A Personal Challenge

Breaking out of Powerlessness

I spoke with a young lady this evening who is dealing with a lot of stress and she is very frustrated with her situation. I've known her for a little while, and this was much the same many months ago. She's not a bad person by any means. She has a lot going for her, except for herself. That's the team member she's missing.  She has fine ideals and a sense of direction, but runs herself down dead ends by focusing on things beyond her control. What others are doing, what courts have determined, or anything or anyone that she has no control over.  I feel for her, and wish there were some magic wand I could wave and make everything as she wishes.  But I don't have one of those, none of us do.

So, I listen to her, and comiserate with her because that's what I can do.  It doesn't change anything, but maybe it makes her feel better that someone is listening, someone cares,  but as I said it doesn't change anything.  A couple hours, or days, weeks, months later I hear the same script. And I'll be dammed if I don't find myself listening and wishing for a magic wand again that I still don't have.  She's frustrated, I'm frustrated, and there's no reason to believe anything will change. How could it if you're focused on things that you cannot control? You render yourself impotent, a passive spectator of your own life, rather than the helmsman of your course.

As a child, you were hopefully fed, clothed, and cared for by loving parents. All the choices were made for you and you had no role in the decision making process. As a young adult, you took on a larger portion of this responsibility, and as a fully matured adult you bear the complete burden of responsibility. That responsibility is commensurate with control. In other words, the more authority one possesses the higher their level of responsibility.  By focusing on the actions or views of other people, we surrender control, avoid responsibility, and remain in the chains of powerlessness. 

"Be nicer than necessary to everyone you meet. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle." - Socrates

A Better World me Thinks

I spoke in my last post about those who spend too much time looking at their past have no future. I didn't mean this in the sense of forgetting the past because that would mean one could never learn from it. 

What I meant was don't become obsessed with it. What was cannot be changed, it simply is not an option. We have now and the future to work with and the more time you spend digging in the dirt of the past, the less working time you in the world to make a positive impact on something or someone. I don't expect you to change the world, but try to leave it a better place for having been in it. This applies to you non-Christian and even atheists, in your world view this life is all we have, ergo what would you have; a life of havoc and sorrows or a life of meaning.

We can build bridges or we can destroy them. We can be burdens or help carry them. It's a choice, and only you can make it. If there is anything that you have that bankers, lawyers, ex's, or "the system" can't take from you, it is this choice. Use it wisely. I know it sounds like I'm preaching, and I don't mean to come across like I have all the answers. I surely do not. But this is one thing of which I'm fairly certain. That we are born into this world without a choice, and we will as surely leave it without one, so what we have is now. That's all we have. What are you going to do with it?

Perhaps you never thought about life in such a way, and you lived in the grace of ignorance. Unlike the "law", philosophy doesn't hold you accountable for that which you are unaware. Today, you lost that immunity, you no longer have this excuse to hide behind. So,  you may blame me if something untoward were to happen, like you go out and do something you can be proud of. There are some very good people in my corner of the world. They are tireless in their service and I am proud to know them. With 7 billion and change people on planet earth, what could we accomplish if everyone gave one hour of there lives. just once in a lifetime. Do the math... It's roughly 800,000 years of service. Think about it. What lay at the end of this, a better world me thinks.

Water Acquisition

The average healthy person can last without food for a month or more.

The same individual will not last more than a few days without an adequate supply of safe drinking water.


After resperation, hydration comes in a close second place in the survival higherarchy of needs. Your body weight is roughly 87% water weight. So, a 150 pound man is 130 pounds of water. The other 20 pounds is bone, muscle, organs, and connective tissue. If that seems hard to accept, take a 1\4 pound of beef and turn it in to jerky, then weight it.

• If you lose just 5% of your hydration you will become exhausted, dizzy, and your mental processes begin to suffer.

• A loss of 10% hydration will result in unconsciousness, and your organs begin to fail shortly thereafter.

• At 15%, you're as good as beef jerky.

With these things in mind, let's not underestimate the need for a reliable source of water.

If you are living in an urban area, the resources are abundant; drinking fountains, residential spigots, fast food restroom sinks, park pumps, and a myriad of other options are available to you.

In rural areas the opportunities for a quick refill dwindle, and the risk of contamination increases. The prevalence of livestock,  chemical fertilizers, and untreated effluent greatly enhance the chance of waterborne hazards. 

In a wilderness area, ground water (e.g. - lakes, rivers, and ponds) may be plentiful, appear and smell clean, even inviting, but that cool,  refreshing brook may also contain dangerous pathogens. It's the deceptively safe appearance that is the real hazard here.

