Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just wondering, probably going to be flamed.. How friendly or NOT is key west area to homeless? Anything I should be aware of? Laws, prices of generic groceries at winn-dixie or albertsons, camping laws, harrassment, etc? Since I have a choice, and homeless no matter where I go, I choose a warm beach area to live my last years on... Just would like to get a general idea of conditions there on the homeless? And before I am flamed for just "existing" poor, understand I am NOT a standard bum! No drugs, no drinking, and keep up my appearances to try to look "normal"... If anyone has any important info I would appreciate an honest post(not insults) thanks...
MOST homeless have ACCESS to online via phones, libraries, and MANY MANY POOR and/or homeless have laptops!! They are REQUIRED for resources, finding your way around, etc.... In the words of tom jones: "its not unusual"! hehe But my question stands for anyone who can answer me without rudeness or sarcasm..
I would think Key West would be a beautiful place to be homeless. Good luck with your move.
Thanks.. Thats my philosophy.. Im ALREADY homeless ANYWHERE I go in america.. And because I have mental issues, and NO long term memory(cant remember where ive been or places ive worked at all), im unable to work because no one will EVER hire me, however, not technically considered "disabled" enough so I cant get a check for it, and cant even fill out an application or ever put together a resume(since I have no memory or where ive been or what YEARS ive done things).. So im homeless for life no matter what do! Presently Im freezing on a sidewalk in portland oregon(icy ground).. So id MUCH rather be on a nice warm beach...
Cali is a CESSPOOL, and I despise the whole state.. So Florida it is.. Yes, Im "homeless", but Im NOT a "lowlife".. I DONT DRINK, SMOKE, or DO DRUGS EVER!! I Dont believe it wasting brain cells.. But I dont beg on the street either.. I just try to exist, and be left alone, and want the last part of my life to be in a warm place at the ocean... I would think thats not hard to understand.. So any info from a local is appreciated...
The police there are extremely hostile to homeless and you will regret moving there in short order.
Key West learned long ago that if they didn't take a hard line on vagrants, they would be overrun. Don't take my word for it. Emjoy getting beaten as they holler 'stop resisting' over and over again.
I see you're making the bum-rounds- San Francisco, Portland, Oregon. Might consider Utah since I hear they're giving free apartments to people like you. You won't get a beach, but you won't get your ass kicked for sport like you will in most places in Florida
I am local. You are NOT welcome. There are thousands of homeless just like you who move to the Keys, especially Key West, all the time. Expect constant harassment and imprisonment by the cops. Expect constant danger from other homeless, many of whom have severe substance abuse problems and/or mental illness. Expect problems from malnutrition, and severe exposure - skin cancer, dehydration, etc. are very common. Consider what it is like every hurricane season, which lasts for 6 months, during which torrential rains flood the streets sometimes up to several feet, and when a tropical storm or hurricane comes through you have a good 130-mile walk ahead of you to reach ground that is at least above-flood, and even then you are in very serious danger of drowning or being hit and killed by flying debris. Did you look at images of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, or Hurricane Sandy in NYC, or Hurricane Andrew in Homestead, and think "I want to be homeless in that"?
How many people do you think these islands can hold? The homeless shelter is always completely booked with a waiting list a mile long. Since you have internet access, why don't you check out the tons of posts by people on Craiglist every week begging for a place to stay, help with medical or rent expenses - people are SUFFERING! Even people who have a job and rent a place, are struggling to survive. It is a very expensive place that is packed to capacity with people who can't afford it already, with homeless wandering the streets all the time. People are hostile to homeless, and you will be in some danger, because more and more aimless people show up all the time to mooch off the local community. If you have a laptop, you are guaranteed it along with any other valuable possessions will get stolen. I don't know where you're from, but these are some desperate homeless here, if anyone sees you have anything you'd better not fall asleep or you'll wake up with your teeth kicked in and all of your stuff missing. Plus, there are absolutely not resources left to help you, and cops and locals have very little sympathy for you.
There are also a lot of critters here that are a danger to your health. There are scorpions that crawl the ground at night, snakes, and mosquitoes that do carry outbreaks of some serious diseases. There are cockroaches and rats and feral cats and dogs that will harass you in your sleep if you have any bits of food in your pockets. There are also a lot of poisonous plants that if you brush against them will cause you serious harm.
