What homeless people need to survive

Unfortunately, homelessness doesn’t come with a handbook. And some of us lack the “street sense” needed to survive.

A successful journalist most my life, I never expected to become homeless. I demonstrated incredible denial as the money ran out, staying in luxury hotels after I left my apartment because I did not feel safe there.

No, I have no discipline when it comes to money. I never spent a night camping under the stars except in the backyard when I was a kid. Plumbing still was just steps away.

I don’t know how to fix anything. I didn’t grow up doing many “boy” things. My friends all were girls.

I’m not very tough. At least not on the surface. Many common-sense survival skills escaped me during homelessness.

But I made it through, using what I’m good at to survive the most dangerous time of my life. You may be homeless now or know someone who is. Perhaps you want to help and don’t know where to start.

Critical items when on the street

You can help a person experiencing homelessness by giving them something critical for survival. Here’s a list of items always needed but often scarce.

· Toilet paper. One would think this would be given out everywhere – wiping is standard hygiene in this country. But people experiencing homelessness can’t find it anywhere. Public restrooms have been closed in many major cities to discourage loitering. For whatever reason, few homeless service organizations give out toilet paper.

When I ended up homeless in Denver, I only knew of one place in the entire city to get free toilet paper. That was at The Denver Give in the basement of the Denver Human Services building.

It can be tricky keeping toilet paper dry and undamaged in a backpack.

· Backpack. Every homeless person needs a backpack, and many only will carry this one item. Many cities do not offer storage at shelters, so people experiencing homelessness must carry their items with them all day. Various organizations will pass out backpacks to the homeless in many cities. The best backpacks hold a lot and are comfortable to wear.

· Water. People experiencing homelessness suffer from extremely dehydration. They walk all day in the summer heat. Some use drugs and alcohol, becoming even more dehydrated. Water fountains have gone the way of restrooms nationwide. If you don’t have money for a bottle of water, in many cities you’re out of luck if you’re thirsty. It didn’t happen overnight, but let’s face it. Water isn’t free anymore. Homeless people need as much bottled water as individuals and organizations can give them.

· Tarp. A tarp is a must, even if it’s only a small one. Without a tarp, you’ll end up rained on and snowed upon. Once you’re wet you will be cold, itchy, and uncomfortable.

I once got caught in a snowstorm in the woods. I did not have a tarp. My clothes fast became soaked. I remember my teeth chattering and the tears running down my face being cold, like they were freezing to my skin. I consider it my lowest point during homelessness. I had no shelter from the elements, and I suffered for it. A tarp would have at least kept me dry.

· Solar USB charger. While you probably would not give out these items en masse due to cost, if you have a special homeless person, you see each day, consider buying them a solar USB charger. People experiencing homelessness will tell you one of the biggest problems they face is finding a place to charge their phone, if they have one.

· Whistle. Homelessness is scary. Without shelter, people find themselves in dangerous places sometimes. Assaults among the unhoused are frequent. Consider giving a homeless person a whistle they could blow if needing help in an emergency.

Everything else a homeless person needs

Other things homeless people need to survive aren’t “things” but people, institutions, places, and states of mind. Above all, homeless people need:

* Hope. I never gave up hope during homelessness. I have a strong faith many don’t see, and I tapped into it. It definitely got me through the worst of times.

* Understanding. You may see a homeless person in duress screaming aloud to no one in particular. While this can be terribly disruptive and annoying, understand the trauma that comes with being homeless, and having no one.

*Advocates. Homeless people generally don’t have anyone to rely on for anything. If they did, they wouldn’t be in their situation. Homeless people need advocates – someone who will go to bat for them no matter what. For example, my identification was stolen during homelessness. I believe a paramedic took it to be nasty. At any rate, it took me three tries to get my identification back. State offices kept saying I did not have the proper paperwork. My psychiatrist went with me to the DMV and protested when I was denied the identification the second time. She asserted that I had all the proper paperwork. Without advocates, homeless people get stonewalled a lot.

· A safe place to sleep. If homeless people had housing, they wouldn’t be homeless, but they at least need a safe place to sleep. The human body cannot function properly without sleep. It is critical to life like food and water. Sleep is evasive for people experiencing homelessness. They are doing well for themselves if even for one night they find a safe spot in the woods, a couch in a hospital waiting room, or a seat on a train that runs all night. Among people experiencing homelessness, there’s a slogan “sleep comes when it comes.”

· Hand sanitizer. Being homeless means there usually is nowhere to wash your hands, let alone take a shower. Encampments breed diseases such as COVID due to close quarters. Having hand sanitizer and using it frequently is critical to people not getting sick. Unfortunately, some places do not hand out hand sanitizer because some people on the street drink it. Others light it on fire on concrete to keep warm at night. This can be extremely dangerous and is not recommended.

· Sleeping bag. Even if a person experiencing homelessness finds a shelter where they feel safe, a sleeping bag will offer them a retreat from bugs crawling all over the floor. For people staying outside, it will keep them from freezing. I almost never had a sleeping bag due to them getting stolen. One day there was a big giveaway at the convention center in Denver for people experiencing homelessness. Sleeping bags were supposed to be given away but were not. Denver police passed out sleeping bags to homeless veterans that day which were military grade. A housed veteran gave me his. The very next night, the temperature outside, where I slept, dipped to 9 degrees. Not only did I survive in the sleeping bag, but I also actually slept well that night.

· Suitcase on wheels. You can get more into a suitcase on wheels than you can a backpack. I loved my suitcase on wheels so much I wrote about it.

· A place to shower. People experiencing homelessness often have to wait in very long lines at shelters to shower in filthy conditions. A pair of flip flops is essential when showering in the institution-style mass showers.

If you know a homeless person and want to do so something special for them, buy them a gym or YMCA membership. They would have a place to go and a place to shower. Every day. It’s a plan that works for lots of people.