It's possibly our last night here.

Me and my kids have been staying in our second hotel, the second place we've had to make a home out of a hotel room. This one has been the longest. Five weeks.

Five weeks of trying to make a temporary place feel like somewhere we belong. Five weeks of our things finding their places, of figuring out how to live here, of making the best of what we have because that's what we've had to do.

And somehow, we did.

We made this room our home the best way we knew how.

Tonight, the kids are sleeping while I'm packing our things up.

They're sleeping, and I'm awake, surrounded by the pieces of our life that I'm trying to put back into bags and boxes. Things that have been scattered around this room for five weeks, things that became part of our little routine, things that made this unfamiliar place feel familiar.

And I'm filled with so many emotions that it hurts. Deeply. Badly.

I don't even know if I have the right words for everything I'm feeling right now. There's the sadness of leaving. The exhaustion of having to keep going. The weight of not knowing what comes next. And something about doing all of this while my babies sleep, knowing that when they wake up, things might be different again.

Five weeks.

That's how long we got to settle into this particular place. Long enough for it to become our normal, even though it was never supposed to be our permanent home.

I think that's one of the hardest parts of this life right now. Having to keep making temporary places feel safe. Having to unpack, settle in, arrange our things, and let ourselves breathe a little, only to face the possibility of packing everything back up again.

We are not just packing our belongings. We are leaving another place where we've been trying to live our lives in the middle of everything that's happening.

And tonight, I need to acknowledge how much that hurts.

I don't want this night to disappear into the blur of everything we've been through. I don't want to look back someday and remember only that we stayed in hotels, that we had to move, that things were hard.

I want to remember this exact part, too.

The kids sleeping.

Me packing.

Five weeks behind us.

The room that we made ours.

The feelings that are so big I can barely explain them.

I want to remember that even in a hotel room, even in a situation I never wanted for us, I was still their mom. I was still trying to make a home for my children. I was still doing the little things that make a place feel like ours.

And whatever happens next, those five weeks were part of our lives. We lived them. We made memories here. We slept here, woke up here, kept going here.

This was where we were for a while.

And tonight, it hurts to leave.

I don't have to pretend that I'm okay with that. I don't have to turn it into something positive before I'm allowed to feel it. I don't have to know what comes next to admit that this moment is breaking my heart.

Tonight, I'm just a mom packing up the place where she's been trying to make a home for her kids.

And I want to remember her, too.

I've been wanting to get back in touch with him for weeks, which was why I thought I was imagining shit when I saw someone who looked enough like him with a trash bag outside my job looking at me and saying what I thought was my name (I have trouble hearing sometimes for context). Looking back, I am 99 percent sure it was him. I really want to help him out somehow but he's in this situation because of addiction whereas I was in it because of domestic violence, so I don't know how I can help if he's actively using. Hell, I doubt I'll see him again there if he thinks I walked past him on purpose. I just don't know what to do. I apologize for the rambling here... I just haven't fucking slept because I know he's wandering around out there on his own and there's nothing I can do. I'll look around for him the next time I'm in the area and hopefully we'll get to talk, but after the way I so dumbly reacted I don't know if he'll be there again.

EDIT: I am going to call the shelter tomorrow, but it has strict confidentiality rules so I don't know if they'll be any help in getting us back in touch.

I somehow got 2 jobs while being homeless (I managed to not look that bad and the fact that im young and look my age helped) and I now rent and. got all my bills paid this month, problem is I dont get paid until Friday and ive been eating white bread since Sunday but today I ran out and the only 2 people that I know in this city went on a trip and I dont wanna bug them asking them for money, would I be an asshole if I show up to the shelter just to grab a plate one last time?

Hey all! I'm from San Diego but also homeless besides college in Norcal. I'm going "home" to SD for about a month for a couple reasons and a summer job opportunity, over the end of December and start of Jan. I'm 18 female btw. I have some camping gear, I was thinking it would be a good idea to try city stealth camping?? Maybe at the beach? or possibly at parks. yes, I'm rebranding homeless as stealth camping.

Do y'all have any suggestions or alternate solutions, or suggestions for stealth camping?

Hi i recently got a jackery 300w and sleep in my car. It gets cold in my area in Canada. So ive been using an electric heated blanket. Which seems to last around 7 hours at low setting and around 4 hrs on high setting.

I bought this unit from a store that buys in bulk and got a decent deal at 180 cad.

The only thing is when it gets really cold this upcoming winter. I want to be able to get enough power to supply me at a higher setting for longer.

Trying to get it running at high temp for at least 8 hrs hopefully.

