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Homeless alone

homelessalone.blogspot.com

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Re: Homeless alone

#71

Post by serge2k »

samstave wrote: post #62
blackguardx wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why was living in San Francisco so important to getting your prototype built? Friendships, community, family? I wonder why more people don't choose to move to places like Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo where housing is dirt cheap. There aren't many jobs there, but if you are working for yourself it shouldn't really matter.

As an aside - I think we should start a ground-up movement to buy up as much of detroit as possible and create 'Silicon Detroit' as the land value is ridiculously low - and tech could move in where the biggest expense would be bringing in only strong connectivity. Other initiatives like urban farming could be done as well. I think detroit is super fertile. Imagine what just a billion dollar fund could do for tech in…

> Imagine what just a billion dollar fund could do for tech in that region.

Lots of good for tech.

Should we send buses or just have some people go through and chase the current residents away on foot?

Re: Homeless alone

#72

Post by stcredzero »

lowglow wrote: post #2

I recently sold everything I owned and started living out of my converted dodge caravan while I was prototyping what I wanted to build next. With an eye on my burn rate, I lived as cheaply as possible. I can tell you without a doubt that there is no natural system in place for homeless to get out of that rut, and it looks and feels dehumanizing. I wasn't completely broke but I couldn't keep affording rent as expensiv…

I wasn't completely broke but I couldn't keep affording rent as expensive as it was. I was able to shower at a gym, and worked out of Tech Shop on what I was trying to build. But it's hard -- like super hard to just be homeless. The social stigma associated with the word alone is hard for people to get beyond. I would often hear, "But you don't seem like the type to be homeless" and then they would slowly just distance themselves from talking to me. Super weird.

I've been in such a position following an abusive employment/housing situation. What you say completely rings true. I think there's a partially neurologically wired category of "other" in our brains that is meant to make us super cautious of rootless individuals. Even in our nomadic hunter-gatherer days, we had good reason to be suspect of individuals who didn't have group membership. (Effectively a "home.")

Re: Homeless alone

#74

Post by scythe »

lowglow wrote: post #2

I recently sold everything I owned and started living out of my converted dodge caravan while I was prototyping what I wanted to build next. With an eye on my burn rate, I lived as cheaply as possible. I can tell you without a doubt that there is no natural system in place for homeless to get out of that rut, and it looks and feels dehumanizing. I wasn't completely broke but I couldn't keep affording rent as expensiv…

You could, at least, rent a place somewhere very cheap (Lodi?) and visit it only occasionally, while living out of your car in the Bay Area.

It might ultimately be more sustainable, especially if you're open to having a "roommate" or two (who probably wouldn't mind you being gone a lot!). I spent a year paying $233/month for an attic room in Atlanta (and I lived there), so the opportunities exist.

Re: Homeless alone

#75

Post by fuzzywalrus »

downandout wrote: post #58
k-mcgrady wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not trying to be rude when asking this but why would you choose to become homeless to prototype a business/product?? I've seen this come up several times on HN over the last few years and every time it blows my mind, especially when the person then goes on to talk about how difficult life is. I'm guessing you're in tech as you're on HN - why not keep your day job and work on your business from 7pm-3am every night…

Many people believe in the mistaken "no pain, no gain" philosophy. People seem to believe that somehow the universe will recognize their sacrifice and reward them accordingly. John Oliver did an excellent piece on a new crop of so-called "seed faith" televangelists that have popped up to fleece poor people that believe in this philosophy [1]. The reality, of course, is the opposite. The most successful people I have…

I wholly agree with this, often it takes some sacrifice; while others play, you're working or living frugally to fund your dreams but this isn't the same as forgoing basic amenities. Also, I don't know the backstory but anyone looking to do this by choice may want to consider the ramifications of the outside looking in if you're looking for investment. To most looking to invest, I'd imagine going to this extreme raises red flags regardless if they're warranted or not.

Re: Homeless alone

#76

Post by dragonwriter »

vt240 wrote: post #16
Tharkun wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What happens after that?

