Survival Lessons and Tips from the Homeless

Like this video? Check out the other Survival Lessons:

A SHTF situation doesn’t necessarily have to affect the masses – it can be a personal SHTF situation.

In this video, Sootch discusses what would happen if you found yourself homeless – due to a personal situation or civil unrest. Being prepared for this includes packing a BOB and having the right gear, but also thinking about things like how to build relationships with others in your same situation and building a group of people you can trust.

Liked this video? check out Sootch's Survival Lessons from The Great Depression:

Music is from Jingle Punks Royalty Free Music through the Fullscreen Network. Used with permission.

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#homeless #survivaltips #shtf
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Survival Dispatch:

[SenhorTudo]

I was homeless for nine years, from age 16 to 25. I absolutely avoided all shelters and kept as far away from other street people as I could, but that did not stop me from being raped three times - I was a pretty boy back then. My tactic was to move from place to place, offering to cut lawns and do other odd jobs for no more than a meal. Very often the good women gave me clothing and/or money in addition to food. Some insisted I take a bath or shower after I'd completed the work - some even went as far as to wash my clothes.

Although I dropped out of high school, I am well-spoken and even in the earliest stages of my time on the streets, I had read a number of books on a variety of subjects, so I could hold my own when we discussed various topics.

I spent a good amount of time in public libraries, reading up on things people had mentioned, about which I knew nothing: always a good place to spend those hours when storms are raging outside. Of course, it helped immensely that I am an inveterate bookworm with a brain that wants to know EVERYTHING, so that I did not present the image of a bumbling ignoramus or unschooled loser.

I could draw quite well (as with everything else, self-taught) and this skill (it is not a talent, but the result of of practice^3) allowed me to sell some fanciful bird depictions I created.

Being homeless did not stunt my progress, but rather taught me how to survive the situation.

These are some of my tips:
1 Speak well, be articulate and use correct grammar.
2 Be respectful when speaking to those who stop to listen - and grateful to those who decide to help. I always asked if there was anything I could do for those who helped me.
3 Never underestimate being helpful for its own sake: help the elderly and the disabled across streets; carry parcels for them - but ask nothing in return. I did this on a regular basis and it paid dividends. As a result of these actions, people I had helped before would enlist my help again, often with rewards of old clothing, food or whatever else they wanted to give me. If they had nothing to give, I accepted it gracefully and assured them that they could nevertheless call on me at any time.

4 At night I would hang around outside nightclubs and offer to walk tipsy women to wherever they were going. The bouncers and the female visitors got to know me and would assure the other women that they were safe with me. I also helped the club guardians subdue unruly customers.

5 A trick I learned was to help people move from roadside parking spaces into the street. If the driver cannot see oncoming traffic, be their eyes. Show them when other cars are approaching and when the road is clear. It takes a minute or two and costs you nothing. You will probably not be rewarded at that time, but never fear, people DO notice such little things. They all go towards building a solid reputation for you.

6 It helps to have a sharp brain. I once showed a farmer how to cut the dosing time of his herd of sheep from an all-day affair to no more than 45 minutes! I had never worked with sheep before, but as one of my passions is the study of animal behaviour, I was able to determine why the sheep were so recalcitrant and by making a few changes, turned a major operation into a quick job. I also suggested some ways he could fine-tune it to shave another few minutes off that record time. The poor man had been struggling like this for over ten years, so he was no-end impressed that a still wet behind the ears city slicker could teach him something about farming.
7 I discovered that small towns are better than big cities. Word gets around quickly, as everybody knows everyone else, so that all good deeds performed by you are advertised far and wide. You engineer your own welcome in the town, so that people seek you out and ask for your help. You will be amply rewarded.
8 Never ask for anything more than something to eat. I met a number of homeless people who spent every cent they were given on booze. I spent mine on food and items that would materially help me. I only drank when people invited me into their homes and offered. One drink was enough: the rest of the time I drank coffee. In a sober condition, I discovered that it was very easy for me to calm belligerent drunkards by assuring them that they were right about everything and that everyone else was wrong, so that they accepted me as an ally and were easier to lead away from the scene than if I had been in the same condition as they were.
9 Behave yourself. Do not litter and do not BE the litter. People are not impressed when they see other people lying around on or near walkways. I always looked for out-of -the-way places to sleep at night: in alleyways or down in empty basements, where chances of me being discovered were minimal.

10 In the suburbs, there are always jobs that nobody wants to do. If you offer to do them and you do them well, your request for food will not be turned down.

If any of the above helps anyone in a homeless situation, I will consider myself well rewarded. Thank you.

[clawhammer]

A lot of normal working class people live two paychecks from the street.

[bobjohnson]

A homeless man living on the US gulf coast told me he buries multiple caches of supplies around town so if he is caught in a rainstorm or the night before he can get back to camp he will have some food, dry socks, a small tarp etc. He kept a detailed map of their locations. He even had supplies hidden near his camp incase city workers or other homeless stole his camp he would still have something for a day or two to work with.

