How to be homeless 1: An autobiographical look at someone in a hard time

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How to be Homeless - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/ - is an attempt by a displaced webcomic author to explain what life is like when you are living in a tent or trailer.

Current episode: http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/5549464/ -- talks about fire in the air, and what it's like to not have a home or clean air.

[Mith]

Thanks for sharing this comic.

[Lost Demiurge]

This is good. Heartbreaking and good.

I want to see a book of this. I would pay good money for that.

[Leewei]

This is good. Heartbreaking and good.

I want to see a book of this. I would pay good money for that.
This. (I have nothing to add.)

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Post on her comics over there (TheDuck). I'm not sure if she has high-enough resolution scans to do a print-on-demand book or not.

Her earlier stuff was often colored with water colors (back when she had a house). I'm not sure if she still does water colors or not (she has a program that lets her fake water colors after scanning a black-and-white.)

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http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/5550512/

Entertaining guests on a budget.

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http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/5551821/
Making the world suck less, one act of kindness at a time.

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http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/5552261/

Does it make sense to talk about someone "more deserving" of food than poor people? Does it make sense to separate poor people into degree of how much they do/do not deserve spare food?

[halfeye]

http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/5552261/

Does it make sense to talk about someone "more deserving" of food than poor people? Does it make sense to separate poor people into degree of how much they do/do not deserve spare food?

"Me" is always more deserving than "you". It is almost certainly for profit (making alcohol for your own use counts as profit, in intent at least).

Could be religion based.

[Mith]

Also, consider the earlier comic on traditional gleaninv laws, and how that isn't so common of an attitude with horrific results at times. When as a culture, we do not recognise homelessness as a vicious cycle to get out of but something "anyone who wants it" can get out of, then of course "lazy bums that are probably on drugs and ***" don't deserve any handouts of any form.

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Here's an example of what overworking as the norm turns into, and why "hard work" is not enough

http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/5553873/

[Vinyadan]

Wow, this is a good comic. Also incredibly good compared to the other stuff by the same author, they don't joke when they say to write about what you know.

About the deserving thing, that must have been a puzzling and depressing moment. It's an old thing. From an article about the Poor Law in Ireland (1838-1948):


The concept of the deserving and undeserving poor was central to welfare provision throughout this period. Generally associated with middle-class values and perceptions, and often assumed to be an English importation to Ireland, the concept nevertheless became deeply rooted in Irish popular culture. The respectable poor, those who had fallen on hard times through no fault of their own, such as the elderly and disabled, were regarded as deserving of sympathy and relief while those lacking respectability such as vagrants and prostitutes were felt to deserve not assistance but punishment. One of the main criticisms of the poor law system in Ireland was that it failed to discriminate adequately between the respectable and the non-respectable since all destitute people were eligible for relief within the workhouse. [...] asserted that the workhouse system had "failed miserably. The old and the young, the sane and the crazy, the impure and the virtuous were all huddled into the one institution". (said in 1885)
"Put an end to evictions and increase employment through industrial development" [...]Michael Davitt argued, and "the workhouse will disappear from the social life of Ireland", to be replaced by a system that did not degrade, but would provide succour "for the helpless and deserving poor against the inevitable misfortune of life". As the struggle for independence intensified, the British came to be held responsible not just for the workhouse system but for the social evils associated with it. Vagrancy, like prostitution, was linked to the presence of the British army in Ireland. A free and independent Ireland would see a radical reduction in the ranks of the undeserving poor as well as more equitable treatment of the deserving poor.

You can read the full article here: https://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/welfare/articles/crossmanv.html Part of the edits were to avoid topics unsuited to this board.

For the US: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4487675/#S5title/ "The Deserving Poor, the Family, and the U.S. Welfare System", there's a paragraph about the concept ("The Deserving Poor").

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http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/5556020/

Dealing with rain.

[Anarchic Fox]

This comic was an eye-opener. It made me start thinking about small ways I could be more frugal with my own money, since an extra $5 or $10 to spare makes so much difference to the beggars I often come across.

[Otomodachi]

Man, this IS really good. I lived on the streets of San Francisco (the Emperio Armani store has these nice columns out front that makes four person-sized sleeping cubicles to keep you out of the rain, and when i was there at least it was OK to sleep there as long as you were OK with the police coming to *verbally* wake you and tell you to move along at six am) for a little over 6 months close to a decade ago. Some reactions-

They talk about having a big bucket and a shovel for fire and bathroom needs, if yer camping out. If yer in a city, small cardboard boxes is what you need for bathroom purposes. Shoeboxes are a good size. I hope I don't need to elaborate.

They are VERY right that socks are one of the most important items to have. What you want is a pillowcase filled with paired socks. This is a good pillow, and more useful than stuffed animals IMO.

Panhandling is illegal in a lot of places. Laws vary a lot, but are tending more towards criminalization. SOMETIMES, though, there is a difference between panhandling and, for example, busking (playing music) or doing street art, or open-air vending (selling stuff from a blanket). You will always, ALWAYS get better results trading ANYTHING for money. Impromptu poetry. "selfie with a homeless person". Anything. It's stupid, but it makes people feel like they're helping someone who "deserves" it and so are more likely to stop and help. You'll feel better about yourself, and have something to help pass the time.