The most important caveat I have when it comes to drinking water from any questionable source... 

         IT IS BETTER TO BOIL THE WATER THAN TO DIE OF DIARRHEA,  

Back at last!

I have been working hard all summer.  (No, I was not in jail.) Now, with winter about to set in, I'll have much more time to write. I trust you all made it through these past summer months without too much difficulty.

But this is a homeless blog, every fricking day is challenging if not life threatening. Although, I have been very fortunate myself and am housed in a labor for housing arrangement with a couple local motels.

Additionally, this has afforded me the opportunity to operate a defacto homeless assistance program within my very limited means. I have a few donors who have provided me with the bulk of the donations, and while they prefer to remain anonymous, I remain grateful for their steady willingness to give.

I thank you all for your generosity and understanding that "community" is a verb.


Your world view may very significantly from my own, and I am not one who insists that you need to adopt mine. I have no monopoly on Truth, and I am as inclined to be wrong,  stubborn, and self absorbed as anyone else. Probably, more so than the average. In my opinion I am broken in a fundamental way, at the core, and moreover I cannot fix myself.  A broken thing cannot fix itself. It is not in its nature. It’s nature is to continue being broken. Many of us operate in this manner every single day of work, school, parenting, marriage, and every other abominable broken thing we do.

Human nature has been thus since Cain picked up a rock to reshape his brothers skull. Now,  whether you believe in that story of fratricide or you believe that the world is majestically balanced on the back of a great cosmic turtle, about the only thing that remains unchanged in all those years is us. Human nature has blessed, beaten, and propelled us from then until now.

There are many along the way who said that they could change it, harness it,  mold, master, or evolve it. A few met with limited success in some key areas, such as slavery and... um... I'm sure there are others, but to be honest we have yet to abolish slavery from the planet.

Sad.

My point is not to point out our human inadequacies, but rather to acknowledge them as part and parcel of the human condition. We have common ground here because we are born with them and we must suffer them all. Our prosperity is not shared. Some have much, while others have none.  Our loves and passions are not identical,  perhaps not even similar. Our sense of humor, our desire for drink, all points of divergence. However;  we are all broken in the same core of our being.  We can manage our brokenness to different degrees, and often use them to secure a temporary shifting, sinking sense of superiority over others, but that fades quickly under our own introspective examination. Ultimately, we are never really good.

This is the first, best reason I have for viewing the world from the perspective of Christianity.  Not because I am without sin, no far from it. If I were, I wouldn’t need a relationship with our Creator.  I wouldn't need much of anything, would I? It’s for the broken, deficient, bewildered being I am that I reach out to Christ, and my fellow man. Here is where I found my mission to help the homeless, the hungry, the misfits, the disenfranchised, the ignored, and unwelcome. It’s not that I love everyone, that would be being perfect, again.  It’s that by looking at myself I see that same brokenness in others, and thereby a mirror unto myself.  In  this way,  I quit trying to "fix myself", which is impossible.  Instead, I am doing what I can,  helping others in some small manner. A blanket,  a sweatshirt, a can of beef stew, or maybe just a few words scribbled in virtual digital to let you know that I care.

Whether you do or not.

Gimme Shelter (Part 3)

OK, it's time for another quick and dirty shelter lesson. This is perhaps the fastest and easiest shelter you can whip out. all you need is a piece of 3 mil visqueen (sheet plastic), a few 3-5 lb rocks, and a sapling.

First bend the sapling down and tie it in place. Like this:

 Easy, right?

If you don't have a rope or some cordage fill a plastic bag with water. Water is heavy and it adds up fast.




Now toss the visqueen over the top like so:

And viola! You have this:

Oops! Not quite. But put the rocks around the edges on the ground, or better yet bury them. Blam! in 2 minutes or less you have a cover!


Gotta run kids. I love you and so does our Awesome God

Gimme Shelter (Part 2)

I know what your thinking, "Mike you went a little way over the top on Part 1".

I'm sorry, I got carried away and I forgot the basics, which is a sin when you're homeless. Basics is all we have, if we can muster that much. So lets get you into something fast, cheap, and easy!

The Recycle Bin Shelter

You are familiar with these little beauties, of course. They line the alleys of most urban and suburban neighborhoods across the United States and  Canada. Let's say that you manage to find one in a...dumpster or in a field, whatever. Well you rotate it 90 degrees (lay it on it's side with the lid side down).

Now you will need 2 or 3 bread racks. Lay them end to end over the recycle bin lid.

Then drape a tarp over the top with some bread racks under you and you have a windproof shelter that you can heat with a candle.

I'm no artist, but here is my rendering of the finished product...

