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It is possible to survive being homeless and get back on your feet.
I have been homeless six times in my life. I was homeless three times as a youth, not including my times in foster care. As an adult, I became homeless three times. The first happened in early adulthood when a landlord took my deposit and then rented the place out to someone else. I was homeless twice in my mid-twenties after becoming chronically ill with a disease that still tries to kill me. But I survived and rebuilt my life each time. Since then, I have helped hundreds of people do the same.
Having housing saves money because you have a fridge, a stove, a pantry, food storage, and a locked place to keep your things. These benefits bring the cost of living down, even if the rent you have to pay is high. Iâll show you how they save money later.
First, here are some difficulties that come with not having a home:
1. No place to safely store your stuff. When you are homeless, you have to carry everything with you to prevent theft. Itâs difficult to keep your clothes nice (for job interviews), keep more than one change of clothing, and, if youâre lucky, have a laptop (for job applications). Sometimes you ditch things because they are weighing you down or you feel the need to blend in. After all, itâs obvious to people that youâre homeless when your entire life is in a cart that youâre pushing around or in your beat-up car (if youâre lucky). In either case, this way of life can greatly limit your income and can reduce your ability to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time.
2. Not cooking on a stove or storing food in a refrigerator. When you canât cook at home, meals cost at least three times as much. Plus, everything you eat with is disposable â which not only hurts your SNAP budget (the federal governmentâs largest program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) but also has a harmful impact on the planet.
According to Forbes magazine, as of July 2018, the average daily cost to eat was between $3.42 â $45.96 per person per day for home-cooked meals, which ranged from chicken tacos to fancy steak dinners. When you donât have a home, you buy pre-cooked meals plus beverages at a grocery store. In this case, the average price goes up to $37.14 per day. Forget about eating out at an actual restaurant as the average price for three (assuming a spouse or a couple of kids) skyrockets to as high as $39.54 – $109.47 per day.
Over 50% of average meals cost less than $10 a day per person to cook at home, so there is a huge advantage to being equipped to cook your own food. In a home, your monthly food budget can average between $102 â $300 per person in your household. That advantage increases if you buy food in bulk.
When I had housing and could buy in bulk and make food ahead, I could bring my meal cost down to about $1.50 a meal (a typical meal would included one-half pound of turkey, a quarter cup of broccoli, and a cheesy potato with onion). If I had to purchase a ready-made sandwich or salad, it was $7. Big difference! So if all I could do is buy premade food, then I could get only a third of my meals from the SNAP program when I was homeless. I either had to find money to buy more food or go without.
3. Missing out on better income. It is easier to hold down a job when you have secure housing. The average U.S. monthly income is about $3000. If the money you are getting from SNAP and other cash benefits amount to about $300 a month, you are missing out on $2700 in income a month.
MY TIPS FROM EXPERIENCE
Though having a home saves money, you can survive without a home. Iâve used what Iâve learned about homelessness to help hundreds of other people rebuild their lives â even when it felt as if the world had left them alone and helpless.
If you are homeless as you are reading this today, I want you to know that you can keep both your head and your life stable. You will get through this. These tips for saving money will help you get back on your feet. But anyone can benefit from learning how to keep more of your money in your pocket.
- Apply for TANF (Cash Assistance program for need Familyâs in Arizona â other states have similar programs) and SNAP. These benefits will get you more than halfway to being able to stabilize yourself until you can find housing. These two covered about $276 of my monthly expenses.
- Get a monthly transit pass for your local public transit system. Between gas, mileage, insurance, and a car payment, owning a car costs more than buying a transit pass. However, public transportation will take upwards of four times longer to go places. (Remember, you have a goal, and it will be worth it.)
- Rent a storage unit for your stuff near public transportation. Itâs not fun and not remotely easy, but itâs better than losing the things you need to survive and rebuild your life. A small storage unit will run you between $25 â $60 per month. You can fit just about everything you need into a 3â x 5â space when you stack your belongings. Storage bins from Target will cost $7 per tub on the cheap end. A coat rack will cost up to $20. You can get a cooler for around $10 on the cheap end. Ice for your cooler will be about $10 a week.
- Either find a shelter or find approved overnight parking for sleeping arrangements.
- Buy a barbecue grill for around $150 new or much less at a thrift shop. It will cost about $50 a month to use, but it will save you hundreds of dollars in meal costs. Use it outdoors and then store the grill in the storage unit.
- Get a low-cost membership at a gym that has access to a shower and bathroom. Being able to groom yourself is important. People never knew I was homeless unless I mentioned it, and being well groomed opened doors to employment and relationships I would not have had otherwise. National chains such as Planet Fitness currently have $10 monthly memberships with no contracts â and they even throw in pizza and snacks occasionally.
- If you have a cell phone, take advantage of the gig economy (working on your own schedule as an independent contractor). Verizon is doing unlimited prepaid plans for as little as $45 a month, and you can get a phone for next to nothing just by asking around. Many companies, such as UberEats, allow you to make income without having to be your best. You may only need a bike and a phone in order to deliver food. Itâs not a huge income, but itâs better than nothing. Plus, having any employment is better than a gap in your resume.
- If you donât have a phone, set up a Google account to create a phone number. Youâll be able to send and receive voicemail and texts, plus make and receive phone calls on the computer while connected to Wi-Fi. The best part? Itâs completely free to use locally. (Libraries, community centers and some missions have computer labs that are free to use. Many offer classes if you need to learn how to use a computer.)
- Build your resume for a better paying job on Canva.com and LinkedIn. Both provide free resources and templates for creating an employable experience for your next job interview. (See Go Ahead! Tell Them Who You Are in Reach UP: Summer 2013 for resume tips.)
- Avoid applying for housing aid that has a long waitlist. Most cities focus on rehabilitation housing rather than homelessness prevention, which leads to wait times often longer than two years. If you have to wait more than two years to have stable housing, youâre likely to develop both physical and mental health problems which will make it more expensive to launch back into society.
Here is a plan that has worked for me. If you are asking for money from your local church, for example, you will receive a better response if this âone time askâ will actually provide you with enough for stable housing. If you can, find a homeowner willing to let you sublet rooms. Then find good renters. When you have a master lease, you can collect deposits from the people who sublease from you.
You donât need to tell your renters what youâre paying in rent. Just charge them fair market rent for their rooms, pay the utilities on time, and be fair. It is a good idea to get insurance and brush up on rental laws, too. Keep the deposit money on hand to return when your renters move out.
Learn good business practices, make a little extra money, and be well on your way out of homelessness with your head held high.
Jodi lived out of a storage unit in Los Angeles until she found help at the Union Rescue Mission (www.urm.org) Her story is still being written. It will inspire you to keep on keeping on!
