How People React?

I was recently asked how people react when they find out I'm homeless by choice. I tell people all the time what I'm doing and I get a few different responses. Here they are in no particular order.

The fast and easy way for me to explain what I'm doing is, "I'm traveling around the western states, living homeless, and writing about it".

Most of the people I talk to who aren't homeless think it's a really interesting idea. Many of them, however don't ask much about it. Out of the people who do ask about it, most of them get really excited about it and have a kind of long conversation with me about it all. This last Sunday I had one such conversation with a man. Like most other people in this group he asked me about how I came up with the idea. I don't remember if I've ever really written the whole story on this topic in this format, but I'll spare you for now. This man also was interested in what I've experienced thus far. Many of the things I said are already written here, so I will not be redundant. I've never had any kind of blatantly negative feedback about what I'm doing. People have always been either positive about my choice or they've been completely indifferent. So from complete strangers indifference has been about the most negative reaction I've gotten.

As far as the people I talk to who are homeless, they usually get really excited about everything I'm doing. They like to tell me about the different services that are available or things that need to be done better for people in our situation. A few times people I see often have been standing in a food line with me while it's cold or raining and turn to me and say, "Why did you choose to be homeless again?" I think that's kind of funny.

So those are the most common responses I hear when people find out what I'm doing and that I chose to be homeless. Thanks for the questions! Keep them coming and I'll keep answering them. Keep reading; it means much more than you can imagine. It makes the cold days, rain, loneliness, long cold nights, discomfort and waiting in lines for food, a bed, or a shower so much more bearable.

Who's Homeless?

I've been doing a lot of exploring lately. I explore a lot when ever I get to a new city, but I feel like I've been exploring San Francisco more than the other cities. As other cities, depending on where you are you may or may not notice the homeless population. That is the noticeable homeless population. We (myself included when I was planning this expedition) have an idea in our head of what a homeless person should look, smell, and act like. Our civilization tends to try to hide any problem or less desirable aspect of our population and poverty and homelessness is definitely one of those things we sweep under the rug. It's easy in any city to find the areas that are "homeless friendly" and those that aren't. Just follow the tourists. This is not to say that there won't be any homeless people where there's tourists. There are just much less. The panhandlers and musicians will be in those places, but honestly, how many of them are really homeless? It's hard to know for sure.

Back to my point, when I started this project I had an idea of what a homeless person looks like and so I said, "I will not shave or cut my hair while I'm away." And as a result, I've got crazy man hair and an out of control beard. Just like a good homeless man, right? The reality is, no. As I sit and eat at whatever shelter I'm in and look around I see more clean cut men than wild mountain man looking men. My beard and wild hair are a vast minority among my peers. Is this a good bye to my hair. No. I made a commitment, and I intend to keep it. I'm just trying to set things straight.

I've talked to more homeless people in San Francisco than anywhere else who have a cell phone, a computer, a portable DVD player, and things like that that we don't think about when we think of homeless people. You can't look at a person and decide that they are not homeless because their clothes are nice, they have a pleasing hairdo or oder. I shower much less now than when I had a home, but I'm not dirty. In fact, I was talking to someone I worked with in Portland, for those 4 days I worked who showers about as often as I do, and he has a home and a steady job, and doesn't look at all dirty, and he doesn't stink. We tend to think homeless and gross at the same time. Is it because the people we can tell are homeless are urine soaked or just threw up on themselves? Probably.

It's time we take the stereotype of what a homeless person is and why they're homeless and be educated about it. The fact of the matter is that right now in America there are more homeless people than ever. These are people who used to be our neighbors who, because of the current economy in the United States, have become victims of downsizing. They aren't lazy and out of work. In fact, many of them do work. Think for a moment of where you would go if you suddenly lost your job. Do you have the safety net of a large enough savings to last you three months? Six months? A year? Now consider that the only job you can find pays much less than you're used to. Would you be able to keep your house? Would you have enough to have an apartment; even a small one? Now consider (if it's not your reality) that you have children to take care of, too. In most cities you can't find a two bedroom apartment for less than $800 a month. Now consider that the only job you can find is at a fast food restaurant. Speaking from experience, you'll be lucky to make enough to cover rent.