Wait, one more thing...

There, that's me sleeping inside my new shelter. Quiet, we don't want to wake me up.

OK, folks that's all the shelter talk my brain can handle for today. 

 In our daily struggles we tend to lose sight of what’s really important in life, and it’s not things and stuff. That sh*t is all temporary, and you never really own anything but your own soul. You will never see a U-Haul on the back of a Hearse.

Fine! You will rarely see a a U-Haul on the back of a Hearse. In any case, the destination of the trailers cargo is not eternity, nor is the cargo of the Hearse. It is the Soul that is eternal and you own that, it's 100% paid off, no payments on your part were or will be required, the debt was paid for you. Lucky for you, because you couldn't afford it, no one could. We lack the proper currency. The price for your soul was paid by Yashua (Jesus) and the price was His sinless blood. 

I know, I know, it sounds too good to be true, but there is a catch. To seal the deal, you have to accept the offer. It's easy (no mind numbing prostrations to perform 5 times a day), painless (you or your children don't have to become a human bomb) , and there are future offers that you get as well. One of them being, a future. 

So, what's in this for Yashua?  

He get's His beautiful lost son or daughter back. You. You were created to be a companion of Almighty God (Yahwey). It is your sole purpose, your appointed vocation, and your annointed destiny. All He asks in return is the one thing that cannot be bought at any price, forced, or substituted. Your love.  

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” - Jim Elliott

I love each and every one of you, not for who you are, but for what you have it within yourself to be.

Gimme Shelter (Part 1)

 

Shelters: The Quick and Dirty Guide

Improvisation is the key to shelter. In every situation, with whatever materials available to you , if you need shelter, you’ll make do. If your shelter is Temporary, defined as one-night up to a couple weeks use minimal effort to achieve the level of comfort required. The rules are very different for a Permanent shelter, where the rules about minimalist construction are off, and you should make your situation far more comfortable, which is good for morale, physical resilience, and mental acuity.

Gather your materials

Whatever you have on hand might be useful, so let your imagination run for awhile before you begin construction. You may be able to recover foam insulation, bits of carpet, or electrical wire (for binding and fastening). Don’t overlook stitching material found in seat covers, canvas, tarp, or poncho material make excellent cover for your shelter. A piece of 3 mil polyethylene plastic (visqueen) can be draped over sticks, poles, or a sapling to provide a solid roof and shade.

Some sort of binding is usually helpful. If you don’t have to make your own rope you’re already way ahead of the game. Remember Tom Hanks’ character in Cast Away? He spent weeks making enough rope to build his raft, and used up all the rope-making material on his island to do so. Think outside the box; old shoelaces, electrical cord, or even tie down twine which is usually available at big home center lumber pick-up areas for free (be reasonable people).

Types of Shelter

You will need four elements to create your shelter, and all shelters have these basic parts in one fashion or another:

• Framework
• Cover
• Insulation
• Floor

A-frame

This involves a framework of sticks, a cover, and insulation. Remember, keep it simple, keep it small. Make the tent two feet longer than your body height, and just tall enough to sit up inside. While this seems a waste of space, if it’s quite cold you’ll spend a good bit of time inside the shelter. (If you’re definitely spending only one night, make it shorter and it’ll be easier to heat).
If you don’t have some sort of man-made roofing cover, like a tarp, you’ll be using boughs of some sort. Install boughs from the ground up to the roof ridge, with the stem of the bough pointing up so the rain sheds properly. If the stems are pointing down, the leaf and branch structure will funnel the rain into rivulets that will drip through the roof. Each succeeding row of boughs lies atop the row below, so rain sheds on top of the boughs underneath, and drains all the way to the ground.

Lean-to

 A lean-to is the simplest way to give yourself rain cover. It provides little protection from wind, but it does have a number of advantages, the main one being that it’s very quick and easy to build. It also can work as a heat reflector, particularly if you happen to have a Mylar blanket in your every day carry bag. You can line the inside of the lean-to with the Mylar and reflect the heat of a fire.

 

Poncho or Canvas Shade

Canvas makes an excellent roof over your head in case of rain, and also a wind-block that can be insulated with boughs or leaves for cold-weather applications. There are military-style ponchos with grommets at the edges that make it easy to tie it down as a shelter. Some have snaps that allow two or more ponchos to be connected for a larger shelter. Multi-duty items are always preferable, so I like the poncho better than the canvas.