You should also know that the Keys are coral rock islands - there are almost no natural beaches here. The highways are patrolled all the time for people on the sides, and police are constantly on the look-out for homeless all the way from Key West up to all Miami beaches. It is an extremely hostile environment, and preventing more people moving down like you is a high priority to them. Thus moving to SFL anywhere along the coast is a far more stressful and hostile environment than in less popular places.
You also need to know that Monroe County has just ranked the second-highest county in FL for concealed weapons permits, and that is saying a lot! If you are found on someone's property - and every little square bit of land here is owned by somebody, even out a bit into the water - they will not hesistate to shoot first and ask questions later. And the sentiment of the public is such that when they find you have been squatting on somebody's land, using a hotel pool, or whatever, people will not feel any sympathy. Really, homelessness here is public enemy #1. People especially resent those who choose to be homeless and move from other locations to take up space and valuable resources when so many local families are struggling to survive and often end up needing those resources themselves - and they actually paid taxes their whole lives and contributed to the community to deserve that access. There is nothing considered more despicable than moving down here to TAKE TAKE TAKE, and not to be contributing member of society, when the community down here is so tight-knit and everyone knows each other. It's not just about the money - it's about the attitude that you think those palm trees or that beach are yours, and you don't need to get to know anyone, volunteer locally, or be a part of the community, when everyone else helps each other out and socializes and is part of a bigger effort to make things BETTER locally. People in the Keys are very giving, and they especially resent takers who move in to their community and do nothing to make it a better or safer or more prosperous place.
You clearly choose to be homeless, since you are together enough to be able to get your own laptop and internet access, and to move hundreds of miles from where you are at will. Given that you don't want any help to pay your own way through society, you should very seriously consider moving somewhere warm but not popular, where there is a lot of open space with no regular patrolling of cops looking to harass, beat, or imprison homeless. There is a wide stretch of area from NC down to Northern Florida, and westward to Missouri, where there is much more temperate weather, much better access to fresh water (SFL has a shortage and so being in the Keys particularly you'll have nowhere to go for water - there are not a lot of public parks or restrooms, it's nearly all fenced-in hotels and fenced-in private properties), and much more open space where no one will notice you. Why come down to a narrow strip of islands where there is absolutely nowhere to hide, where regular citizens and police alike are on constant look-out for people like you, and where hostility and even violence toward homeless is quite common? It would be a nightmare life full of stress and unhappiness - as it is for the thousands of other homeless stuck down here posting all over craigslist every week begging for a ride out on rideshare, week after week after week but finding absolutely no one who will help them because people here resent you with a passion.
So NO, you are NOT welcome, and NO, it is NOT an easy life down here! This is one of the most hostile places to be homeless in the country, particularly because everybody and their mother assumes it's a great place to be homeless without doing any research or any common sense thinking at all before dragging themselves down here to take away from the local communities. Rents for just a single room start at about $650/mo down here, and skyrocket upwards, and nearly everyone works 2-4 jobs just to make it - so what do you think these people will think of someone they suspect of trying to live the same life for free? Yeah, it makes them extremely angry. Which puts you in a lot of danger. I don't know what you're picturing, but the Keys are not just a bunch of uninhabited sandy islands ripe for the living for anyone who wants to come down. They are heavily populated, heavily taxed, heavily gated, and full of a lot of loose cannons who don't like someone hanging out on their residential or hotel property. The homeless here are much more unhappy than homeless I have met in Northeastern cities, where the resources are plentiful and there is more compassion for your situation. People down here do not take kindly to your choice to be homeless on their land at all.
DO NOT MOVE HERE!!!!!
Last edited by StarfishKey; 01-11-2015 at 12:42 PM..
And because I have mental issues, and NO long term memory(cant remember where ive been or places ive worked at all), im unable to work because no one will EVER hire me, however, not technically considered "disabled" enough so I cant get a check for it, and cant even fill out an application or ever put together a resume(since I have no memory or where ive been or what YEARS ive done things).. So im homeless for life no matter what do! Presently Im freezing on a sidewalk in portland oregon(icy ground).. So id MUCH rather be on a nice warm beach...
