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Ask HN: How do I escape homelessness after rebuilding my mental health?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I escape homelessness after rebuilding my mental health?

#101

Post by thatcat »

hluska wrote: post #92
soared wrote: post #11

Ignore 95% of comments here. Research your options for local support through the government and religion. Religion may be more helpful in your area, even if your beliefs don’t exactly align. There is housing, food, etc available to you but you’ll likely need a social worker for help find it. https://switchpointcrc.org/ is local to you with food, shelter, etc. More info from a gov source: https://sgcityutah.gov/busine…

I’ll hijack this a little with a question. Why do you think you’re qualified to tell OP to ignore 95% of the comments? That’s a lot of ego to bring to something so important…especially when you give the most superficial advice.

Accurate in Utah, large Mormon population. My car broke down there one time and spent a few days hanging out with the locals - very nice people.

Re: Ask HN: How do I escape homelessness after rebuilding my mental health?

#102

Post by NoireNimbus »

Sorry for your losses and the situations you're going through. I've also been using ChatGPT lately too for mental health, since therapy here is expensive...

I'm a single parent, dealt with homelessness as well (it's a long story). No family, no friends, and no co-parenting either. It was only myself and my kiddo.

I couldn't receive assistance from government NOR churches (but doesn't hurt to still try) because I was working...However, I was unable to get an apartment at the time(another long story). I was living in Airbnbs and hotels for the time.

I was VERY lucky that a random couple who owned their own businesses let me live in their guest house until I was on my feet and was able to get my own place(took me 3 months of saving).

In terms of jobs, I ended up applying at job agencies, because it is the recruiters job to find you work. I recommend contacting the big ones like Robert Half, Adecco, Randstad, etc. Apply for their tech jobs online and maybe go in person to talk to them about it. Typically, they'll reach out to you over the phone and set up an interview, but I'm sure if they see you in person too, it'll show initiative.

Goodluck out there, wishing you the best and hang in there.

Re: Ask HN: How do I escape homelessness after rebuilding my mental health?

#105

Post by henryfjordan »

japhib wrote: post #66

Sorry to hear about your situation. Since you're in Utah, I'm going to suggest you find a bishop to ask for help. Even if you don't belong to the LDS church, I _think_ they might be able to help you out. Go to https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/ and find a church service to go to on a Sunday morning, and before/after the meeting, try to figure out who is the bishop/counselors and tell them your situation. It may de…

I met some engineers who worked for LDS at a conference, maybe they'll even have a job for you!

Re: Ask HN: How do I escape homelessness after rebuilding my mental health?

#106

Post by hn_acc1 »

revnode wrote: post #53
gremlinsinc wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I only have a desktop. I thought about getting office space from the chamber of commerce for 250 per month... and I can use their fridge to save money on food (Greek yogurt, Jimmy Dean sandwiches, and string cheese is all I need)...

> I only have a desktop. Sell it. It's a paperweight for you right now. You can find a really nice open-box/used laptop for $300-400 that will allow you to work from anywhere. You can charge the laptop at a cafe or a library. $5 for coffee and you have a working space to take calls and work.

DC-AC Inverter will let you run the laptop from the car as a last resort..

Re: Ask HN: How do I escape homelessness after rebuilding my mental health?

#107

Post by femto »

japhib wrote: post #66

Sorry to hear about your situation. Since you're in Utah, I'm going to suggest you find a bishop to ask for help. Even if you don't belong to the LDS church, I _think_ they might be able to help you out. Go to https://maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/ and find a church service to go to on a Sunday morning, and before/after the meeting, try to figure out who is the bishop/counselors and tell them your situation. It may de…

If he's going to go the religious route, there's also 'Vinnies" (the St Vincent de Paul Society). They exist exactly for the purpose of getting people back on their feet and are pretty well everywhere, including Utah:

https://www.ccsutah.org/

It's a Catholic agency, but they're agnostic, in that being Catholic is not a prerequisite and they won't ask about religion or try to convert you. It's a case of walking in the door of their premises and asking for help, or picking up the phone and talking to them.

Re: Ask HN: How do I escape homelessness after rebuilding my mental health?

#108

Post by _throw123away4 »

quickslowdown wrote: post #59

I have a spare laptop I could ship, it's running Linux now and cannot "officially" run Win11. It's a little older, Lenovo X1 Carbon with a chipped case & wonky touch bar for the Fn keys, but it works perfectly fine. If you're interested and want to drop a way to contact you, I'll figure out a way to ship it to you. Otherwise, as much as I loathe sending you to Facebook, the local "buy nothing" groups another commento…

Im in a similar situation as op. If he doesn't take this up, could I?

Re: Ask HN: How do I escape homelessness after rebuilding my mental health?

#109

Post by washadjeffmad »

Btdt, except the kids. I had friends and mobility, so I crashed. I made friends hanging out downtown and picked up work doing all kinds of things. I ran audio at shows, painted houses, repaired TVs, recorded VO for commercials. Hole in the wall apartments could be had for $300/mo which was a week of work at practically minimum wage.

My tires were expensive and loved going flat, but I could service my car myself. Someone crushed in the door and fled, so I left it while I scrounged $500 over months for the replacement. Someone spilled beer in my external hard drive and I lost a decade of projects, photos, and source code. I broke my hand and never got it fixed (paying for that now that I can't pick up a jug of milk, play music or type with it without pain). Early on, I went back home to pick up some clothes, and my ex's new boyfriend had already moved in. Stuff sucked.

But people helped me, even when I didn't ask or want them to. I was a lot harder on myself than anyone else was, and that kept me from immediately fixing my situation until I hit what I thought was rock bottom and went to a doctor.

It sounds like you've already done the medical stuff, which is the most important part. If you're unhealthy, everything is harder. I think if you're able to talk about it and ask for help, it means you're a lot closer to what you want than you were. GL.

Re: Ask HN: How do I escape homelessness after rebuilding my mental health?

#110

Post by bryanlarsen »

reactordev wrote: post #69

I’ve been there. I lost my marriage, my house, my money, my parents, my job, everything. Literally $100k in the hole with $0 in the bank. Sounds like you know how to survive, which is perfect… here’s what you do. Ditch uber/lyft and get your CDL. They’ll pay you and train you and give you a job. Plus, you get a nice sleeper truck to sleep in that’s more spacious than your car. (If you have the cash, an RV works inste…

From what I hear many of the commercial driver's license training & job programs are scams of the indentured servitude type. You owe them for the training and they keep on adding on penalties and fees so you don't get out from the debt. I'm sure there are some good ones out there, just be careful.
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