 

Snow Pit

In areas with heavy snowfall, these make very comfortable shelters. Snow is an extremely effective insulator, and while direct contact sucks heat from your body, the air inside the shelter will easily maintain temperatures well above freezing. Just be sure to make a thick bed of boughs to keep you off the snow. In a wooded area, dig out your pit from around an evergreen tree such as spruce, fir, or cedar. NOTE: Shake the snow off the tree first! When digging into a snow bank, cut the ceiling in the shape of a barrel to keep it from collapsing. With either a pit or a bank, build your bed on a shelf: this allows the coldest air to sink, and you’ll sleep warmer.

Fire-building inside the shelter can be problematic if there’s a lot of smoke. If you can close the entrance with a tarp or poncho, a single candle will be enough — that and your body heat will maintain about 50 degrees (10 degrees C). Trust me; I’ve done it and been very cozy.

 

Igloo

This is a specialty shelter. It’s only recommended for extended stays or if there’s no other shelter available. It requires a specific type of snow; it must be firm enough to cut blocks and shape them for a good fit. I’m sure there are many methods of construction, but the one I’ve found easiest and quickest is as follows:

1. Build a circular wall, raising the blocks in a running spiral course up to a dome, and place the “capstone” last, in the middle of the dome. The diameter of your igloo should be about 1.3 times your height, which allows room to build a shelf for your bed. If you’re 6 feet tall, that’s about 8 feet diameter. If there are two of you, make it 1.5 times your height for a double bed.
2. If you have a partner, build from the inside while your partner feeds you the blocks. If you’re alone, prepare some blocks in advance and build from the inside until it’s about knee-high, then finish from the outside. If your blocks keep collapsing, leave a cutout in the wall so you can move in and out of the shelter during construction and stack each block while inside. You’ll have to “mortar” each block in place as you go. If necessary, build it as a cone instead of a spherical dome — this helps prevent collapse during construction. A dome is more efficient, but do what you must to get it done.
3. Trim the blocks for a good fit, but if your blocks are brittle, don’t worry too much about small gaps as you go. You can fill them in later with loose snow. Once the dome is finished, warmth from the inside will melt the interior snow and refreeze it, cementing the blocks in place and strengthening the structure.
4. Once the main dome is finished, if you haven’t already, cut out an entrance tall enough to crawl out on all fours.
5. Just outside this hole, dig out a trench a few inches lower than the floor of your igloo. This allows cold air to sink out of your shelter and into the trench.
6. Finally, build a barrel-dome over this trench. If you have a blanket, canvas, or poncho, loosely cover the entrance of the tunnel to stop wind, but allow a small amount of circulation for fresh air. If such a cover is not available, use snow blocks.
7. It is critical to leave a vent near the top of the dome if you’ll be burning anything inside the igloo. It should be about the diameter of your thumb. A piece of pipe or rubber hose left in place is ideal, but you can just poke a hole with any available tool. If it begins to snow outside, be sure to maintain your vent periodically.

Once you know what you’re doing, and assuming you’re not fighting the elements or an injury, you should be able to build an igloo within an hour. But plan for two, just in case.
You can easily heat your igloo with little more than a candle. If no candle is available you can improvise a lamp with fat or oil and some sort of wick in any kind of pan. Remember not to sleep in contact with the snow; make a bed of boughs, blankets, or extra clothes.

 

Caves

Don't laugh, caves have served our ancestors well for thousands of millennia, and they still work!  A properly situated cave will save a great amount of construction time and will provide an effective heat reflector. Remember that stone is a massive heat sink, though, and you don’t want to lie in direct contact if at all possible. If the best you can find is an overhang, you’re still way ahead of the game — just prop a framework of branches or a tarp and get busy overlaying it with boughs or leaves.

Whatever shelter you build, remember that its function must meet your needs. It’s easy to get caught up in the construction process, perfecting things that are good enough already, and ignoring other important aspects of survival, like finding food and water… and maybe getting a home. How novel would that be?

We'll talk more shelters in our classroom for the classless here in the hallowed halls of Homeless University...

Until then, I love you all very much and take a moment to understand that none of us are truly homeless because this whole planet was Created as our home. We are called "homeless" because we are unburdened by a contractual assigning us as debtors (mortgage or lease contract) for property, so what? Adam and Eve never had a mortgage or lease on the Garden of Eden either. However, they were eventually evicted, not for non-payment but for failure to obey God. Nor were they evicted from their home (Earth), but from one specific garden which none would ever inhabit again. This world, this Earth, is our home and it was built by our loving, living, and present GOD just for us. While part of the design, the spotted owl, wetlands, or glaciers are not the purpose or point of Creation. Nor is Creation a laboratory for some grandiose (and ultimately foolhardy) climate stability experiment. This is our place, with only one purpose, as a habitat to get to know and walk with that one loving, living, and present GOD who built it, formed us, and everything else.