Yes, there are government programs to help you, but the more you make the less you get and it's still possibly not enough to make ends meet. So, now I ask you, "Where would you be living if this were your reality?"

The homeless people in America aren't all drug or alcohol addicts. They are not all just too lazy to work. They are not just degenerates. Many of them are just like you.

The Spider's Bane

A few days ago I asked people on Facebook to ask me any questions they have about my life living homeless in the major cities of the American west. I said that I would answer them in this forum. Almost immediately, I received two very good questions; one about whether or not I'm going hungry, and the other about the places I sleep. Then I was asked a question by someone who has known me longer than I've known me, and I've honestly contemplated whether or not I should answer this question (which was asked jokingly... mostly)

So here's the question: Do you have Sting with you?

I began this blog by letting everyone know that I'm a fan of the Lord of the Rings, by quoting Bilbo Baggins, but I didn't come clean about the extent of my nerdy-ness or as I say it "collector". I have three replica swords from the Lord of the Rings movies. Narsil, the sword of the Witch King, and of course Sting the sword used by Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, not at the same time of course. And so to answer the question quickly. No, I didn't bring a sword with me.

You see, to be carrying a sword around, even if it stays locked in a car is both silly and a liability. Even a small sword like Sting takes up unnecessary space. In my living situation, space is very limited. I only have things that are necessary to my life at this moment. For this reason, and that I would be completely devastated if I were to lose Sting or any of the other "collector's items" I have.

So no, I didn't bring Sting with me. But, Anna, I did bring something else with me. Something much more precious.

Sleep Means Sleeping

First things first. Thank you for the title, "I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business".

Since leaving the comforts of an established and regular living arrangement (AKA an apartment) in July, I've slept in a lot of different places. In Minnesota I never found myself sleeping outside. Homeless life is easy when you are as mega popular as I am. I found it hard to be able to sleep in my car then. Friends would ask me where I was sleeping, and when I said in my car or I don't know, they would say something like, "my couch". I have one friend and former co-worker who would give me her apartment keys and have me sleep on her couch while she was working an overnight shift.

So on September 11th when I left Minnesota and the comforts of friends i had to figure things out for myself.  My friends reached much farther than I suspected and I found myself on a couch a few other places throughout my journeys. In Rapid City, Salt Lake City, and Seattle I found myself with familiar people and on a couch for at least a few of the nights.

In Rapid City most nights I spent curled up in the back seat of my car. I'd park in the Wal-Mart parking lot, move everything from the back seat to the front and put towels in the back windows of my car, and there I would slumber.

Salt Lake City (and the surrounding area) was pretty much the same deal. It was still warm out and so at Wal-Mart or a residential street I would find myself to end each day.

In Seattle I realized that I'd spent far too much money on gas from driving around those last two cities. I found a quiet Buddhist neighborhood and there my car stayed pretty much the whole time I was there. I would move it from place to place everyday, but it never moved more than a block from where it was the day before.

By this time, my knees were beginning to feel the affects of being curled up in a small space every night. So at the behest of my knees and an old friend wanting me to live the sort of homeless life he felt was the only way to be homeless, I went on search for a place to "camp" in Olympia, WA. I found one such place between a row of bushes and a Baptist church.

The thing with sleeping outside in a city is that it's not very safe and actually pretty illegal in most cities, so you have to hide. Let me explain something that most people don't think of about the safety issue. In Portland, I met a young man named Nick. Nick is from Vermont, and hasn't ever really had the best home life. His mom, kicked him out of the house when he was 16 years old, and for most of the last 4 years Nick has hitch hiked around the country. A few days before I met him, a friend and I started seeing a lot of homeless people with big open sores and just looking really beat up. When I met Nick, both of his eyes were black and his right hand was broken.

This is Nick's story. He woke up to three teenage boys beating him up and robbing him late at night in a park. He fought them off and was able to get back most of his things, but not without some pretty nasty injuries.

