Is homelessness better than living with your parent? (cheap, address, moving back)

[Deus Ex]

Would anyone choose being homeless rather than living in their parents homes?

[Baldrick]

I would imagine it would depend in large part to how the situation was at home. If you felt threatened or scared at home then maybe life on the streets would seem to be the better option.

It's not something i ever had to consider thankfully.

[BIMBAM]

Agreed, depends on what the parent's home is like. That said, the streets are a very dangerous and unhealthy place to live. Can be better than some homes, but it'd need to be very bad for me to choose the streets.

[chef.sunny22]

We went to live with the parents for awhile in between apartments/jobs. It was very bad within a short time when my husband could not find work. Every day my parents made sure they busted our chops about something, thinking we'd become complacent.

Nothing was further from the truth. It was a horrible and by the end both my husband and I were seriously depressed from the amount of crap we had to take.

When my husband got a job, he offered them rent but they said no. Later my dad admitted it was because if we paid rent, he'd have to let up on us, not blast the tv at all hours, not be able to complain to his friends that we were sponging off them.

Funny, now my adult bro. went to go live with them in the middle of his mid-life crisis and he is turning their lives upside down! We tried to just get along and be non-intrusive as possible but he is like a freight train!

Homeless sucks but if you can move in with friends/people your own age or in the same situation opt for that before moving back with parents.

[SnowPrincess]

I did for awhile and it was bad and half jokingly said I would rather live on the streets but I do have small-ish kids to consider. If it were to happen again I would consider a friend, a hotel or even a tent season permitting before parents.

[Novila]

If kids are thrown into the equation, parents' house wins. Without kids, I wouldn't mind living in a shelter or tenting/drifting for a while to get back on my feet if it means I don't have to hear the 'rents blathering on about "mooching" etc. Even while paying them rent.

[Osito]

Originally Posted by Deus Ex

Would anyone choose being homeless rather than living in their parents homes?

I would now, but I wouldn't have at one time, and for everybody else it depends on the situation. There are options for getting out of one's parents' house if one wants to do it badly enough, but it's still tough. Anything is better than being stuck in an abusive situation though, and it's sad that it gets to that point with some kids and young adults.

[jasper12]

I have never moved home, and never would. I would work at 7-11 night shift, before doing that. But, if I had a disability, and could not work, or something...I guess it would have to be an option. But it would really be a long shot. Big time.

[nightbird47]

Having friends you can couch surf with is not being homeless. Having a non-shelter where you know you get to sleep safely and eat without it being cold out of a can or shelter food or cheap fast food is not being homeless. If its friends, then ask if they or family is best.

Real homelessness sucks. I spent six months at an emergency shelter, living out of my car. Slept on a concrete floor with an little maybe half inch mat which I augmented with pillows I hauled in, but with fifty other people and their sounds on the floor. I bought these cheap portable raidos at the 99 cents stores to shut out the noise and sleep. It took me a while to sleep without music later. It's highly regimented. The one bi**h thought she was a sergent in a prison camp. Stuff got stolen if you left it out of sight. It was shelter but hardly what you'd want. I did things like go and sit in the bathroom and read after lights out just daring them to say something.

And remember, unless you go resident, and that is a whole different set of rules added on, you have to run your life around its schedule and still don't know if you'll be among that night's unlucky.

I usually sat up all night at a 24 hour restraunt and bought coffee those nights, then crashed in the car during the day at the park.

I'd go for family over that even if its bad. Go and sleep there and do other things during the day but you know you have a roof over your head that night.

So my vote would be a resounding no.

[Minervah]

Literally living on the streets is a very bad idea. We have more than our share in Portland and it is not a happy situation. They are in danger from all kinds predators and must live in all kinds of weather conditions. They are constantly being told by the cops to move on but there are are not many places they can move on to.

If you don't have an address it is almost impossible to get a job. You eventually have to rely on welfare and that's pretty hit or miss depending upon your circumstances.

Moving to the streets from a bad home environment is just changing one bad set of circumstances for another.