Homeless Gear (Part 3)

9. Canteen

Staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your physical well being and comfort. You might think that you drink plenty water in your coffee, tea, or soft drinks however it's not the same.

Your Body is 69% water

Your Brain is 85% water

Your Bones are 35% water

Your Blood is 83% water

Your Liver is 90% water

Carbonated soda drinks, Coffee, and tea do not contain any beneficial nutrients, but typically contribute excessive calories and sugar to your diet. Start swapping out one soda per day for a bottle of water. Many varieties of water are carbonated and flavored to mimic soda, without providing all of the unnecessary calories and sugar. If you cannot stand the boring taste of water, then may I suggest a shot of peppermint extract, just a drop or two (it goes a long way) adds a refreshing mint taste.

 

10. Faith

Okay, so I’m playing a bit fast and loose with the definition of “gear” but having a plan (or at least something to look forward to) is as important to your survival as nearly everything we have discussed thus far. It doesn't have to be huge or earth shaking, how about...

• Making sure we maintain our health tomorrow starting at 7:00 by drinking some clean water and taking a brisk walk.
• Let's check out what volunteer positions we can fill at our local food bank, hospital, community center, homeless shelter, or church function.
• Taking care of that bench warrant you've had hanging over your head for all this time.
• If you took care of that warrant, focus one day on helping others rather than thinking about what I want.



Homeless Gear (Part 2)

7. Shoes/ Boots

Your feet are your primary means of transportation and therefore are to be treated with care. Keeping your feet in good shape is highly dependent upon the shoes or boots you wear. Along with good hygiene, and dry socks, comfortable shoes/boots will keep your mobility optimized. Gym shoes are fine for dry, temperate urban areas, but in wet or cold areas gym shoes are a disaster. They quickly become heavy soaked sponges, which freeze your feet while promoting trench foot. In order to dry out your shoes or boots pack them with dry newspaper overnight. Be careful placing them next to a fire as the coals tend to spread as the fire reduces the wood to ash, and the boots you placed a foot from the fire may be 3 inches from it within an hour. Your better off placing some large (8-10 lbs. / 3-5 Kg.) stones around the fire then using a towel to pick them up and build a Paleolithic hot plate to dry your footwear. But use caution here as well, if the rocks are hot enough they may melt or scorch some synthetic materials.

While steel toed boots might seem like a sure fire sign of durability, in cold weather their a sure fire way to loose your toes to frostbite. Steel is an excellent conductor of heat, and the steel will act like heat sinks (heat exchangers) for your toes. Circulation, and therefore warmth, in your extremities (toes, fingers, feet, and hands) is the hardest to maintain since your body naturally reduces circulation in these areas to protect your bodies core temperature. When temperatures drop below 40°F (5°C) I put on my Sorrels, and I've never had a problem with hiking all day. The benefit of Sorrels is the lining can be removed which decreases drying time significantly.

8. Clothing

People judge you by the way you look, it may not be fair, but it is a reality. Since we live in the real world, we have to work with the world we have. The best way to avoid all the common social hassles associated being homeless is to not appear to be homeless. If your walking around town looking and acting like this guy...

...You're going to get hassled. That's just the way it is.  It doesn't take much in America to come up with some presentable clothing. Let's start with the layups on how to get dressed:

Clothing Banks - If you are a social services recipient in a larger urban area, you may be eligible for clothing vouchers. Ask around in your local homeless community to find one. Many churches have informal clothing banks as well. Be respectful and only take what you need. Some churches will even help you wash the clothing you have.

Thrift Stores - Many thrift stores are operated by charities and their primary mission is helping people like us. You may have to fill out some forms or go through a screening of some kind, but that's not so bad for an enhanced wardrobe. If you can dress decently, you might ask the manager for an application and land yourself a job. Then you can get even better clothing, and who knows? If you catch a break, maybe someday you'll be Mr. or Ms. Manager, or District Manager, VP of Operations, or even CEO of that charitable giant organization... or maybe it will be a minimum wage job with a great clothing hook up. In either case, it's better than what you have now, and better is (at the risk of sounding redundant) better.

Food Banks - Food banks often receive clothing donations especially for kids, but for adults as well. If you're registered at a food bank ask the desk person what is available. You might be surprised at the selection they have. Since their primary mission is distributing food, they may be more than happy to let you take as many of those pesky clothing donation off their hands as you can carry. If you aren't registered at a food bank, why not? Food banks are often resource centers for many essential goods and services for the homeless. If you're able bodied, volunteer! That lands you in the middle of a group of people who are trying to help people like us, and that is called networking. If you do a good job, show up on time, dress decently, the chances are fair to good that you will find yourself getting offers for paying jobs or temporary housing. It will also keep you connected to people who have higher aspirations than finding their next meal, next hit, or next "come up". 

