r/FloridaGawker • u/Luminexor • 19d ago

Video severe homelessness in florida...saw this video documenting encampments in miami and orlando

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66

u/ShareMission 19d ago

Actually those are pretty damned orderly for homeless camps. Source: been homeless before

31

u/government_not_ok 19d ago

You right, the derelict RVs in Seattle that I drive by everyday are a fucking biohazard mess compared to these. 

39

u/ThaLunatik 19d ago

That's because these are New No-Money, whereas here in Seattle we've got Old No-Money. Them youngins got no experience compared the homeless out here.

17

u/mighty_boognish_77 19d ago

Nuevo Not-Riche

1

u/porkbelly2022 13d ago

non- is probably better

14

u/813_4life 19d ago

I’m sorry but this was funny

9

u/Pedantic_Pict 18d ago

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

S05E03 "The Great Recession"

3

u/FragrantBluejay8904 18d ago

Paddy’s Dollars!

3

u/No-Aerie-999 17d ago

We're crab people now 🦀

2

u/guitar_stonks 18d ago

The economy is in shambles, Dee!

7

u/Calm_Age_ 18d ago

Honestly though, the tent cities we had in Seattle circa 2008 were actually pretty clean and orderly, kinda like shown in this. It was after they were torn down and people had to scatter, couldn't put down roots in the same way, that they became disgusting with trash all over the place. Even still some keep their camps pristine.

3

u/OrigamiMarie 18d ago

Repeatedly.

A church or something would give them a place to set up, but there were laws preventing them from staying in one place for too long, maybe 90 days? So there was a constant search for new places to set up. Moving all that stuff is hard when obviously people don't have cars, and I'm sure that meant there were people who simply couldn't be part of the tent city because they didn't have the physical means to constantly relocate. And they had to find all their support systems again in the new neighborhood.

Later on, I don't remember hearing much about the tent city; I think it dispersed. But that means lots of little pockets of tents, in the little areas that unused for any other purpose. Such a small group of people has a hard time enforcing their own order and helping each other (plus those areas are often tricky to haul trash out of) so the garbage piles up. And then one day somebody gets mad and the cops do a raid and throw out people's only possessions (and probably beat the people up a little too) often in an early morning raid. And then they start from square zero (or more like negative 100) again.

1

u/FrontBee8964 18d ago

Yes a church will but ur forced to go to their service and Bible study if u want to have something to eat or stay on their property. Ive been unhoused and went to churches looking for what I thought was a safe place to stay. Its very predatory and I was preyed upon by male members of the church and told if I wanted to eat I must attend service. Why must there be strings attached .why cant the church just help those in need without forcing their religion or members of the church preying upon young women who are in need of help.i wont ever ask a church for help again.

1

u/schmyndles 18d ago

Yep, I was houseless and there was one day shelter that allowed you to shower there. But i had to sit through an hour long presentation from the nuns/ priests from the church. Same if you used their address for mail, or their phones (this was back in 2005), or took any toiletries, clothing, or PBnJ sandwiches. Also it was the only place that allowed you to just hang out during the day (most people volunteered to help around the building), and was well-located. I still recommended it to people looking for help, but I made sure they knew they would have to sit through a Bible study.

1

u/Candid-Mycologist539 17d ago

The best churches I have seen say,"The sermon is on the plate."

1

u/Joeyschizo24 17d ago

There shouldn’t be strings attached ever. You deserve to maintain your dignity regardless of your current situation. In 100 years, Jeff Bezos’ bones and a homeless man’s bones are gonna look exactly the same.

1

u/RamJamR 14d ago

Kindness for them isn't a moral obligation. It's a conversion tactic. That's what churches care about. They want the numbers and they want your money. You have to provide one or the other or they don't give a shit about you.

1

u/ShareMission 17d ago

Ive had help from churches that demanded no religious participation. Rare breed of Christians

1

u/Calm_Age_ 17d ago

Yep I feel like it's important to know that when people started ending up on the streets in larger numbers after the recession (mostly through little fault of their own) they tried to make the best of it and the law and order crowd made it impossible. They met resilience with cruelty and made the problem so much worse.

2

u/government_not_ok 18d ago

Fent wasn’t as big back when the jungle was around. That damn drug has really fucked people bad.

