Homeless Campers - How To Live - Formerly Homeless

Great links Watchman. The homeless vets video is heartbreaking. It's a shame that programs like these are not funded to the teeth by the US. Instead, billions and billions are spent on technology that can be more "effective" in oppressing foreign and domestic dissent. Western culture has always been more reactionary than precautionary. I see it in almost every aspect of life, from daily routine to long term planning. In both social and economic strategy. Our vision of "forward progress" leaves little else to be considered.

War veterans in particular have way too many obstacles to overcome. Being forced into a war without a clear objective, and then being subjected to not only the pure humanity and hopelessness of the situation, but the anger and disapproval of the population you were "protecting", is UNACCEPTABLE. The visuals that preceded the troops arrival home was never met with an honest answer by the gov't. The pictures of atrocities spoke a thousand words, but they weren't the right ones. Those would have needed a million words.

I'm not a veteran, but I am capable of understanding trauma, despair, abandonment, etc.. This would be considered empathy, and because it's hard to deal with, people suppress it. Therefore, there is little charity to be found in the public AND private sector. If charity finds its way into the public sector (where the help for especially vets should come from), it is demonized as socialism. A large majority of veterans I know seem to lean right politically, so their own ideology will not allow them to even help. It's perplexing. And truthfully, it's depressing and frustrating.

Another problem with charity is abuse. Too much charity, and people will take advantage, stop trying, etc. This is true. But why? I must now circle back to my statement about western cultures affinity for treatment instead of cure. "Why do people fall on hard times?" should be the question, not "How can we get them back on their feet?" Our culture churns out poverty like industrial waste. Someone needs to close the freaking valve already so we can stop trying to put enough buckets under the faucet.

Stagnant wages and predatory capitalism are eating us alive. Working too hard for too little should make ANYONE question the system. However, I think they must have figured out the educational balance between having a country of completely incompetent "workers" and competent "thinkers". Add a work schedule that leaves little time for anything else besides eating and sleeping, and you rob people of time they could spend learning.

These are systemic problems that have to be dealt with before we can answer the question of homelessness and poverty. We'll never have enough buckets, so we should learn to fix the valve.

Here is a PBS documentary about homeless vets:

Street Vets - Homeless Veteran PBS Documentary Film - YouTube

This is interesting and also true:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kUu0WfB8Z7...ess+rights.jpg

Being underprivileged is a real *****. For people who have fallen on hard times to be discarded is appalling. Veterans were told that they would be taken care of for their service, and the government has fallen shy of doing that, while they bail out crooked banks and corporations. But we all know the story, and bitching about it only allows us to wallow in the negative.

At one point in my life, I considered joining the military just so I could get some kind of advantage in the world. I did not, and for many reasons (one being that the military has a very long track record of lying in the recruitment process alone). I tried working my way up the corporate ladder, but office politics and ass kissing just aren't a part of who I wish to be, or have ever been. I tried college, made it about 2 years full-time, ended up with lots of debt, and had to abandon that dream because I couldn't afford my utilities with a full-time minimum wage job. I've been staying with some friends, trading my random skills (handyman) for room and board while remodeling their house. In May, choose to become homeless before it chooses me again. I have great van that is road ready and reliable, and will be spending the next few months preparing. This is how I ended up at these forums. There is lots of information here, lots of experiences and different attitudes. My current plan is to head back out west (I'm in Maine now) and live on some BLM land for a while until I can get a better understanding of what is really important in life. I'm almost certain that LIVING itself is most important, so I guess the question is "how best to do so". I'll just be me and my dog. So success or failure is completely my own. I kind of like that. I have no plans on utilizing any charity, because I feel like I am capable of handling this without. If you are having health problems, mental or physical, you will definitely need some charity if you are going to stay alive. For me, I don't mind dying. I have no intentions of going to see a doctor who says "CANCER" and then bleeds me dry on the way to my grave. I'm not contributing to that socioeconomic scam. My time is my time, and when it's up, well, that's my time too. It might be painful, but it will end.

We all live in a materialistic world. Lighten your dependence on materials and living does become easier. Everybody wants something different out of life, but in reality, we all NEED the same things. I'm not saying that having "wants" are bad. But they usually end up as dead weight or broken dreams if just one thing goes wrong and you find yourself homeless. Keep it simple. If you can make it somewhere like public lands, you have the ability to garden, forage, trap, etc. You can eat. That is pretty much the basics of life. Food and water for the body and BOOM! you stay alive. Dealing with the mental aspects of homelessness is another story. There are many ways to deal with that, and each one is a personal journey. I wish anyone going through that the best of luck.

The nation is so far gone there is no place to go thats all that much better than where we are. There are some areas better than others but we are in deep stuff in America today. VT does alot better job with the homeless but even they are not creating jobs. NC has a lower cost of living but then ya got lower wages and up here in the Mtns NO real help for the homeless. It is a obscene disgrace that we have so many Vets homeless! Some estimates say as much as 25% of homeless people are Vets. We can send Billions in Foreign Aid to other countries but will not do squat for our own.

Im glad I found this group. I am a vet and I too lost everthing from being sick...I have a place to live but its filled with people who are struggling too and wash their cars but have nowhere to go...its a sad world where people are getting worked down to nothing...I cant believe this is happening in this country...I worked so many years and now I go in the store and just see people on welfare, 4 kids hanging on shopping carts...I was going to retire and found myself living in a place where people will be a friend for a cigarrette..Its disgusting and sad.....I was raised in a hard working environment moved to NC because I was a marine here and wooohaa found a cesspool or poverty people...Its really sad and the opportunites here do not...I repeat do not exist....it is a sad sad sad place in Durham NC...there are jobs but its word of mouth here, if ,you can have skills but u have no connections you will be in trouble...its that bad and the locals know it and they are not giving anything away...watch your tools, your clothes, your s food, everything,,,its dog eat dog here and not fun at all.....I cant believe I moved back here and now Im too poor to move back...this town will bleed you dry and leave u staring at a toilet

I wish everybody here and any who stop by a very good Christs birthday and hope everyone will be warm, have a decent meal and be safe this weekend! Keep your chin up, talk to God and never give up!

I have decided to re-start a online Group for the homeless here in NW N.C. it can be found here:

HomelessinWNC : Homeless in Western North Carolina

In Yancey, Mitchell, Avery, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany and Wilkes Counties of NC there at least 18 animal shelters - but only 1 for humans. In those same 7 Co.'s there are approx. 2,500-3,000 homeless humans. In Ashe Co. from mid Sept. to Mid Oct. 1 church gave $35. to the local homeless Org. and that Org. is in total chaos -in Oct. 2 of 5 board members did not even show for the monthly meeting, its secratary resigned, the Treasurer left and is in Texas, the web designer is MIA so their website is frozen. NO church has opened its doors,not the Co. Commission, not the State Rep, not the Gov., not the Congressrats will respond. And its likely the same in 4 of the other 6 Co.'s. IF your homeless in NW N.C. you are ignored/unwanted and without hope this Christmas season. NW N.C. should be ashamed.!!