Shout Out: ‘How to Prepare for Homelessness’

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It’s the specifics in this post—some shelters limit the ages and genders allowed, the importance of having IDs, school records, and social security cards for all members of your family—that make the tips especially helpful, and that really pack a wallop as you read them.

A blogger going by the name of Dorid at Blogher assembled 15 tips as she herself has been out of work related to a chronic illness and prepares to become homeless. Here’s one example:

Prepare to be homeless longer than you think. Stupid people think that being homeless means you live cheaper. Unfortunately that’s not true. Hotels on cold nights when you can’t get a place, or buying a tent or the like: those get expensive. Only people who have no income will lie under a bridge in below freezing weather. The rest of us spend most of our income keeping our kids warm and bathed. A sleazy hotel with the basics costs about $200- $250/week, almost twice the rent for a studio here. Saving money when you’re homeless is a lot tougher than most people think.

And another heartbreaker that’s also helpful:

Remember to pack your self esteem. Being homeless can happen to anyone, especially in this economy. And yes, it’s going to be crushing and painful and stressful and ugly. But if you go into it feeling defeated than you’re beaten, and it’ll be harder to get back up.

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