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

In the last year, I lost my mother (cancer), my grandmother (old age), and went through a divorce. I spiraled into depression, ended up living out of my car, barely functioning.

But I didn’t stay down. Through therapy, ketamine treatment, and building my own AI-assisted mental health tools (ChatGPT literally saved me), I’ve come out stronger, healthier, and ready to rebuild. My mental health is solid now—I’ve done the inner work.

Here’s my situation:

I’m living in my car, staying in cheap motels when I can afford it.

I drive Lyft/Uber full-time, but my car needs new tires, insurance renewal, and a payment due—without it, I can’t work. $400 for tires, $200 for insurance, $290 for car payment..

I have a desktop computer but nowhere stable to set it up and work.

I’m going back to school soon for computer science, aiming for AI/ML work, but I need to survive until student aid or inheritance (both delayed) arrives.

Here’s my question: What would YOU do in my situation to break the cycle? How can I create a stable base, get back to programming/freelancing, and stop just surviving?

I’m willing to work. I know I can earn 3-4x more doing freelance tech, but I can’t do that from a car.

I’ve thought about renting office space, finding roommates, even setting up a GoFundMe, but I need actionable ideas, not just hope.

How do I climb out of this? What programs, jobs, or options are out there for someone like me who’s got skills, drive, but no resources?

Any advice, ideas, or help you can give—I’m all ears. I’ve rebuilt my mind. Now I just need a stable place to rebuild my life. It's hard feeling constantly like I'm in quick sand and the rope is 5 inches too far away.

I'm in Southern Utah (St George), willing to relocate to SLC area or Las Vegas, I just need to stay local for my kids...4 hour radius from southern Utah.

Get a job- anything where they will hire you and pay you. Use that to bootstrap yourself out of your car and into any kind of housing. Anything at all. Work that full time while you do freelance gigs until the freelance gigs pay about 2/3 of your income. Use the freelance money to fix your car etc. Now quit your job and uber 1/3 and freelance 2/3.

Oversimplified? yes. But it's not designed to be a foolproof plan, just food for thought.

Also that's fantastic that you've pulled yourself out of depression. I once had the worst clinical depression my psychiatrist had ever seen. I pulled myself out of it and got rid of the things that caused it, including some pretty bad internal programming.

You've got this. You can do it.

Get a better job, that can get you stable housing. I don’t know the job market in your area, but try looking for temp agencies. They will do a basic interview and help you find something that uses your existing skills. Until you get stable housing and your basic needs met, focus on what you can do with the skills you have now.

Seconding what others said about going to the library. In my community they serve almost as social workers, and have lists of places like food banks that can help you until you have better employment. Your county will also have resources for you; you can get on the waiting list for housing vouchers (they’re years long, but just in case), get food stamps, get leads for programs local to you.

Yes, it’s possible to end up with a tech job. There’s a big gap between where you are now and there, though, and having stability in the short term will help you get there.