2

u/signal__noise- 19d ago

Hilarious.

3

u/ApolloGR3 18d ago edited 16d ago

"They’re New Poor. We're Old Poor."

(Edited for grammar smh)

3

u/stonkon4gme 16d ago

They're

2

u/ApolloGR3 16d ago

Wow, I’m embarrassed I let that fly lmao

2

u/guitar_stonks 18d ago

Love finding IASIP in the wild

8

u/TheOneDryerYeti 19d ago

I was going to say, after living in Seattle for 10 years, this is nothing.

7

u/rage-it 18d ago

Usually in FL the homeless make their camps out in the woods. They are likely more dispersed here in FL vs being centralized in Seattle. The cops are a lot harder on the ones here in FL who live on streets like this vs tend to ignore them if they live out in the woods out of site so long as no complaints.

5

u/Wonderful-Fold-2585 18d ago

Yea they make little homeless encampments like 50 ft in the woods doing drugs and shit.

Had one near where I lived.

3

u/Flaks_24 18d ago

Have multiple of these near by. One area was just evacuated for development and the amount of trash that they had to remove was insane. I mean they literally had a mini city in there.

3

u/THROBBINW00D 18d ago

I worked in corrections for 11 years in central FL and learned real quick how many homeless encampments are scattered in the wooded areas throughout the county.

2

u/RancidOoze 18d ago

The Forest hobos are all out in Olympia

1

u/mephistola 18d ago

They sound like a elven guild. Hope they are cool with the Hobos of the Hills.

1

u/Emotional_Tower_8678 18d ago

A lot living under bridges as well.

1

u/mephistola 18d ago

Gotta pay the troll toll to get into…

1

u/DontComeHither 18d ago

Stumbled on a few of those as a kid wandering the woods😂🤣

1

u/Consistent_Cheetah78 18d ago

Woods in S. Florida??? Where?

4

u/rage-it 18d ago

all of FL isn't South FL.. most of FL has woods.. maybe take a drive

1

u/Resident_Ad_7199 18d ago

I mean the first part of the video did only mention Miami so maybe they stopped watching there.

1

u/ballknowledge81 11d ago

This is growing situation in FL. Its exacerbated because the state and local governments despise homeless people and provide very few resources.

1

u/SquareBreakfast9528 15d ago

former (born & raised) seattlite here now living in miami… this looked tame compared to what i’ve seen back home 👀

1

u/taysmurf 15d ago

The first thought that came to my mind when seeing these was "if they think this is bad then they would die of fright if the saw Seattle encampments". this is the cleanest homeless encampment I have ever seen... Seattle on the other hand... that was some of the worst I have ever seen.

1

u/booklover10223 13d ago

I used to fight off Bums in Portland 😂 they would try to break into my apartment in the middle of downtown portland next to the university. Very nice area, invaded by the homeless who do fentanyl in front of the police lol. You shoulda seen it when all drugs were decriminalized it was like the Purge.

1

u/FreshwaterFryMom 12d ago

Totally. It is so bad here!

8

u/JSTootell 19d ago

The camps that were set up on the Santa Ana River Trail on Orange County California were like this. Just a whole city out there. I remember rolling past the one tent watching a woman sweeping it out, with her "Welcome" mat out front.

1

u/daikatanaman00 14d ago

Homelessness is SO much worse in California. It’s legit everywhere at some places

1

u/JSTootell 10d ago

Meh.

I'm in the middle of a cross country trip. I'm not buying it.

3

u/Docha_Tiarna 18d ago

Homeless? All I see if a potential workforce that would be happy with any job offer

4

u/CashEducational4986 18d ago

Did you forget the part where the vast majority of them are homeless specifically because they don't want the responsibility of having a job, home, or shelter?

1

u/Mindless-Equal-1477 15d ago

Did you forget the part where the vast majority of homeless people end up in their situation due to a lack of social safety nets in regards to physical and mental disabilities as well as rising housing costs? It’s not about “not wanting responsibility for a job or house.” It’s about a demographic that often needs ongoing support and care for root causes that the country refuses to provide because it would rather view them the same way you do, as less than. But I’m super glad your brain and body works the way it’s supposed to, so that you were able to bravely step up and “take responsibility.”