Now for the HIGH RISK options:

Thrift Store Dumpsters - We are fortunate that we live in a relatively wealthy and very wasteful country.  Consumers at all levels above us discard their "old" clothing at the change of the season (or at the very most the calendar year) to buy the latest fashions. Simply put, the pickings are better for us at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.  Millions of tons of our worn clothing is sold on the rag market to China, India, and other nations where the clothing is either recycled or sold as is, yet millions of more tons end up in dumpsters in our local thrift store. The waste is mind boggling to me, yet there it is, a pair of Carhartt's men's sandstone overall with a quilt lining in my size sitting in a dumpster. Here's an important clue, if you want to use this resource DO NOT LEAVE A MESS after a round the dumpster diving.


Donation Bins - You have seen them, many of you have slept in them, and taking clothing from them can catch you a theft charge. Sure you get first pick of all the choicest "old" clothing, but odds are eventually you will be trading whatever you're wearing for a standard jail issue uniform in blue (if your lucky), orange, red, or yellow (usually). I know a few people who could make a living "diggiling" the donation bins, but instead they make a amazing mess with the amazing clothing and other items they scored... And once in while they get to spend a some time in the county hotel for their efforts. It's a Risk vs. Reward calculation that you have to do the math on yourself. However; If it came down to me freezing to death or sleeping in the donation bin, that's when you would find me piling into the bin head first and asking you to move over.     

Still more gear to go in the next post, so stay tuned in to Homeless University.

Until then, I love you all very much and so does our awesome God. 

If you must be homeless... be homeless well.

Homeless Gear (Part 1)

Let’s get our gear on…

As a general rule never carry more than you can comfortably pack for 10 miles. There are two exceptions to this rule...

·         Moving. your camp

·         Emergency situations

Your gear should be of good quality, nothing trendy, because trendy is usually overpriced garbage with a name or logo on it.

 Remember ADDUP

   Affordability

   Dependability

   Durability

   Utility

   Portability

 Now, let's roll out our gear...

1. Backpack

The keys here are comfort and utility.  I use a Deuter 60+10, this is an expensive pack and is not suitable for most homeless budgets. However; if you come across one you will find its versatility unequaled. Your backpack is your single most important tool, because it will be the holder of most of your other important tools.

2. Flashlight

You're flashlight is your second most important piece of equipment. Never lose, loan, or abuse your flashlight. I prefer a Mini-Maglite. It's small, but not too small. Uses AA batteries, which are common and inexpensive.

3. Sleeping Bag

A military down mummy bag is the best for durability, comfort, and portability. If you can't come across one of these beauties, use two cheapo sleeping bags and place one inside the other.

4. Multi-tool

The Leatherman Super Tool is ideal but pricey at around $75.00. Gerber makes a model called Suspension which is affordably priced around $35.00 and very high quality. There are a lot of cheap multi-tool knock-offs available, but most are of remarkably poor quality. Use what you have, but trade up to something you can depend on at your first opportunity.

5. Tarps/Plastic Sheeting

Properly utilized these items are life savers. Tarps/Plastic Sheeting can become a tent, ground cover, wind break, and water catch. Plastic sheeting in 6 Mil (.006 Inch) thickness can be obtained from construction site dumpsters and is very durable material. Anything thinner will not hold up well under homeless conditions. I will discuss shelter design and how to build a water catch in a later post.

6. Android Phone

This is your alarm clock, scheduler, internet connection, camera, notepad, entertainment center, GPS, and believe it or not it can even function as a phone. Weird, right? Cheap models like the Android Optimus Logic cost around $40.00 and available at your local grocery market, convenience store, or electronics store.  Keep it in a zip lock baggie to protect it from the elements. However; if your phone comes in contact with moisture, DO NOT TURN IT ON!  If it was on, RIP THE BATTERY, MICRO-SD, AND SIM CARDS OUT IMMEADIATLY! Dry off any remaining moisture from the phone, cards, and battery with a paper towel or a restroom hand drier. Then place the phone, cards, and battery in a zip lock baggie and fill the baggie with uncooked rice. The rice will absorb the remaining moisture. Leave all parts in the baggie with the uncooked rice for 24 hours. If you do not wait the full 24 hours because you're too impatient to wait to check if it still works, you will fry your motherboard and it definitely will not work.  Follow these simple directions and your chances are fair to good that you can resurrect your phone. Obviously, the best option is to protect your phone from getting wet in the first place.