At least in Washington State, unemployment payout is almost immediate, within two weeks of losing your job. You can use the time before it runs out to apply for other federal or state assistance programs. These may take longer and have more complex qualifications.

> You can use the time before it runs out to apply for other federal or state assistance programs.

Which if you are a non-disabled, employable (whether or not employed) adult without dependents, in most parts of the US, are extremely limited, quantitatively and, often, temporally, as well.

Re: Homeless alone

#77

Post by mindslight »

chiph wrote: post #52
Razengan wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have been harassed by cops, you feel extremely transient and embarrassed just to be alive at times. Sleeping in a van sucks too. Street noises keep you up, cramped for space, etc Would moving into the woods and "living off the land" have been an option? Is this even legally possible anymore in the United States? * Assuming you had solar-generated electricity and internet access.

You would need to own the land, or arrange a lease with the owner. Otherwise you're trespassing and that can result in arrest or being shot. I'm not saying that you can't do this (there are people living in remote portions of national parks), but there can be severe downsides. Like ending up like Christopher McCandless. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless

Living in a US national park (on land you don't own) would be illegal. Rangers also seem hyper-paranoid about remote areas being used for drug cultivation.

I believe national forests have a technical time limit on how long you can stay there. Maybe BLM land?

Re: Homeless alone

#78

Post by calcsam »

homero wrote: post #50
k-mcgrady wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not trying to be rude when asking this but why would you choose to become homeless to prototype a business/product?? I've seen this come up several times on HN over the last few years and every time it blows my mind, especially when the person then goes on to talk about how difficult life is. I'm guessing you're in tech as you're on HN - why not keep your day job and work on your business from 7pm-3am every night…

Because it drives you. You must succeed. I'm preparing to do this myself. In Russia too. Succeed or die by ice, wild dogs and military police. This is authentic. Homeless in San Francisco hanging by coffee shops, getting change is like a mansion. In Russia, homeless people disappear. This is why my mvp will be superb.

Dude, I'm not sure if you're trolling or serious.

If you're serious...it's not worth it. Life is long. Find other ways of motivating yourself. Commit publicly to shipping something awesome. Find a community of badasses to support you. Don't do this.

Re: Homeless alone

#79

Post by chimeracoder »

zyxley wrote: post #70
toomuchtodo wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can tell you without a doubt that there is no natural system in place for homeless to get out of that rut What would such a system look like? EDIT: Totally serious question. To build something, you must first architect it.

Step 1: Give homeless people a home. As Utah found, just giving homeless people a home, without demanding any substantial money or qualification or whatever from them for it, reduced the number of long-time homeless by a huge percentage and in the process saved net money for the state because of reduced medical and policing costs. http://www.npr.org/2015/12/10/459100751/utah-reduced-chronic...

> Step 1: Give homeless people a home.

This is one step, but it's not a silver bullet. New York City has had a similar program for a long time, and it's actually come under fire from homeless advocacy groups for being ineffective (while simultaneously expensive).

New York City also poses a greater challenge than Salt Lake City for a number of reasons, but so does San Francisco, so solving SF's homelessness problem will require more than just building more housing and giving it to homeless people, even if that's ultimately one step of the solution.

Re: Homeless alone

#80

Post by kaeluka »

stcredzero wrote: post #72
lowglow wrote: post #2

I recently sold everything I owned and started living out of my converted dodge caravan while I was prototyping what I wanted to build next. With an eye on my burn rate, I lived as cheaply as possible. I can tell you without a doubt that there is no natural system in place for homeless to get out of that rut, and it looks and feels dehumanizing. I wasn't completely broke but I couldn't keep affording rent as expensiv…

I wasn't completely broke but I couldn't keep affording rent as expensive as it was. I was able to shower at a gym, and worked out of Tech Shop on what I was trying to build. But it's hard -- like super hard to just be homeless. The social stigma associated with the word alone is hard for people to get beyond. I would often hear, "But you don't seem like the type to be homeless" and then they would slowly just distan…

You won't slap me in the face because you've got something to lose. A house, family, job, ..

Someone homeless hasn't!

edit: typo corrected!

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