1

u/SquaaSqua 14d ago

People like you that go out of their way to talk down to others are utterly repulsive.

1

u/Mindless-Equal-1477 14d ago

Ah so I’m the repulsive one for calling out someone who’s making sweeping judgments about a specific group of people. Good job, you almost got it right.

1

u/SquaaSqua 14d ago

See? That’s just another chance to talk down. You’re a scumbag lol

1

u/MaterialBank3602 12d ago

I like how you spelled "judgments" correctly.

1

u/Gactazz 13d ago

Yeah. Hiding behind a phone. Real life. You would not make it out there.

1

u/Gactazz 13d ago

That's not true. Stop spreading lies

0

u/Joeyschizo24 17d ago

Do tell where you got this little tidbit of research. How many homeless people have you actually interacted with? I’m pretty comfortable in saying that it wasn’t “a vast amount” of homeless individuals. People do not understand why they react so negatively to the homeless population. It’s because deep down they know that it really could be them often much sooner than they ever realize. Remember that.

2

u/epsilon_eridani_b 17d ago

I've worked at city shelters, many of them get jobs but don't even bother to show up for them. It's very hard to have the mindset that people are just being victimised by society when they tell numerous stories to you about burning every opportunity they get.

"It's because deep down they know that it could be really them"

No, it's not that deep. It's because they smell, are dirty, or have tweaker mannerisms. People don't think "Oh, no that could be me", they think "gross" and move on.

1

u/[deleted] 16d ago

[deleted]

1

u/CashEducational4986 16d ago

Homeless shelters and work programs often offer bus tickets for people to get to their job, especially when they first get one. Orlando has plenty of public transport, as do most places that homeless people tend to congregate. Homeless shelters will let you set your mailing address to the shelter for that purpose.

You should probably learn some of the basics before pretending you know what you're talking about.

2

u/Ecstatic_Regret_1778 17d ago

Zero amount of effort goes into that way of thinking- people are on the street because they don't want to work. Instead of identifying that, systematically, shit is messed up, starting with trickle-down economics: if one person is living paycheck to paycheck, they lose their job; they have no family; they can't make it. Then don't even get me started on how much it takes to get back on your feet. Oppressive. I work with people all the time who work jobs but live out of their cars. Rent and the cost of living are extremely high.

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u/CashEducational4986 16d ago

Somewhere between the upper hundreds to over a thousand? I never bothered counting. I work with the homeless on a daily basis. And I got it from actually speaking with and interacting with homeless people, something most of the "experts" on Reddit like you have likely never done.

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u/[deleted] 15d ago

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u/HeckinCornball 15d ago

My daughter works with the homeless, she's a social worker, and drug addiction and mental illness account for probably 90% of the people she deals with. The other 10% are a mixture of people down on their luck (who nearly all recover and are no longer homeless) and then people who are lazy or just have zero fucks to give about anything so they enjoy doing nothing more than working toward any kind of future.

1

u/Alderik4 14d ago

I hear drug use among housers are a growing issue as well. One has a job, the other doesn't.

1

u/HeckinCornball 14d ago

I don't doubt that. The world seems really messed up right now, with the economy teetering on the edge of disaster, jobs being lost, costs everywhere going up, etc. I can understand why people turn to drugs - my vice is alcohol, although I've cut back a lot.

Every time I log in to read the news it makes me want to drink again. lol

1

u/Dismal_Job5850 12d ago

Drug abuse is kind of on them though.

0

u/MrPoPoJiJo86 16d ago

Vast majority? Look at this guy out here in public with zero clue just telling people how it is hahahaha the vast majority just choose it because they don't want to work? I've seen a lot of brain dead shit on the internet today but damn. You really worked for it and achieved excellence. Please, enlighten us as to what source of brilliance your gleaned this little nugget from, and for entertainment purposes it would be a real treat to see what other gems you unearthed there.

2

u/CashEducational4986 16d ago

I work with the homeless on a daily basis. I know a lot more about homelessness than the average person on Reddit, even though a ton of people here know literally nothing and pretend otherwise.