The moral of the story is that it's not usually the other homeless people that I have to hide from when it comes to sleeping outside, it's often kids who are probably intoxicated with too much time on their hands. So the trick is to sleep in darker parks where you're not likely to be found.

As winter creeps closer and the temperatures begin to drop, I've spent much less time outside or in my car, and more time in shelters.

Year round homeless shelters are making more space for people trying to escape the cold and more and more churches are opening their doors as "Winter Shelters". On top of these extra shelters, when the cold gets dangerous, Emergency Shelters are opened. I stayed in one such shelter a few days before Thanksgiving. It was a Red Cross run shelter inside of a church in East Portland. The night I was there, they housed just over 150 people and maybe about 25 dogs and I think 2 cats.

On the way down the coast from Portland to San Francisco, I spent one night camped in my tent on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. This brought with it a few fears. One: I had to camp in a place where no one would see me, the last thing I wanted was to get woken up in the middle of the night and either kicked off the beach or arrested. Two: I had to be higher than the tide.

The sand where I pitched my tent looked "wind blown" rather than "wave crashed" so I figured I was alright. And with prayers of staying dry I went to sleep. At about 4AM I woke up to strong winds and really loud ocean sounds, but I was dry so I went back to sleep. When I woke up in the morning the sand was wet as close as 10 feet (3 meters) away from my tent. I barely beat the tide, and all but one of the tent stakes was pulled out of the sand, but it was all worth it for the experience of sleeping by the ocean and waking up to such a beautiful view.

And so life goes on just has it has the past three months. In the winter, if the first shelter I go to is full, they will call around until they find a place for me to sleep safely. In the colder months there's always somewhere to go, to stay warm, dry and comfortable.

Going Hungry in America

I asked the world of Facebook to ask me questions about the way my life is and things that have happened to me since living a homeless life. Almost immediately I was asked if I've gone hungry yet.

The quick answer is: No.

Now let me explain myself.

America is still the land of plenty. That's part of the reason I'm doing what I'm doing. I'm not a Socialist. I full heartedly think that people should have to work or do something for the things they're given. However, there's really no reason anyone in America should go hungry. There's just so much money floating around.

I've noticed as I've been around a little bit, that people are generally giving. No one likes to see someone in a bad situation; hurting hungry of otherwise. At the same time, though, is that people are also greedy. I don't know how many of you have noticed this as well, but America obviously has plenty of food. So food is given to the poor in mass quantities. This is awesome!

Along with every other homeless person in the country, I eat your leftovers. A lot of the food we get at shelters is expired but still very edible, so stores donate it to the shelter, and then we eat it. Every town of any size at all has food services for the homeless and otherwise poor, and usually the food is really good.

So no, I haven't gone hungry at all. There's just no reason anyone in America should ever go without food.

I have eaten out of a garbage can once, however. It was just a few days ago. The night I got into San Francisco I asked a homeless guy wear I could get some food. He brought me to a dumpster outside a popular bakery. The dumpster was full of loaves of bread that had gotten cold. Bread is all that ever goes into the dumpster, so I took a loaf, and you know what? It was good.

In closing I think I should mention that I eat more now than I ever did before I became homeless, and I've actually gained a solid fifteen pounds.

Southward!

After a journey of two days, I arrived in San Francisco. I'm always happy to spend days traveling on my own. And this time I gave myself the gift of taking my time. In stead of taking I-5, which would be a little faster, I drove out to the coast and took Highway 101. I love that highway. It was a great trip down the coast, but as much fun as it was, I was really anxious to get to the next stop.

So at about 4PM on December 6th, I drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco. I had been to San Francisco once before, but I didn't really spend anytime in the city. I spent the first few hours trying to figure out where everything is and familiarize myself with the area. That night, I ended up slightly breaking the law by sleeping in a park. As trivial as it sounds, it's an arrest-able offense. Yeah... I'm bad.