Free time is your enemy. Free time is what leads to alchohol and drugs and depression and suicide.

Bananas are super cheap for the nutritional value and, if you're camping, can be added to almost any skillet bread you might make.

My experiences were that humans aren't quite as dangerous as this person makes it seems, but of course it's gonna vary based on where you are. I was in San Francisco close to ten years ago, which was a pretty homeless-friendly city. Not everywhere is gonna be like that.

Non-chain restaurants can be your friend. Hang out outside near closing. If someone approaches you, ask if they have anything they are planning to dumpster you can have. Non-chain restaurants have the flexibility, for the employees/owner, to decide for themselves if they want to help you. Chain restaurants are a waste of time. This should never be your plan A because of the whole "wait and see if someone approaches you" thing but getting a room temperature pizza is a fricking miraculous treat, sometimes.

Author is right about trash/dumpster diving often being illegal, but if you see a restaurant that has trash cans out front at the curb, that's where you wanna wait. the only scenario where I'll approach a restaurant employee and ask for food is if they're in the process of tossing it out right then and there.

Trust your nose. Seriously. Food lasts a lot longer than the labels want you to believe. Your body KNOWS if food is safe to eat or not, if you can just make yourself listen.

Don't let yourself stop making eye contact with people. A lot of the time it's the difference between getting run off/molested by the police and being politely told about local law. It helps you feel good about yourself. Don't let yourself get stuck in the mode of going everywhere with your head down trying to appear harmless. That is the person bullies will target first. And we're NOT drinking or doing drugs, right? Right, good choice.

Jesus this is a really good comic.

[Anarchic Fox]

There're going to be a bunch of contentious comments following this paragraph, but I very much appreciate your contribution. If I ever end up homeless I'm likely to be an urban bum, so hopefully I'll remember some of your tips in that eventuality.

This is a good pillow, and more useful than stuffed animals IMO.
Considering how harrowing it is to be homeless, any possession that provides emotional support is a good possession. This is why one of the most valuable items a homeless person can have is an old laptop, tablet or smartphone -- because then your friends can be there for you.

You will always, ALWAYS get better results trading ANYTHING for money.
Not true in Texas, where cops are much harder on vendors than on beggars. :smallfrown:

Free time is your enemy. Free time is what leads to alchohol and drugs and depression and suicide.
No, homelessness is. :smallannoyed:

Bananas are super cheap for the nutritional value...
Unless you have diabetes or hypoglycemia, in which case their nutritional value is outweighed by their deadliness. But yeah, thanks to our exploitation of regions southwards, we get copious amounts of a staple food rich in both potassium and calories.

My experiences were that humans aren't quite as dangerous as this person makes it seems...
Try being homeless in Virginia. Or *shudders* West Virginia.

Non-chain restaurants can be your friend. Hang out outside near closing. If someone approaches you, ask if they have anything they are planning to dumpster you can have. Non-chain restaurants have the flexibility, for the employees/owner, to decide for themselves if they want to help you. Chain restaurants are a waste of time.
Not valid in Texas. Here, it's a question of whether or not it's a strip mall or a separate restaurant. If it's a strip mall, you can get away with dumpster watching, if the alleyway is safe. If it's a separate restaurant, there will be an outright stockade (I'm not kidding) around the trash, and the employees risk being fired if they give you food. As for talking to restaurant employees in Texas, out of the blue, even if they approach you? Good luck with that. :smallfrown:

...If you see a restaurant that has trash cans out front at the curb, that's where you wanna wait.
I... have never seen a restaurant with trash cans on the curb. :smalleek:

Trust your nose. Seriously. Food lasts a lot longer than the labels want you to believe.
Your nose and your tongue. Put a bit of the food in your mouth and wait.

Don't let yourself stop making eye contact with people.
Don't be homeless in Texas.

Jesus this is a really good comic.
Yep. :smallsmile:

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Panhandling is illegal in a lot of places. Laws vary a lot, but are tending more towards criminalization.

If it is legal for a charitable organization to solicit donations, then it is legal for an individual to solicit donations for themselves. I don't remember the exact citation, but this is from a Supreme Court decision a few years back.

I do not know if it was California Supreme Court, or United States Supreme Court.

[Anarchic Fox]

Unfortunately, police can still get you for loitering. :smallfrown:

[Otomodachi]

Don't be homeless in Texas.


Been doing my best for 35 years, hoping for another 35 Texas-free years to come. :P

[Anarchic Fox]

Been doing my best for 35 years, hoping for another 35 Texas-free years to come. :P

Yeah, I walked into that one. I still love the state, even though it's outright deranged. :smalltongue:

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Dealing with Heat.
https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/5575533/

[Otomodachi]

Dealing with Heat.
https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/5575533/

Ice cream is always a good solution.

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https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/how_to_be_homeless/5579277/

Sometimes, play-acting helps positive thinking fight back against the darkness.

[Vinyadan]

I really liked the one about the demonic monkey.

[Leewei]

Today's comic is a very effective rebuke of A Star Is Born and Hollywood's portrayal of suicide.