Sleeping Out

If you find yourself as destitute as we once were, you're spending time sleeping outdoors.  There may well be no shelter nor mission in the town where we find ourselves.  .The shelters could be full, particularly during cold weather.  Most shelters require us have a current negative TB test card.  That could take days to obtain.  And many shelters and missions require legal ID, which we lost God knows where.  Get used to starry skies, and potentially deadly weather. 

We have already noted that there are many homeless people who choose to live outdoors, even in frigid conditions.  Maybe they have a hidden campsite and lots of blankets.  Maybe they sleep in a car.  If that's your preference, more power to you.  There is a sense of freedom that goes with electing to stay outdoors.  But this behavior will DEFINITELY prevent us from accumulating assets in our Homeless Portfolios.  We're never going to get a job if we live outdoors. We 'll have trouble signing up for government benefits.  We have no phone nor an address.  And there is the constant risk of being arrested, assaulted or worse.  Wouldn't we rather be taking concrete steps, which build upon each other, to get off the street so we don't have to live outside?  Accumulating assets in our Homeless Portfolios gives us a future.  Sleeping out is giving up on life.

Yet our predicament dictates we're going to have to sleep outside at some point.  We need to remind you, dear readers, that The Homeless Portfolio does not encourage nor endorse any illegal acts.  But when it comes to sleep you literally have no choice but to break the law.  But being picked up by the police is the least of our worries.

As far as we're concerned, sleep is a human right.  What else are we supposed to do but break the law?  We can't just walk around all night.  That's dangerous, very dangerous.  We must sleep, so we have to find an appropriate place to do so.

Don't go way out in the boonies.  We need to be near emergency services in case we are assaulted. 

Parks are not a great idea.  Most parks have a curfew, and the cops have little else to do in the early morning hours but snoop around city parks.  Likewise, camping out in public spaces like city halls, courthouses or libraries may well land us in jail.  If we camp on private property, we are trespassing.  Don't camp in residential neighborhoods.

If the cops find us, they're most likely to just shoo us away.  But if they ask for ID and we don't have it (which we don't), we're going downtown.  If we have any outstanding warrants, that will get us booked as well.  It goes without saying that a stretch in jail or prison grinds the progress of our Homeless Portfolios to a halt.

Camping near businesses can work.  Try to get as close to the nearest hospital as you can.  Patios and alcoves in small medical parks, usually very close to the nearest hospital, are practical and safe.  Of course, we could get rousted by an early morning cleaning crew.  Wake up as early as you can and move along.

The best alternatives are churches.  If we are quiet and unobtrusive, we should find a suitable spot.

Shelter from the elements is our primary concern.  Overhead coverage during rain and snow is essential.  We'll need some blankets, which we can almost always get from Salvation Army posts, from missions, shelters or city-sponsored blanket giveaways.  We may also be able to get a sleeping bag, which is wonderful.  The problem is that we now have to carry these assets around with us all day.  If we leave them at our campsite, they're going to get stolen.  There is strength in numbers, so campsites on public property are safer if more people are living there.

In extremely cold weather, when the shelters and missions are full, cities will often open up their National Guard armories, which generally don't require a current TB card nor a legal ID.

We noted that camping near a hospital is ideal, because at some point during our time sleeping out we will be assaulted and/or robbed.  It's happened to us, and it will happen to you.  In one town where we've lived a homeless man was kicked to death in an alley when some college football players saw him urinating against a dumpster.  Other desperate homeless people will attack us for our meager assets.  High school kids will engage in "bum bashing," which can also turn deadly.  If we're asleep, there's not a lot we can do to react to being attacked.  Ideally we are in a position to have someone take sentry shifts throughout the night to guard against intruders.

Which goes back to our decision to sleep near a hospital.  If we are injured or sick, hospitals must treat us, even when we have no money.  Similarly, if we're on the brink of freezing to death we can go to the hospital for treatment.  Frostbite is a medical condition.  With the slow pace of most hospital emergency rooms, we've probably secured a warm place at least until the morning. 

When it comes to sleeping out, we learn to hide in plain sight.  We don't ever do anything that draws attention to us.  Sometimes it's better to be brazen; it makes it look as though we're not doing anything unusual.  When a police car goes by, the worst possible thing to do is turn around and run in the opposite direction.  Blend in.  As you scout potential sleeping sites you want to find a place with very little foot traffic.

And please, please keep your sleeping area clean.  Don't be a filthy bastard.  Don't leave trash lying around.  Don't deface any public or private property.  When you trash a campsite, at some point you won't be able to go back.  Why do damage?  If nothing else it makes all of the homeless look bad, which reduces a community's willingness to assist the destitute.

Do not camp out unless you have no alternative.  Your Homeless Portfolio is useless if you can't find a place indoors.  A steady, safe place to sleep outdoors is our short-term goal, and an important asset in our Homeless Portfolios.