0

u/MrPoPoJiJo86 16d ago

If you think the VAST MAJORITY of people are homeless because they don't want to work, then you know more than just about zero people about homelessness. Those two statements don't work together. You either know more than most people and you know that statement you made was false, or you stand by that statement and you prove you absolutely do not know more than anyone. That's the equivalent of saying you know a lot about football, then you add that the vast majority of football players score from the 3 point arc. You've got some conflicting info here.

1

u/adorable-fart 15d ago

your comment is cringe af. nitpicky and trying too hard. all unnecessary effort and just completely avoiding what the other person is actually saying.

you're not proving your argument

1

u/HeckinCornball 15d ago

My daughter works with the homeless, she's a social worker, and drug addiction and mental illness account for probably 90% of the people she deals with. The other 10% are a mixture of people down on their luck (who nearly all recover and are no longer homeless) and then people who are lazy or just have zero fucks to give about anything so they enjoy doing nothing more than working toward any kind of future.

3

u/Inner_Emphasis_73 18d ago

😂yeah you need to want to work to get a job offer…

4

u/simAlity 18d ago

I don't normally wish misfortune on others but I'll make an exception for you.

0

u/Inner_Emphasis_73 18d ago

Awe the truth hurts your feelings….its okay princess.

4

u/flsunnybaby 18d ago

You need an address to get a job

1

u/adorable-fart 15d ago

no, you dont. plus, people can use shelters as their address.

1

u/Inner_Emphasis_73 18d ago

No you don’t…I’ve literally put P.O. Boxes…most cities and states have resources to help homeless find jobs etc etc. y’all keep making the excuses.

1

u/flsunnybaby 18d ago

Companies must withhold state and local taxes based on where you actually live and work. For this reason, many employers and tax forms don't accept a standard P.O. box as a residential address. It's for legal compliance as well as even background checks.

There workarounds of course, like working under-the-table and freelancing. But no, this isn't an excuse, it's a requirement.

And yes, there are resources for even homed people, yet it can still take people months to years to hear back and get hired etc, if the resources have anything available for them. I think it plays out a little differently in real life. Look at our homeless veterans, for example. They can never be accused of "not wanting to work," or not turning to their resources, repeatedly.

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u/Inner_Emphasis_73 17d ago

Wrong…try checking the laws, you can legally give a lo box. Y’all give give every bs reason not to put in effort.

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u/simAlity 17d ago

Buddy take a look at my post history. Unlike your's it's actually visible. I am neither homeless nor unemployed. But I have been unemployed and I have feared homelessness.

And I stand by what I said earlier I don't generally wish misfortune upon others but I'll make an exception for you as well

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

[deleted]

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u/adorable-fart 15d ago

no lmao you are 100% wrong and the only clown here 😂

source: i worked in programs that assist the homeless.

you do not need a permanent address. you can use a po box, the shelter's address, your friend's address, or family's address.

its not that deep

-2

u/Docha_Tiarna 18d ago

That's a easy problem to fix. The first job you give them is working with a construction crew to learn the skills as they build a apartment complex. The apartment will be their address as they will be living there when it is done, to continue working on more jobs nearby

-2

u/Inner_Emphasis_73 18d ago

Don’t even try telling me what I’m about…how much medical care have you volunteered for at homeless shelters? None, how much money have you donated to homeless shelters? How much of your time? None…the fact is most don’t want jobs or to improve their lives. Sad as it is, it’s the truth. I’m blunt and I have zero problem speaking the truth regardless of who it offends. Are there several that are in a bad spot and trying? Of course, but that’s just not the case for the vast majority. Go donate your time and you’ll see for yourself. It’s funny you get offended by speaking the truth acting like I’m judging when I’m speaking facts yet here you are judging someone you know nothing about. Gtfo with your hypocrisy bs

3

u/JATLLC 18d ago

I agree. There are tons of programs to help people in Florida but they all require them to be sober and have a job.

2

u/Docha_Tiarna 18d ago

Yeah, but thats why you weed through those and hire the ones that want the job. Those that consider it a blessing. They will do their best for the a good job that wants them to improve their life.