Cali is a CESSPOOL, and I despise the whole state.. So Florida it is.. Yes, Im "homeless", but Im NOT a "lowlife".. I DONT DRINK, SMOKE, or DO DRUGS EVER!! I Dont believe it wasting brain cells.. But I dont beg on the street either.. I just try to exist, and be left alone, and want the last part of my life to be in a warm place at the ocean... I would think thats not hard to understand.. So any info from a local is appreciated...
I don't know about Oregon, but in the Northeast there are lots of programs to help people such as yourself get housing and disability. If you're not on drugs, your lack of memory is likely due to brain damage (maybe from a prior injury? or from prior drug abuse). You should seek out mental health clinics and/or homeless nonprofits (start by contacting them online or visiting ones in the Northwest), and let them know that you need to be evaluated by a neurologist. Really, there are people who care who will help you document your problem, get the evidence needed of your medical condition, and help you get disability and a roof over your head, or the medicine you may need to reverse your situation. If you get turned down by one place, keep trying, because I know there are people out there who can help. A health clinic is another option for finding someone who might be able to get you a free diagnosis, and possible free treatment. You do need to ask for help though, and sometimes more than once, to get it. But you'll get a lot more help in a city up North than you would in a small town in the South, I guarantee it. Mental health services in the Keys for instance are under-staffed, under-qualified, under-funded, and over-worked.
Perhaps Seattle would have better help for you. There are also a lot of homeless in San Francisco, so you might be able to find an organization there online and contact them about resources and options.
You really DON'T have to be homeless forever. There is a reason you're losing your memory, and that reason can be documented at the least, and likely given a diagnosis. With documentation by professionals of the problem, you can then get help from a social worker to guide you through the process of applying for Disability, housing, and all the other things that you need to get by. It's not a glamorous life, but it's a lot safer than being on the street - especially in a hostile town - and there will be people who will work your case and care about you, and check in on you or be happy to hear how you're doing. You don't have to drift completely alone. If you have any religious affiliation, a lot of religious communities also will want to help.
Please do the work to get the help you need to solve the problem you have, rather than drifting around trying to avoid the problem. You are putting yourself in way more danger that way, and for all you know, you might have something that could totally be fixed by just some medication, or maybe a simple operation a doctor or organization might be willing to donate to you. I hope you remember to check these messages, and try finding appropriate care for whatever is going on with your memory, and people whose job and life calling it is to get people life you off the streets and into safe housing.
The police there are extremely hostile to homeless and you will regret moving there in short order.
Key West learned long ago that if they didn't take a hard line on vagrants, they would be overrun. Don't take my word for it. Emjoy getting beaten as they holler 'stop resisting' over and over again.
Wow, that is the truth... Quite a violent image, but a real one.
Nice attitude.. But WHY do you assume homelessness is a "choice"? For many, it is not!! Some(like me) cannot work, and are disabled but NOT disabled enough to get a check, so we're screwed!! Also, you are making MANY assumptions about me just from a few posts... I have been in the WORST violent cesspool cities in america.. Ney york, LA, san fran, new orleans, just to name a few.. And ALWAYS homeless!! So I am no stranger to hardship!!
I do know in northern climes, I am in a serious danger of dying from the cold!! Im done with that! However, I was homeless for 2 years on daytona beach, and I liked the climate.. Hot sometimes, but being ON the water had a "cooling effect", and I enjoyed it... Only problem is, there was NO way to eat back then(the 80s).. Daytona had no free lunches or meal places.. I lived on donuts from an AA house for a long time.. Also, as far as "harrassment" goes, in all the places ive been, Ive never been hassled by cops(even though others around me are OFTEN harrassed!! Im not one of those "dirty bums" you see, since I dont drink, use drugs, and keep CLEAN every day!! So cops pretty much walk past me without even noticing.. There is a difference between homeless and "dirty bums"(the bums seem to be the majority).. Since Im RIDING a bicycle slowly down the coast, I have plenty of time to get there, no hurry.. By the way, Ive been through 2 hurricanes IN PERSON!! Both on the east coast! So im familiar with them.. ALso, consider this, if YOU had a choice between sleeping on a COLD sidewalk in a freezing place,where a shower is a LUXURY, and hard to come by, or a WARM environment where you have to sleep carefully, but warmly, which would YOU choose? Good question huh?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
