What's a typical day and night like for a homeless person?

Question

Does anyone actually know? I don't wanna talk to a homeless person to ask.

Answer 1

Guess if you wouldn't pay some pains, therefore you definitely got no gain to have a throughful answer to this issue.  Take a ride around those metropolitan city where there are a lot of homeless bums gathering day by day.  Then you will know how their life is like.  BTW, I could tell you how Japanese homeless people's life like ( in Osaka city).  Most homeless inhabits on the street or the park after night falls.  They use any light material they could use such big carton board box from nearby electric shop such as fridge box to slip into it and make it as bed, when all the shops on the busy streets have shuts.  And that is an example for the shillvering winter.  Before the sun arise, they wake up and clean up all of their belongs and hide them in somewhere, then set out for scratching any tin can from garbage cans in the parks or the streets.  And reselling the recycling shop.  Generally speaking, the life style between city homeless bums and park ones is not big difference.  The only difference is the park ones mostly build tents in a secure places among trees and cooking burning from unwanted furnitures or something else.  If you go to any places about 100Km away from the heartland of city, you barely see one... why?  Life will be tougher for them to survive.  Most of them had a very nice life before they decided to abandon what the real could give, cuz of stress from work, having unhappy family life, or being fired and hard to find another new job.  In gerernal, they are very nice people I ever seen more than those men dressing up a nice suit but ... you know, the real face behind masks are hurrendous sometimes.  Spend a few moment to observe their life and see what they really need.  Go ask them whether they want or not for the unwanted stuff you could give.

Answer 2

I would think the opinions on this question will vary with each persons view...

Heres mine: My parents managed a homeless shelter when we lived in southern California...it was the type where the shelter doesnt open until 5pm for the evening meal..then the homeless are given clean towels and shone where their "twin bed-usually bunk beds" will be for the night..lights out at 10pm...wake up at 6am..breakfast done by 8am and the homeless must take all personal belongings with them as they leave. There was a "living room" where they could gather to watch tv or talk before lights-out but many just wanted a warm shower and clean bedding. Some were willing to work and were given semi-permanent beds, for work they did around the shelter etc...

In talking with many who frequented the shelter, I found that the majority would sit around at the public park across the street..and a few would panhandle for extra change..all waiting for the shelter to open once again the next evening.

In some kinda odd way..I had a deep sense of friendship for many that came back night after night and we sort of formed a familial bond.

Though the majority were of a decent character, we did find out, usually AFTER the person had left..that we had given shelter to a wanted bank robber, a man wanted for child molesting (who happened to be "flirting" with the homeless mother of 5 children that we housed for a couple months)..and even had a 70 yr old man who had come over from Mexico that was just as sweet and gentle as any one could imagine their own "grandfather" to be...turned out, less than 24 hrs after he did not show back up at the shelter..the police came looking for him and reported that he was wanted in Mexico for killing his wife...

So you never know who youre going to meet when associating with the homeless...more often than not, theyll just be someone whos had a bad falling out and needs a little helping hand or as someone mentioned above, chose to live that way...other times, it could be someone whos trying to hide within that society.

I in no way...look down upon the homeless, given my experience in the past...but at the same time, I find myself being some what skeptical until I know more about that particular persons background.

Im adding the link about a documentary called Dark Days.. (you used to be able to watch it instantly on netflix but I dont know if it is still available any more). It documents the lives of some of New Yorks homeless..that lived in abandoned railway tunnels. Its just a tiny glimpse of that life-style..and has a pretty promising ending..more so than many homeless get to experience.

Answer 3

what do you think it would be like? hmmm... you have no home, no job, just the clothes on your back or what ever a homeless shelter gives you- your days either consists of looking for cans and bottles to turn them in for cash, holding signs for food or looking through the trash for food- when it starts to get dark you look for a safe place to sleep hopefully you will stay warm and not worry about other homeless people taking your shoes or blanket-and trying to find a restroom that you can clean up or at least use the toilet before they kick you out, it is so sad that there are so many homeless people and the women and children also suffer, but our "leaders" would rather help other countries then to help out own people. if you do see a homeless person you can always buy them something to eat- or give them some money, it won't break you but it will sure help them.

Answer 4

Morning-you wake up in the shelter and are fed a small meal...then gently pushed out the door. Maybe, there will be job placement training available that you can do.  Or you can head over to the Job-A-Day place and work for a couple hours and get paid on the spot. Or you wander about for a bit.  There are 'free' places you can hang out.  Such as parks, malls or such.

Noon-If your lucky a shelter or church will give free lunch...if not this is a good time to beg passer-byes for money.  Once you get a couple dollars, head to the nearest place to eat(a good trick is to order something cheap, sit down and eat it real slow...then order something else cheep..and so on....you can spend the whole day in the place this way)

Evening-Back to the shelter for dinner and lights out.  It fills up quick, so get their early.

Answer 5

Well it isn't so much as one typical day and night as it is the constant day and night which never seems to end. Also, it is difficult to explain such a thing when only one whom has lived homeless yet did so by choice is describing it. The reasons for being homeless generally have the greatest impact on what the experience will be.

Your desire to know is obviously not strong enough to  outweigh the determination to remain at a distance form one or any number of homeless. This tells me that you are the most prime candidate for learning what it is like.

To do so on a first hand basis from the non-homeless entity try volunteering at a homeless shelter or at a soup kitchen or even a food giveaway from a local church or grocery store. You will be surprised how many people you meet that are  not homeless of heart, soul, and much more. They are people just like you and I only the circumstances whether self inflicted or environmentally beyond a personal control they might have had are cause for the present situation they are in. Some have the ambition and drive to escape and others feel there is no escape while still many others know that those considering escape of any sort have got to be crazy because

they would never want to live 'homefull' ever again.

For the most part living homeless is a tragic and unyielding experience which seems to have no end. It destroys ones ego, ambition, self worth and so much more unless the individual is predisposed to maintaining a clear and promising view of life before them.

Take a week on the street and have no money, food, shelter and be subjected to the animal urges of the street and human animal in which case you must defend and often must join  forces to do so,...if ya' can't beat 'em join 'em!

Answer 6

They get up, wash in public fountains or restrooms, find some food somewhere (usually a soup kitchen or beg for it), may or may not go do some day labor work, sit around and sleep, get drunk, and go to sleep somewhere in the woods or in an ally or abandoned structure.  I know this from 10 years as a cop dealing with them.

Now here is the kicker.  Most homeless people choose to live that way.  Yes, there are some out there who are victims of circumstance and down on their luck, but most actually like living that way.  I asked one once why they didn't get a job and he basically said, "why would I want to?"  He said he had no responsibilities, no bills, no yard to take care of, could get up when he wanted, go to sleep when he wanted, and lived his life camping in the outdoors.  I guess I couldn't argue with him on that.  It's not for me, but hey, no harm no foul I guess.  Others are mentally ill and don't really know the difference, but that is a result of the left-wing do-gooders in society who said it was cruel to hold these people in hospitals, so instead we let them wander the streets.