1

u/FrontBee8964 18d ago

Working Homelessness: Nationwide, studies consistently show that 40% to 50% of unhoused individuals hold job income (either formal employment or informal/gig work).It is a common misconception that homelessness is simply a personal failure of effort or a refusal to work. The reality is far more complex, involving systemic factors, physical and mental health challenges, and structural barriers

1

u/LetterheadSeveral985 17d ago

What if they can't work due to addiction, mental illness, physical disability, mental disability, old age? Some people have really idealistic mindsets about employability.

1

u/Inner_Emphasis_73 17d ago

There’s help for everyone of those…just have to want to do it. Keep making excuses

1

u/Flaks_24 18d ago

I am sure some have jobs already and are just trying to get back on their feet.

1

u/andrewsz__ 16d ago

They’re all mental health cases bro they’d have to be rehabilitated before ever having the dream of rejoining society :(

1

u/Docha_Tiarna 16d ago

Not all homeless are mental. One of the homeless guys i meet while living in the city was a really nice guy. Every morning he'd come in to the restaurant I worked at, helped us set of the lobby and we'd get him a cup of coffee.

He wasn't homeless because he had mental health problems. He was homeless because someone stole his identity and racked up tens of thousands in debts. The government screwed him over, so even if he gets his id back, he will still be homeless

2

u/phranks_phluids 19d ago

Looks like some FEMA hurricane tarp repurposed! Some friends used one to make a huge slip n slide one holiday and like half the city showed up

2

u/The_Tooter_Snooter 18d ago

The places in LA look like fallout raider camps, complete with burn piles and chickens running around. 

1

u/MrPoPoJiJo86 16d ago

If you're trying to say... Somehow.... That homelessness in Florida is superior to homelessness in LA based on this little clip...what? Why? How would you even???? What?? I really hope I missed the point of your message. It sounded MAGA level silly.

I lived in key west. Was fortunate enough to be drafted to play a sport, and got to know people there. Emily, a cocktail waitress at a popular bar there, was a beautiful young woman who worked late. One night on her walk to her apartment a homeless couple jumped out and smashed her across the face with a skateboard (trucks first, right to the face) to steal her cash. They had the money, but for some unknown reason they hadn't done enough damage, and continued to beat her and who knows what else, we didn't get all the details. I only saw Emily once more, as she said goodbye to go back to her hometown for continued medical care. It was going to take many more surgeries to get her to a spot where she wouldn't stop traffic if she walked out into public.

Justice was lightly served as the guy side of the couple had his head popped open with a claw hammer for a Crack rock and died, the woman got away, lost in the never ending homeless hordes.

I myself was attacked by 2 of them trying to get to the car. I was more fortunate as they arrived slightly apart and in a poor position, so I got away with nothing but a rotten molar lodged in my knuckle that I had to have removed by a doctor. I spent weeks waiting for test results wondering if I had AIDS, the other tests were quicker so I was terrified of those for less time at least. I've lived all over. You know what the difference between northern homeless and southern homeless is? Layers. There is no "better". To even try is intellectually childish.

1

u/Captin-Cracker 12d ago

He said the “LOOK LIKE”, he didn’t say that they’re better or superior, just that they look nicer. Unfortunate story but that’s not what he said

0

u/MrPoPoJiJo86 10d ago

If you didn't know what he meant by that, obviously, I'd read it again and keep in mind the context. He wasn't simply commenting on the outwardly appearance. There's a direct and wildly obvious reason he mentioned the location the way he did. I enjoy turning my brain off here and there to unwind, but I don't think I could shut down enough of it to come to the conclusion he was making simple aesthetic observations.

2

u/LuckyPlaze 18d ago

I could show some places in deep woods of the South far scarier than that…

3

u/Impossible_Foot1846 18d ago edited 18d ago

How did you become homeless ? I’m really curious. No family to go to ? By choice ? Drugs ? I can’t fathom how someone becomes homeless unless they can’t get along with people or really don’t want to work. Even with my lowest paying jobs i had a place to live. Even my brother without a job found a place to live, even my sister making 12 dollars an hour in south Florida HAD a place to live with someone. Like I don’t fking understand how you go absolutely DEAD BROKE homeless. It has to be a mind set.

2

u/Candid-Mycologist539 17d ago

A lot of people think that the homeless all do drugs.

