How One Homeless Person Lives: Coping With Homelessness

by Silicon Valley Blogger on November 6, 2009

I’ve discussed how to avoid foreclosure and how to avoid bankruptcy in the past, but in some cases, things don’t work out too well, and there are people who end up becoming casualties of the real estate bust, credit crisis and weak job market.

Lots of people have been forced into homelessness due to a variety of reasons. Many cases of homelessness are because of mistakes and choices people make in their lives. There are those who fall into substance abuse and become stuck in this kind of existence. But there are other cases — particularly in recent years — that are not from bad choices. In some situations, it may be due to poor planning.

But this is not the entire story because there are those who fall into homelessness even with reasonable planning. Sometimes, even when you think you’re sufficiently ready for any kind of emergency, the sky does fall on you and you find yourself reeling from an unrecoverable financial predicament. Bad health can do it. Extended job loss can do it as well. Sheer bad luck and misfortune can just be in the cards for a while.

I used to think that with enough savings and preparation, nothing is insurmountable. Well, I’m halfway through my life now and I’ve seen enough to think otherwise. Sometimes, it’s about crossing your fingers too, and hoping that you never have to face a financial tsunami in your lifetime.


On that note, I’d like to share this CNN video that I found quite surprising in many ways. It’s about “tunnel dwellers” in Las Vegas; not everything is what it seems…

Steve Dommer and his girlfriend, Kathryn, live in the depths below the Vegas Strip. They created an elaborate 400-square-foot space, complete with a living room, bedroom, kitchen and workshop to fix bicycles. Everything is elevated off the floor with wooden pallets or milk crates because of potential flooding.

The guy in the video does not look homeless, yet he is. He’s coping, somehow. I guess this is the type of story that reminds us that homelessness can befall anyone, and why public awareness of programs like Help USA is important.

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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }

1 xemphim November 6, 2009 at 8:36 pm

Living when you are Homeless is very very difficult. I hope all governments think of these people more.

2 personal tips November 6, 2009 at 9:09 pm

There is no way to plan for everything. Just a couple of examples to think about.

Even when all goes well and you don’t have bad luck, someday you can wake-up and you could be in actual trouble, yet you just don’t realize it! How? Identity theft can cause you to become homeless. ID theft can destroy your credit, and it takes years to clean your credit record from false transactions, plus you can imagine the effort! This can certainly lead to bankruptcy.

I have a friend that almost became homeless as all his life he was in deep trouble for having the same name and birthday as a criminal (financial fraud and extortion). This made his life a nightmare especially since his finances got messed up.

Those are external situations. Last year i lost my parents who were both 70 years of age. Let say that something like that makes even the “big guys” become very weak. This, along with other troubles can make you emotionally fragile. For a year, I was in pretty bad shape emotionally. I’m a bit better these last 2 months, but this is not over. Don’t take things for granted. Falling down is way faster than moving up.

3 Anish November 7, 2009 at 12:13 am

I agree with you. There are lots of reasons for being homelessness due to wrong decision, losses of jobs, bad health etc.

4 John DeFlumeri Jr November 7, 2009 at 8:41 am

It is quite sobering to see that it can happen to almost anyone! They didn’t start out homeless…

John DeFlumeri Jr.

5 Pilot DJ Frost November 7, 2009 at 8:56 pm

It saddens me to see how close many people are to living on the edge of homelessness. Most have done the best they can to live a good life and play by the rules. Suddenly, the rules seemed to have changed. Our nation is hurting and it will take a while to heal.

6 Manshu November 8, 2009 at 9:39 am

Thanks for the mention!

7 J. Money November 9, 2009 at 5:23 pm

Thx for the shout out friend :) Hope you’re off to a great
week!

8 Kevin@OutOfYourRut November 10, 2009 at 1:46 pm

A lot of people turn a blind eye to this because they don’t think it can happen to them. Wrong! With the right (wrong) combination of events it can happen to anyone. Once there, the broken spirit takes over and then the situation can become permanent.

While it’s true that mistakes and poor planning can cause homelessness, the fact is that many people make mistakes or fail to plan for the future at all, but don’t end up homeless. Misfortune can often come from unexpected directions, and not every contingency can be planned for. Call it luck, but clearly someting else is at work here.

I have to disagree with Exmphim (comment #1), this isn’t a government problem. Most of us know people who are dangling close to homelessness, and can do something to help. And it’s crucial that people get help before things get that bad.

Everyone of us can help the unemployed or those going through crisis in some way, even if it isn’t monetary. You can provide references for a job search, make phone calls to prospective employers or network contacts, help them with creditors, provide food, watch their children when they go on job interviews or doctor visits or just be a friend to remind them that they aren’t alone in the world.

We all wring our hands at crisis and say “they” should do something, but it’s really we who should do something, rather than being guided by the cultural standard of “I don’t want to get involved”.

9 Online Business Cookbook November 10, 2009 at 7:30 pm

I was homeless for a time. Dare I say, I kind of enjoyed it and learned sooo much about myself and the world. But I guess I always knew it was a personal experiment that I could elevate myself out of. There are many people in that world that really suffer and they feel hopeless and trapped. A better society would give them some help, a place to be useful and a path to self actuate.

I like your blog a lot — you’re not just a blogger blogging about blogger’s blogging!

10 Silicon Valley Blogger November 10, 2009 at 7:38 pm

@Kevin,
I like your suggestions. I definitely second them! We *can* help those who are in need without having to do so monetarily.

@Online Business Cookbook,
Thanks for your kind compliment! You were once homeless? Goodness. I actually knew someone personally who ended up homeless, but it happened because she fell into heavy drug use. It was very sad. Notice the past tense :( .

Off topic: My blog is about personal finance for the most part, mixed with Silicon Valley references and sprinkled with small/online business topics. I particularly enjoy “lifestyle” or “feature” type posts as well as those that touch on behavioral finance, society and culture, which I mix along with the harder financial topics. So yes — you won’t often see me expounding on “how bloggers should blog”… although on occasion, I may do so, in the context of how to make money doing this kind of thing.

11 Kristen from FiLife November 15, 2009 at 8:26 pm

Thanks for highlighting this video and the fact that homelessness can happen to the unsuspecting. Homelessness is a problem in my hometown, New Orleans, due to a lack of affordable housing. Not having a permanent address when applying for jobs or a safe place to keep / wash your clothes before interviews compounds the problem. But there are resources available. Asking about them at a local shelter is key.

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