Why don't I recommend the free phones from DSHS with the 250 free minutes/ 250 free text messages per month? Well, because they are garbage. Straight up, unabashed garbino! Rather than providing you all the wonderful utility a $40 Android will provide, the "Obama phone" will provide you with endless hours of frustration from failure to charge, power up, or make a call.   

We'll cover more gear in the next post. Until then, I love you all very much and so does our awesome God. 

If you must be homeless... be homeless well.

You are Homeless

You are homeless. If not, then you probably have no business beinge here unless;

You're writing a report on homelessness (go HERE)

You're an activist looking for how to help reduce homelessness and it's negative impact on your community (go HERE)

Okay, so you are homeless, residentially challenged, undomiciled, or an as I have designated myself "an urban outdoorsman" and you need some advice on how to survive (and even succeed at) being homeless. You have come to the right place, but before we do anything constructive or useful, we must stop and genuflect at the barren altar of malignant anal retentive jack asses (AKA - Lawyers) who have created the complex wording of laws, even employing the wanton use of archaic dead languages, in order to hide the violence they do to others with their laws...

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: 
Homeless University is the brainchild of the Author (that's me) in his personal capacity as boy genius. The opinions expressed in Homeless University are the Author's own and do not reflect the view of any organization, entity, or civic institution, public or private, or any creature living or dead, other than the Author (yup, that's me.) This whole fricken' deal is me, except for the preceding comment about lawyers where the Author (that's me again) voices the sentiments of all mankind.

Okay now let's do something to benefit humanity...

There are some basic ground rules that apply to all homeless individuals. Like all rules, you may choose to ignore some or all of them, but I do not recommend playing fast and loose with any of them.

1. Accept that you are Homeless

Pretending that you are not homeless will impede your ability to survive. Focus on now and the future. Replaying all the things that you or someone else, "Could have done", "Should have done", or "Would have done" has no bearing on how you are going to survive WHAT IS NOW. Being bitter towards others or self defeating towards yourself will greatly reduce your chances of survival.  You cannot change what has happened, but you can control the future through your thoughts and actions right now.

If you find yourself telling the story of why you are homeless without being asked, you have not mastered this first rule.

2. Civility is not Optional 

Just because you're homeless does not give you license to act like a savage. The rules of civilized conduct remain in full effect. You may not harm, threaten, or coerce others simply because you're down on your luck. Being a jerk will greatly reduce your chances of survival, however it will greatly increase your odds of being incarcerated.

Understand that you have become a member of one of the few minority groups that it is still socially acceptable to discriminate against. I am not saying it is right, I am merely stating the fact. Law enforcement will have no problem charging you with vagrancy, loitering, camping, trespassing, or any number of other charges that would not be pressed against a person with a permanent address. In many areas, law enforcement has been tacitly charged with getting the homeless out of their jurisdiction. You might wonder, "Why?" One major reason is because too many homeless individuals failed to obey this very rule! As a result, all homeless individuals have become "persona non grata" (undesirable people).

3. Blend with your Environment

Being homeless does not require you to look or act like you are from a different planet. It is very easy to keep up with your basic hygiene at your local library, gas station, or fast food joint. I don't mean strip down in the bathroom and bathe in the sink! However, you can take damp paper towels with a spot of soap on them and wash your body in private in a stall. Clothing can easily be picked up from charities or even garbage picked from your local thrift store dumpster. Your local food bank may even provide you with vouchers for clothing. You don't have to be dressed like you work on Wall Street, but you need not look or smell like you slept on Wall Street, either.

4. Pack Light

Carry your absolute necessities (covered in Section 2 - Homeless Gear) in a backpack. If you have more absolute necessities than can be carried in a backpack, go back to Rule 1 - Accept that you are homeless, because you have not yet accepted that you are homeless. You cannot continue caring for all the stuff and things you had when you had a home. Sell it or give it away if you must, it will eventually be stolen or lost anyway. As a benchmark, if you can carry your pack for 10 miles or more, you are fine.