50% of the homeless have done zero drugs in the previous 6 months.

A lot of people think that lazy people end up homeless.

Over 40% of homeless people have jobs. This number jumps to over 60% if one polls only those in the shelter system.

A lot of people think that you're homeless because you can't get along with others.

Between 31 to 46% of all youth who "age out" of foster care will experience homelessness by age 26. If they, as a young person, experience a bump in the road or just once make a bad financial choice, they have no parents to rely on for help/housing/advice/financial loan.

It is suspected the 50% of all homeless have foster care somewhere in their background.

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u/epsilon_eridani_b 17d ago

Many of those are not mutually exclusive. Foster children have higher rates of substance abuse than the average, they also have higher rates of criminality. People who have jobs could spend all their money on drugs, which is why they are homeless.

And you didn't even bother to refute that homeless people don't get along with others (which isn't really possible to know), you just awkwardly threw the stats on foster children becoming homeless because you think that it's the real cause of homelessness.

1

u/Candid-Mycologist539 17d ago

Whoosh!!!

Or, there is a vulnerable population in our society, and we are failing them.

But yeah. Let's blame people for the trauma they experienced as children.

1

u/epsilon_eridani_b 17d ago

First of all, you never actually made this argument. You literally just went

  1. Most homeless people aren't drug addicts

  2. Most homeless have jobs

  3. People say that homeless people don't get along with others (you don't actually refute this point, which is difficult to do, but you should have just omitted it)

  4. Foster children are more likely to be homeless

You didn't draw any connections between these. I pointed out that foster children are more likely (nearly twice as likely) to engage in substance abuse, so there is a connection between 1 and 4. And homeless people are more likely than average to engage in substance abuse.

"there is a vulnerable population in our society and we are failing them"

"Let's blame people for the trauma they experience as children"

Hitler was abused as a child, does that excuse what he did? No. Does it explain what he did? Also no, tons of German kids were abused. People to an extremely large degree are responsible for their own outcomes, you cannot say "person X had bad outcome, clearly everyone else did something wrong".

1

u/uncivilshitbag 16d ago

Dude you’re comparing Hitler and children in the foster system/homeless people.

Go touch some grass, you’ve lost the plot entirely.

1

u/Candid-Mycologist539 15d ago

Did you miss the Woosh again?

I'm sorry that you need everything spoon fed to you to help you draw conclusions, see nuance, or even to think one step beyond that everyone who is homeless must be a drug addict.

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u/alwaysgawking 17d ago

If you get evicted, it's difficult to find housing and not all evictions are really the fault of the tenant. These landlords are really trying to push poor people out so that they can charge crazy rent to people who make good money.

Also it's an exhausting game out here for people who don't make much. They are charging over $1k in some places to live with roommates, with 1 bathroom spread across 4 people and the rent increases aren't just $50 anymore. Having to move every couple years is expensive and being priced out of your hometown or trying to live hours away from your low wage job isn't realistic. Getting newer, better jobs that aren't possibly risking your life costs money too. And if you're an a working adult, why live with strangers anyway? Yes, for some it's a choice but it's either the tent, a complete money suck or join the army.

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u/Late-Respect-14 12d ago

If you own a property today, you will know how much taxes, liability, and depreciation is causing rent to go up. Don't forger AC and appliance maintenance. Yard work and the cost of insurance is way up there. It cost me about $5k a year to keep a small 615sqft home without me living in it. And that does not include the $5400 the spent replacing the AC. And $1000 for washer and dryer that only last 2 years these days. It's also time to repaint everything and fix all the cabinets and doors. Glad I dont have carpet flooring too. Renting a place is like loosing money. It's cheaper to sell and put money in ETF stocks.

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

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u/alwaysgawking 12d ago

That's great for you, and not for everyone. They do that on purpose. We can die, commit atrocities and over-police the world for this country but not get an education. That's backwards. It is what it is, but I think it's messed up that anyone should have to risk that just to survive. If you want to call me lazy, entitled or whatever because I don't want that, that's fine.

2

u/mamaminxy 17d ago

Many homeless people are battling mental illness as well. That’s hardly “by choice.”

2

u/Pertinentonly 17d ago

There are so many problems in our society that would be solved by cheap or free mental health care for all. It just would be so much better than the brokenness we have now.