What do you recommend and how many watt hours should I get. I think the 300 explorer comes with nearly 300watt hours.

finally got away/kicked out. i have never been allowed to get a job or my driver’s license and am now 20. my dad helped me set up an account with navy federal and get my state ID, but that’s it before getting kicked out. now i’m stranded with a puppy i rescued who is the only reason i’m alive right now. what is a person supposed to even do in this situation?

there’s a car in a junkyard that we are sleeping in but it doesn’t run. have an army tent with no money to get a backpack big enough for me and my pup. no way to get around either. i guess i should be trying to figure out riding the bus, but i’m so scared and have no idea how it works. me and the pup spend the entire day at a big park, and i use the bathroom to bathe with sink water. surprised i even got out of the house with a smart phone, but at least i have it. that’s how i’m posting this. no shelters nearby, not that i’d be brave enough to go check it out. don’t want to leave my few belongings, but no way to carry them without a pack.

i’m guessing find money somehow to get a backpack and figure out the bus for transportation. uhh, where to go from here? how does getting a job even work? this is all i can even think of my brain is so fried from stress. i can’t even think straight.

please, please someone help. i need advice so bad.

Currently 29 and life has been so harsh since my parents died. I've been in and out of this and can barely escape by to eat. I haven't ate in almost 3 days. Just asking for any advice for food or help. Someone please. Message me I need people to talk to and some helpful advice.

A alguien se le a tardado mas de 2 meses y medio en aprobar la ayuda de los snaps y el dinero en efectivo.?

A mí ya me aprobaron mi voucher y ya firmé el contrato del apartamento que comienza el 1 de noviembre. Pero todavía no recibo ninguna ayuda.

Denme un consejo por favor.

Gracias.

I’ve made and donated scarves for a number of years and my local shelter said they could use some for this winter.

Personally, I don’t like scarves and I was thinking that a shorter version that can be wrapped around the neck would be better.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

So, I’m homeless. And I’ve been in browns mills for 3 days so far. I’ve been sleeping in front of the acme store for 2 nights in a row. Yesterday morning, the first 2 employees were nice and chill, they woke me up in the morning and told me to move since the store was about to about, they were very respectful and polite about it. Now, this morning, a different employee woke me up and told me to move, and if I didn’t move she would call the cops on me, she was really rude on how she said it. Which of course, I moved. I didn’t give any of the employees a hard time at all bc I’m sure people are already going through a lot. But one thing about me is, I don’t tolerate rude people who just talk to anyone with disrespect or talk to anyone rudely, I’m all about being polite to other because you never know what others are going through in life.

P.S, I did apply to social services a month ago and still haven’t heard back and I’ve been applying to jobs left and right and no luck at all. I’m not the type of person to panhandle or ask for money from people I don’t know, especially in this economy, I already know money is tight. I’d rather work for my money than just ask someone for money.

A while ago I ended up losing all forms of ID. No social, no birth certificate, no state ID. I was stuck in the cycle of a catch 22 and I thought I was stuck completely.

Until I decided (completely on a whim) to go to a donation center for some new clothes and food. I told one of the workers I had no form of ID and she asked me if I ever had an ID in the current state im in (Florida). I said yes, and she immediately brought me to the back and filled out a voucher form for me and told me all I had to do was take it to the DMV.

I was extremely skeptical but I went any way. It was as simple as me giving them the paper and them handing me a new ID and I couldn’t believe it.

I can finally start looking for work after so damn long. Man, to those of you out there who hasn’t experienced the loss of all kinds of identification, keep that SHIT CLOSE. If I could attach this ID to my actual hip I would!

Love you guys. Stay safe.

Loved one is fresh out of prison, nonviolent charge & looking for somewhere to sleep. any ideas appreciated

Title says it all, i burnt my bridges with my family and now i have nowhere to go. 24m in Mobile Alabama. I see other people with backpacks and bikes there's a significant homeless population in tilmans corner along highway 90. It's starting to get dark outside and the temperature is dropping. Any advice would be appreciated and before anyone asks i tried contacting homeless shelters with no luck unfortunately

Hello, as I said I will be without a home right before halloween, and I am luckily close enough to a pretty densely wooded forest area, where there is zero foot traffic, though very close to a shopping area and a couple 24hr restaurants. What bush shelters and tips would you recommend for out here in the winter? I can't use fire bigger than a camping stove due to smoke and whatnot. I have about 600 saved atm, and I do have a job at the very least. Any advice on shelter, staying warm, or other tips? Thank you.

https://www.propublica.org/article/food-stamp-snap-benefits-theft-skimmers-fraud

I have recently come to New York to stay with friends while i am homeless. I have three cats, but i will only be able to house one soon. I would like to not have to give them up, but i am considering it. But before it comes to that, i'd like to try and find them a foster. I am calling organizations, but any advice would be appreciated. If there are individuals, or organizations, who foster cats for a few months, please reply with the info. I've been searching and having trouble finding things. These guys are my children. I don't think i can live without them.