5. Do not be Adversarial with Police

Police deal with the worst elements of a community, they are trained to take charge and be assertive when responding to calls or investigating suspicious behavior. This means they "put a hard edge" on any potentially dangerous situation. Keep in mind, law enforcement officers are not only expert marksmen but are exceedingly well trained in hand to hand combat. Escalating tensions with law enforcement officers in any given encounter will not work in your favor. Educating yourself on how to protect and implement your Rights is the first step in a peaceful resolution to encounters with law enforcement. However; this is not within the scope of this text. For information on how to "flex your Rights" (go HERE)

6. Respect your Fellow Homeless

I cannot over emphasize this particular point enough. You will quickly discover that there are many who do not follow this rule. You may even discover that very few seem to have respect for anything. This may be true however diving into the cesspool only makes you stink, it never sweetens the stench. You will over time come to know those who are generally trustworthy and those who are not. I emphasize over time because it takes time to build a relationship and establish trust. Sadly, oftentimes those who are newly homeless are targeted by the worst elements in a homeless community. They see you as nothing but a resource to be exploited. Perhaps you have some money, a vehicle, jewelry, a credit card, a laptop, an IPhone, or anything else of value that they can steal. The nice new friend helping you organize your belongings may actually be making a mental inventory of everything you own and where it is located in your bags.

7. Trust is Earned

This is a corollary to Rule 6. Beware the overly friendly or fast friends. Don't be rude; after all, they may be genuine, however only time will reveal their true nature. When I say "time" I'm not speaking in minutes, hours, or even days. I'm talking in months, even several months. You will hear many rumors in the homeless community; it is a hotbed of hearsay. Only trust new friends with small things that have little or no value. You can determine the quality of an individual’s character by how they treat others. If they have no problem stealing from their other "friends", they will steal from you. Sad but true.

8. Establish Routine and Maintenance

Routines make life more predictable, productive, and far more peaceful. Setting up a realistic and effective plan to accomplish your goals and meet your needs has multiple benefits,

·         Keeps you focused on positive results rather than life’s problems

·         Helps maintain your physical and mental wellbeing

·         Automatically establishes a support network around your needs

·         Saves time, minimizes uncertainty, and reduces stress

There will still be times when some unforeseen event upsets your routine (e.g. - late buses, appointments delayed, poor health, etc.) however; these are mere exceptions rather than the rule in a life with a routine. I understand the appeal of the excitement of just "winging it" through life, but just like in football the "Hail Mary" pass seldom wins the game. The "Hail Mary" is just a desperate attempt to compensate for previous poor performance.

9. Keep a Clean Camp

You can tell the nature of a creature by its den. First, if you live in what appears to be a garbage dump you will soon begin to see yourself as little more than garbage. Second, your health will quickly deteriorate as a result of the unsanitary conditions. Food waste attracts rats and insects which increase your contact with deadly pathogens. Remember rats and fleas fed by unsanitary conditions were the cause of the "black death" which killed 1/3 of Europe's population between 1347 and 1353 AD.

Your garbage is your responsibly to dispose of properly. If you must crap in the woods dig a hole at least one foot deep (preferably more) and bury it along with any toilet paper you use. Equally important is to use an area at least 100 feet away from your camp minimizing your chances of exposure to contaminants.

Keep your belongings organized to prevent loss and save time. Make cleaning and organizing part of your routine I mentioned in Rule 8.

10. Tame Your Addictions

Being homeless is very difficult when in the best of mental and physical health. Alcohol and illicit narcotics may appear to provide a temporary escape from depression, uncertainty, physical discomfort, and the tedium of homelessness. This escape is illusory. I will not argue that there are some perceived positive benefits from this or that substance, but the bottom line is, “none of them are health food”. The debilitating effects of alcohol and narcotics use are well documented by health care researchers and generally well known by all but the most delusional serious users. If you are one of those who know: A)You can handle it; B)You are genetically or constitutionally special; C)You are self-medicating; or D) I just don't understand... then, you fit into the delusional category. Do yourself a favor and concede that you are protecting the addiction that is abusing you. That is a start. Every one of us is fundamentally born broken, and I am no different. However; if you can’t see past the next $20 bag of chemicals or $20 bottle of booze, homeless is a relatively minor concern.

11. Your Worldview is the key

I may lose a lot of you right here on this rule, and that is a pity. There simply is no politically correct way to say what I need to express here.

If you believe that human beings are simply biological accidents or worse a virus like species that's destroying its planet, then your outlook on human life including your own is bleak at best if not pointless.

I'm not a "religious person" by any means; however I have a genuine personal relationship with God, my Creator. Religion is following a set of rules and rituals established by man to try to impress God, which is a pointless endeavor. An infinitely powerful being is not impressed by how many hoops you can jump through, how many prostrations you can perform, how often you can fill a seat in a church, or how many times you repeat the same prayers. Rituals and Rites impede relationship. Obligations and duties imposed by religion negate love.

I'm not here to preach to you. I'm here to help you cope with homelessness to the best of my abilities. If you think you can do this without having a real relationship with God in your worldview then all I have left to say on the matter is, "May it serve you well."