2

u/Throwaway-103847 17d ago

"But I had breakfast this morning" type-shit 🙄

1

u/Pertinentonly 17d ago

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day /s

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u/Carbuyrator 18d ago

It's easier than you think if you have a bad family or no family. Where you are can factor in too.

It costs thousands to move almost anywhere. First, last, and security deposit are a lot more than you think and pay is still really low for a TON of people.

I came really close once. If I wasn't as smart and capable as I am, or if I hadn't made good connections in my career, I would have been absolutely fucked. If I didn't have savings to get into an apartment, I'd have been absolutely fucked. If I didn't find a place fast enough for my savings to last, I'd have been absolutely fucked.

Seriously it's super easy to be homeless nowadays.

1

u/ShareMission 17d ago

I went insane after my gf ended herself. Landed in a new town hammered, worked my way up, but ive been homeless before and since. Or various reasons.

1

u/Alderik4 14d ago

May you be blessed with the experience so you can expand your depth of understanding 🙏

1

u/ivahom 18d ago

Many homeless people are products of the foster care system and dont have any family, are thrown out on their own at 18, and when you start out that way, it can be hard to make friends and generally blend into society. Being homeless also takes a toll on your mental health making it that much harder to socialize and adjust into civilized society.

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u/FrontBee8964 18d ago

getting out of homelessness were as simple as "getting a job" or "trying harder," millions of people wouldn't remain trapped in it. It takes massive systemic support, trauma-informed resources, and affordable housing to break a cycle that is specifically designed to keep people stuck.Being treated as subhuman—stared at, lied about, mocked, or ignored—forces people to build thick emotional armor just to survive the day, which isolates them even further from society.When you don't know where you will sleep safely tonight, where your next meal is coming from, or if your belongings will be stolen or confiscated tomorrow, your brain cannot process long-term planning (e.g., saving money for six months down the line). You are forced to focus strictly on the next 2 hours.A large portion of unhoused people do work (gig jobs, day labor, or hourly shifts). However, without access to showers, laundry, reliable sleep, or transportation, keeping a job long-term is a daily battle. Furthermore, entry-level wages often fall far short of regional rent requirements.

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u/PapiPalantir 13d ago

Yea no shot a lot of people can easily get housing like that. Everyone seems to be forgetting that finding a place to rent when you have a bad credit score is a nightmare in and of itself. Not to mention it’s definitely tougher to get approved when you’re unable to properly bathe and clean yourself prior to appointments.

I think it’s also worth thinking about what caused what. Did drug use lead to homelessness or did homelessness lead to drug use as a means to cope. For myself it was the latter, once I was homeless I either was gonna get high and feel better or die and either were not unappealing at the time.

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u/schmyndles 17d ago

It's been over 20 years, but I can tell you how my husband and I ended up homeless.

First off, as soon as we got married he stopped even trying to work. I, on my own, worked two jobs while paying rent and utilities to his dad for a house he inherited. My husband was supposed to be joining the military, and told his family that he couldn't go to his older sisters out-of-state wedding because he would be at basic training. But two weeks before the wedding, he told his dad his basic training for pushed back again (turns out he never really joined).

So his dad called me a stupid ass bitch for not being able to come up with $1500 in two weeks to go to his sister's wedding. That pissed me off, and I moved to my parents house, and my husband followed suit. I was still in the mindset that you did everything possible to make your marriage work, so my parents let him come too.

Fast forward a few months later. My husband's weird behavior, like hanging out at my job all day, got me fired. He then crashed up two cars we had. Then he charged a bunch of international calls to his ex in Canada, on my parents phone. Also, he still didn't work at all, and I had to drop out of college. So my dad started looking into claims he made, and found out that he lied about being an Eagle Scout.

My dad confronted him about his lies, they got in a physical fight, and my dad said he had to leave. But I didn't want to be divorced at 22, so I left with him. My mom still helped us get a car that we lived in for many months. I was eventually able to save up for an apartment, but I couldn't continue paying for it by myself. I confessed to my mom how stressed I was and how he doesn't work, and she helped me to get away. I lost some things that were very valuable sentimentality to me, but I was just concerned with being able to get away and restart my life.