Day two was spent also looking around. I'm human just like you, and therefore I need to eat. I actually make it a habit to eat two or three times a day. So I spent some time locating missions and shelters so that I can continue in that way of life. All the money I made in Portland was spent on getting to San Francisco so it's time to find another job. I am going to an open interview this afternoon at the Wag Hotel. It's a hotel of sorts for dogs and cats while their masters are away for the holidays. I've worked in people hotels for a very long time and have always had animals around me. I like to have animals around and miss that since I've been on the road. So I'm really hoping I can get this job. It would be a seasonal job, lasting about a month. That's perfect for what I'm looking for. So wish me luck!

Roman Catholics and "Sisters"

Today started like every other day I’ve slept in the Portland Rescue Mission’s Winter Shelter. Wake up at 5:25, pull all my things together, put on my coat, and make my way outside. 39 degrees is startling so early in the morning, but let’s face it, I’ve felt much worse. I walk down the stairs to the Skidmore Fountain train stop; under the Burnside Bridge. Making sure that no trains are coming soon, I walk a few blocks to an area hidden by bridges and trees for a morning urination, (I could stand in line at the Mission, but I usually have to go pretty bad, and opt out) and back to the bridge to catch a train to downtown. Portland’s free rail zone stretches from 10^th and Yamhill to the Lloyd Center, a mall. It spans a few miles, usually taking about 20 minutes to get from one side to the other. I ride it back and forth until 6:45 when I get off back at Skidmore fountain and climb the same stairs back to the Portland Rescue Mission, or PRM as I’ve come to call it.

The only difference is that today is the last time I’ll follow this morning routine in Portland, OR. It is with excitement for the future and some sorrow that I move on. I’ve been in Portland for 31 days, which is the longest I’ve stayed in any one place since leaving Mankato, Minnesota on September 11^th. It is one of the most comfortable places to be homeless in America. There are plenty of services to help those in need. Places that give more than just a meal and a bed.

At the downtown Roman Catholic Church, also known as Red Door, there is a plethora of services for the impoverished. Once a month, you are able to go to their basement clothing “store”. Nice donated clothing lines the walls of a room where you are able to go and sort through and pick out the clothing that best suits your needs. On the second floor, toiletries, winter hats, gloves, scarves, and socks are available for those who are in need of those things. They also have snacks, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, games, guitars and newspapers. They have a lot of other services there, too. During the first full week of December they have photographers come in to take professional pictures of anyone who would like them. Every Friday afternoon they play a movie. They are in the middle of a Harry Potter marathon that will end with a trip to the theater to see the latest movie.

 

There are many other things they do there ranging from foot care to hair cuts, but my personal favorite is the art room. Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday morning their art room is open for anyone who needs a creative outlet. As a result I have a pair of pants that are littered with different colors of paint, not to mention the hand print of a friend.

On Northwest Sixth Avenue and Davis Street there is a little café just for the homeless and otherwise poor people of Portland called “Sisters of the Road”. It is a place that I heard a lot about on the streets but never visited until very recently. “Sisters” has a very strict respect rule. Respect everyone no matter your differences. They have three things on the menu every day. Every day they serve beans and rice with a big piece of corn bread. It’s actually really good and, as you can imagine, really filling. They also serve another entre, which is different everyday, and along with that, the same thing without meat for any vegetarians.

The first time you visit “Sisters” your meal is free. Every time after your first, it costs $1.25 for your entre and $.25 for a drink. The drinks include lemonade, milk, orange juice, coffee, tea, and, of course, water. Water is free. They also accept food stamps to pay for this meal. If you don’t have any money, don’t write off “Sisters”, they will be more than happy to have you bus tables as payment for a meal.

They also have a message board there. It consists of a few bulletin boards. If you’re trying to find someone or need to get a message to anyone, you can write a note and leave it on the board with the persons name on it. This is an awesome idea. Although much of the homeless people in America have a cell phone, there are some that don’t. This is a great way to get a message to someone you think or know will find their way to “Sisters of the Road”.

Although I’m very excited to move on with my journey and get out of the rain, Portland will always have a special place in my heart.

San Francisco, I’m on my way!