Survival

Holidays
Picking a place to stay, making plans, making progress
Homelessness and LGBTQ Youth

How to Dress
Dark, Loose Clothing
Sandals and some thoughts about foot health

Psychological, Social and Emotional Challenges:
Appearances Count
Beware of Habits
Keeping Hope Alive
Keeping Your Sanity in the Face of Social Isolation
Online Forums and Social Needs
Buddies

Physical Challenges:
Courtesy Items
Supplies
Hydration and related issues
Water Fountains and Hydration
Sunburn
Sandals and some thoughts about foot health

Inspiration:
Famous Formerly Homeless


Sleep: Sleeping well is critical to survival. Staying warm and dry really help, so I am including posts about that here.

Your Campsite
Thoughts on Finding a Good Campsite
Where to Get a Tent
Widowmakers
Little Hotties Hand Warmers
Minimal Bedding: Flannel Sheets
The Rainy Season


My understanding: It is legal for a homeless person to sleep somewhere from 9pm to 6am in California. (I was told this was determined by some lawsuit that went to the California Supreme Court.) If you want to sleep at other times, make sure you are well hidden or get up and go to the beach or a public park. You can get ticketed for sleeping on the streets outside of those specified hours.

You can also get ticketed for "illegal housing" or something like that for setting up a tent someplace other than an official campground, but official campgrounds tend to cost money and that's something homeless people tend to not have enough of. I was initially told at Neil Good that tents were legal but a police officer told me, no, they aren't. Still, tents seem to be pretty common and there seems to be a certain amount of unofficial tolerance for them. But, yeah, don't get too uppity or whatever because, no, it's not really legal.

Recent article in the news:
It’s unconstitutional to ban the homeless from sleeping outside, the federal government says