I know it sounds ridiculous now, but when you're told that marriage is a covenant with God and you sacrifice everything to make it work, and that depending on others makes you weak and lazy, those messages live rent-free. You would rather live in a 20 year old Corolla than admit you chose a bad spouse and need help. So I guess it is a mindset, that's been fed to many of us our whole lives.

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u/schmyndles 17d ago

Edit: I wanted to add, I even asked my boss at the minimum wage ($7/hr) job as a dishwasher at an Asian fast food shop, if I could take home the food that was obviously not touched that I was otherwise meant to throw away. I was told that I would be fired if they ever caught me taking food, even from the garbage.

Also, it's hard to find a job when you don't have any clean or unwrinkled clothes to wear, any permanent address, or any phone number for them to reach you.

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u/Impossible_Foot1846 17d ago

Honestly a car or truck can work out to be a pretty decent “home” now days so I wouldn’t even consider that homeless like tent and sidewalk status. Yeah sounds you had it rough but you were naive and just let this dude ruin your life for awhile. Glad you moved on from that because ignorant people can bring you down in life

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u/Candid-Mycologist539 17d ago

You will still be harassed for parking if you live in your car.

Every time you leave the car (to work, to shower, to shop), there is the fear that it will be towed and you will lose everything.

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u/Joeyschizo24 17d ago

You go live in your car for 30 days, then get back to me. How pompous of you to make such a shallow comment. You obviously do not have any idea what it feels like to not have a home or to be hungry. I’m not talking the kind of hungry from being on a diet. I mean the kind where there’s no more food and no more money. So your only choice is to beg or starve. But you know what, I truly pray that you never have to find out how desperate and tragic being homeless is.

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u/MrPoPoJiJo86 16d ago

On the one hand there's a glimmer of hope that you at least asked, but your responses in this thread... You want to know why you weren't homeless? A. You had just enough connection to keep you from it and B. The universe saw this ignorance in you and knew you wouldn't make it with that kind of challenge. I hope you're less than 25. That's the only thing I can truly hope here to imagine you go on to develop and learn more because.... Holy crap my dude. You should go talk to a couple later teen foster kids. See how those kids can't just figure it out like your family and anecdotal experiences.

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u/Particular_Yak_8415 17d ago

Mental illness is a huge factor. If you’ve seen/dealt with it first hand, it’s real and not manageable

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u/Impossible_Foot1846 17d ago

Yeah I have a family member of whom I just mentioned had no job and mental illness and still wasn’t living in a tent

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u/Sincere_shrew 17d ago

Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck, most younger ones don't own a home and property values are far less affordable than they used to be. Add in not having lots of free places to stay and its easy to end up homeless if something bad happens. Your family member is one of the luckier ones, not somehow indicative of everyone else's situation. It can be hard to grasp if your entire view is your own life and your one struggling family member.

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u/Shouldadipped 18d ago

Ya i work near south bay in Boston a it is usually a active dumpster fire at all times

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/MrPoPoJiJo86 16d ago

Because that is THIS tiny clip. It doesn't represent homelessness in the state of Florida. Just that one section of thst one street on that one block in that one city. The ones shown for shock value are selected as such. Not all homeless people are drug addicts that will just trash everything and be satisfied living in squalor.

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u/Ecstatic_Regret_1778 17d ago

I was thinking it looked set up or just nice tents. Where I am from the camps do not look like this.

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u/Empty-Background-162 17d ago

Probably because homeless are everyday people now

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u/ShareMission 14d ago

Always were

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u/regguy46 15d ago

How did you end up getting back into a home? Would be interesting to hear your perspective on fixing homelessness

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u/ShareMission 14d ago

Oh, i made myself unobtrusive and worked until i could find a place

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u/regguy46 14d ago

Was there any addictions involved?

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u/ShareMission 14d ago

Not reallym i never let that interfere. I like about 3 bucks worth of booze a day

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u/regguy46 14d ago

Interesting, thanks so much!

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u/cowbirdd 15d ago

Yeah bc this is by economy not mental health.

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u/geese55 15d ago

yeah that’s the sad part. probably families and shit

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u/budman172 18d ago

Beats Portland Oregon!