Settling In. Do's and Don'ts.

 


The biggest challenge with homelessness, by far, is dealing with the need to have a home without actually having one. Sure, you can live life on the road. Many do. I did. At some point in the journey, the need for familiarity and routine sets in and it tends to happen quicker the older one gets. So eventually, you'll have to settle in.

The question is: Where?

If you've read my previous posts, you'll know the answer is somewhere out of sight. But even the best locations come with risk. Has this spot been used previously and been cleared by law enforcement? Does this spot frequently attract visible homeless when they need somewhere to run to? Is this spot truly out of sight? These are the questions that roll through your head while looking for a long-term spot. But the reality is -- you don't know if you've found a good spot until you've been there a while.

Safety doesn't exist in the world of the unhoused. When you find that spot to leave your tent up 24/7, the nagging question in the back of your head is will my stuff still be there when I return? Fact is, you won't know until you return. Whether you work, have doctor's appointments, or just trying to panhandle for a little cash that worry will stick in the back of your head like cement until you get back to camp.

The best way to deal with it is to treat your important items just like you did in the beginning. I've been in the same spot now for a couple of years. My backpack with documents and hygiene? It still goes with me absolutely everywhere. Other important items I have sealed in waterproof bags and buried under rocks. 

But once you find a secluded place to call "home", it can be nice. You can finally get a larger tent with more room. Get a camping stove and start cooking again (more on that later -- you can't keep food). Buy a cheap pillow from Walmart. Get a camping chair. Make life just a little comfortable. But you have to keep in mind that each day at your camp could be your last. Tonight law enforcement could arrive and sweep you out. Or, perhaps tomorrow a crackhead will come and steal the very things you need to survive so they can get a fix. So you have to keep a backup. And know in your mind that if it happened right now exactly what items you'd pack and what items you'd leave behind. And have extras buried just in case you come back to nothing. Because it will happen.

What do I have buried under the rocks? My one-man travelling tent. Extra ham radios (my hobby, which I'll discuss further in another post). Extra hygiene kit. Extra shoes and some clothes. Basically I plan on an addict or law enforcement to completely clean me out. And when (not if) they do, I already have everything I need to go back to step one. I won't have to panic or panhandle. I'll already have what I need to setup somewhere else or go travelling. That day will come, I just hope it's not for a long time. And if I'm lucky, maybe I find housing first. Unlikely, but it's still something to hope for.

Wherever you decide to settle in at, you'll need to have access to several things. Public transportation. Grocery store. Showers. And a means of income. Panhandle when you must, but never do it anywhere near your camp. Although people might not be able to see your camp, they will see you travelling to and from it. Now if you're clean and modestly dressed, you're just a person out for a walk. But if they see you panhandling nearby -- you're now that homeless bum camping in the woods. You're a threat. And that will bring attention you don't want. It'll be the kind of attention that forces you to leave with what little you can carry on your back and start completely over with nowhere to go. Because nobody cares if you just started a new job, nobody cares if you're having surgery tomorrow, nobody cares if bad weather's coming in. The only thing they'll care about is getting rid of you, and they don't care if you go to hell or not. Just so long as you go. The stigma behind homelessness is strong and cruel. Most would rather you die than be homeless near them.

Now as stated, if you manage to stay clean and dress the part (jeans, work boots, hat) people can assume you're a hiker or construction worker and leave you the hell alone. But if they see you in dirty, ill-fitting clothes with unkempt hair and filthy skin, you've just painted yourself as homeless and your time will be limited.

On top of keeping yourself and your clothes clean, your camp area needs to be immaculate. Trash needs to be taken out daily. Food will attract critters so do not store it. If you don't have access to a toilet, you'll need to dig a latrine and bury your business as you go. A clean camp gives you a fighting chance if law enforcement stumbles upon you. A dirty camp gets you evicted every time. 



Don't do this.


Even if you manage to do it right, you can still find yourself at odds with law enforcement. Which is why it's imperative to stay clean. If a law enforcement officer sees drug paraphernalia, beer cans, booze bottles, garbage, rotten food, dirty pans left on an illegal fire pit... Well... You get the message. Now eliminate all that and replace it with a clean tent and a clean camper? Well... You might even get an OK to stay for a limited time or at least advanced notice before a clearing. There is no health hazard unless you create a health hazard and if you win the lottery and get a good cop -- they just might choose to look the other way.

Now here's the shitty part. No guests. Do no share your location with anyone. Not to anyone housed, not to law enforcement, not to social workers, and for God's sake not to another homeless person. A housed person will likely complain to law enforcement and you'll get the boot. Social workers will put your campsite into a database that gets shared with law enforcement so you'll get the boot. And telling another homeless person basically invites more homeless people, turning your campsite into an encampment rife with drugs and everything bad. So keep it neat, keep it clean, and keep it secret!


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