...) * Housing is a conspiracy (to control people or other irrational ideas) * The rules of housing are too restricting. (can't have a pet, visitors, noise rules, cleanliness rules, curfew rules, behavior rules, etc...) There are others as well, but can't recall immediately. A church can't fix these problems, no matter how rich.

anon291 4y ago

> Literally I cannot pay rent next month and have no one willing to take me in. Well in most cities in the United States, there are numerous open spots in rent assistance or shelter programs. For example, in my city of Portland, there is a lot of money spent tackling this problem. In fact, each night, the city has empty rooms available for anyone, but they go unused. Unfortunately, part of the problem is the narrative pushed by the media that America has no social welfare. We have quite a lot. Unfortunately, the narrative we don't prevents people from seeking it out. This is similar to how narratives about COVID swamping hospitals led to so many people not seeking medical intervention that they died or let a preventable illness go untreated. And it's what caused so many hospital closures. Moreover, if you cannot pay the rent next month, you can contact your local st vincent de paul, and they will often cover it for you: https://www.svdphouston.org/ https://www.svdphouston.org/ Below you said you are simply going to be late, and able to resume making payments in January. If that is the case, there are numerous programs available that will help you to make your rent so you don't take the credit hit. Again, if you lived in my city of Portland, I know several charities that will simply pay your rent no questions asked, not even expecting the money back. Please contact your local social services agency or one of these charities. Many have funds that go unused each month.