A while back, I was trapped in a DV situation as a homeless woman. Just walking away wasn't an option because I had no safe place to go.

I tried to get help, but the existing DV assistance groups wouldn't even talk to me and told me to just go to a homeless shelter. Which were full, and not a safe option anyhow.

Is it just my area, or is this a common thing everywhere?

Note, I'm out of the situation, mostly because he's somewhere he's not going to hurt anyone for a while. Not for anything he did to me.

TL:DR

I 29M have until end of day Friday to be out of my dwelling want suggestions on things to pack in my rucksack and bike trailer no car.

I have been living a rented basement no lease small space. The owner had some improvement projects that had to be certified by the city. The inspector saw my setup. Im from the other part of the country (USA) im currently in the upper midwest. I dont have transportation besides my bike. I work at a local mom pop service station as the outside utility man. I take home 375 a week. I dont have anyone in this area besides the gas station owner who was my landlord as well he offered one week hotel or 1000 usd for have to leave the Un approved dwelling. He also offered free storage of my things as long as im working for him. with use of the shower at work. He was talking of updating the employee break room appliances long before this as well.

What do i need for this new life situation. I cant get regular approved for apartments because of a charge of carrying by accident in a hospital. SAD I know. Winter is coming up here i want to be prepared. I've lived here for three years. I just feel broken. Im trying to stay positive but I don't want to fall back.

Any advice would be helpful. I need to keep going on. This is just a minor setback.

Like a lot of people I know who are struggling with finding permanent housing, I come from a really bad home environment. Not just my parents, but everyone in my family are so messed up. I used to feel so guilty for where I found myself in life, but my siblings and I have huge age gaps and every single one of us have dealt with this same issue since we turned 18. We all tried moving far away and doing some less than savory things just to make ends meet and really trying to claw our way to a better life, but for some reason, none of us have been able to get a handle on permanent housing, a blossoming career, a college degree, stable relationships, or any of the other things we’re told to strive for to be happy.

One day, I realized that if every single one of us struggled to become a well-adjusted adult, then that must mean the problem came from how we were raised and was not a reflection of who we are and what we actually felt motivated towards in life. I know better than anyone how much we’ve had to endure and fight as I know so many other people in similar situations have. We’re all good people dealt an awful hand trying to make the most of the little we’ve got who probably come from a long line of people who did the exact same.(the more i learn about my ancestors, the more I realize that this is true)

So how do you stop it? How do you put an end to the cycle of poverty? It feels like playing a game rigged for you to never win. I dream of a day where we’re all happy and healthy and on the other side of this. I’ve done everything I with my power to work on myself mentally, physically, and emotionally. I don’t know what more I can do. I really don’t want to be just another statistic.

So my friend just got out of a bad situation and is now even in a worse situation of being homeless. We've looked through as many resources in our area however it's mostly geared towards family. Any advice, resources etc would be great. We've found a temporary shelter however she does not have a vehicle. All my friend is wanting is stability. She's currently trying to get a job.

Set up the amtrak app then start completing surveys on amtrak guest rewards.

after u earn 1500 points, you can get a Metro Lounge access pass.

metro lounges are in like 6 major cities: i highly recommend NYC's.

Chicago's has showers.

All of them have all you can eat/drink snack buffets, sodapop, juice, & a espresso machind

Hey

There is a local elderly gentlemen who i have known for many years who was unfortunately homeless and occasionally in hospital a few years back and one day i stopped seeing him. However as of a few months ago i am fortunate enough that he is back in the community. He was living in government housing and given a car, but a couple weeks ago they kicked him out of the housing and he is now back on the streets i believe it was due to them wanting other residents in.
He is really lovely and i have bought him some food and drinks to try and help him in some way, but i would love to maybe set up a go fund me to post on local facebook pages in hopes to raise some money for him, inform the locals so they can stop and have a chat or provide him with goods if they’d like to do so. This would of course be with his consent and allow him to share his story.

The issue is whether this is the best way to do it, how much to raise, and ideally i would like to get him off the streets and back into a house. But i would love some advice or ideas on how to go about this and anything else you can think of.
thank you in advance 🙃

EDIT: it may be temporary housing he was in as suggested by users (i need to confirm with him) but there was very much a lack of supportive after being removed from it. i should have stated he has not asked for anything, i offered food and water and anything else if he needs it, and he is not an addict nor has been in the roughly 7 years i have known him.

Those who live in the tunnels under the city and roads supposed to do? Will the news speak about them??!!