[sgbradley]

I was homeless in Canada for 2 years in a wheelchair in a bivy bag and a dog, in January and Feb I had to stay in a underground parking lot to stay dry. Its not easy being homeless and depression hits you very hard. I'm a Aerospace tech and finding work in a wheelchair was the hardest part.

[tarapos]

Lets remember the 69, 000+ homeless veterans in the United States, prayers for our brothers and sisters requested

[Rissy]

I worked with people suffering from homelessness for a few years. They were the most resilient people I've ever met.

[LadyTSurvival]

i was homeless for about two months and sleeping in my horse trailer... i was lucky i had it. my son took me in and my pickup broke down and i ended up selling both the truck and the horse trailer... had to use the money to pay bills so now i am without a vehicle... i am lucky. my son took me in and i live with him right now. there are a lot of people who are not so lucky as i was. now i have my you tube channel and hope it works out so i can get another vehicle. wish me luck lol.

[stevewhoknowswhomisreallyw]

Became homeless in 2006. No family or friends around i was 3000+ kilometers away from anyone I truly knew. Worked 8-12hrs 6 days a week, but because of the low vacancy rates and high rent I just couldn't get an apartment.
Anyway, I found the safest place to sleep outside is in a cemetery. Two years under a spruce tree I seen one person at night.
Showers? Go to the public library and use the internet to look up the nearest truck stop. Very little $ and you have access to a hot shower.
If there's an all-can-eat buffet close, go talk and try to make friends with the kitchen staff. At the end of the night they have to throw all that perfectly good food in the trash. Most would be glad to give you some.
There are ways to make it just think outside the box.

[firstgoinpostal]

In places where temps get below freezing with high winds.
White king size sheets, 100lb+ test fishing line, and a spray bottle can be your best friends.
You hang up the sheets by the fishing line from a tree in an A frame shape over your tent.
Spray the sheets down with water.
Let freeze.
Repeat until the sheet is like concrete.
This will give you an indestructible shelter against gale force winds, and heavy snow loads.
It also works similar to an igloo, by keeping temps inside from getting much below freezing/32°f/0°c.
Though not comfortable.
+32°f is a heck of a lot better than -32°f.

[hoosierarcher]

I was homeless for the better part of a year. The house I was renting was sold. There were no apartments or houses available because there was a massive construction project in the area so the population of the town more than doubled with the influx of masons, pipefitters, electricians and all other construction workers. So I lived in my truck. Usually sleeping in it in a Walmart parking lot. I had everything I owned under a tarp in the bed of my truck and behind the seats in the cab. I had recently finished a contract seasonal job and was looking for another job when I lost my house. Even after I got another job I stayed homeless for three more months until an apartment opened up. I maintained a bank account with thousands of dollars in it that entire time. So I could move into a new place just as soon as I found one.
In some ways it was one of the best times in my life. The only bills I had were maintaining my truck, insurance for the truck and my cellphone bill. In some ways it was the worst because I had few friends in the town and I felt isolated. Still it was a character building time in my life.

[Tsiri]

I was living in a tent in San Antonio, TX. I can tell you from experience that homeless people are terrified of "regular" people. There are groups of "civilized animals" that think the practice of homeless bashing is some kind of sick sport. I lived without electricity, running water and other luxuries. i had a discussion with a college student about who would survive another depression and widespread homelessness. The current homeless and those who have been will survive. If you're willing to listen, they'll teach you.

[pauletteperson]

Was homeless better part of my life and now I have an apartment and still to this day everywhere I go I still catch myself looking for bugout locations

[SurvivalistChick]

I was just reading through several of the comments, and it's incredible how many of us have been homeless! It's such a common occurrence! No one should take their living situation for granted! This is why prepping is so important.

[SteveAubrey]

*Knowing how to make do with the minimal kit is a mindset that must be cultivated.
*Dave Canterbury hit the nail on the head with his 5 C's of survival


CUTTING
- a small folding pocked knife
-a belt / sheath knife, carbon steel
+Field expedient knife sharpening:
I used the concrete curb to get the general edge shape,
a smooth piece of broken brick to work the rough edge to a more workable shape,
a smooth stone found in a landscaping place to take it to the next level. and finally a piece of broken ceramic tile for a keen edge.
The idea is to use progressively "finer" grit. Also, remember once you get a good edge, you don't have to re- sharpen, you need to re -hone it.
LISTEN TO THIS ONE!!!
A CAMP AXE. I used my sheath knife, because that's all I had, and while it worked, it was stupid inconvenient. Get a camp axe, not a hatchet. Sleeping under primitive conditions takes its toll on your body. You are never fully comfortable, or rested. After a few weeks in the field, a hatchet starts hurting your shoulder. I wished I had an axe with a handle about as long as my arm from my hand to my elbow. It would lend itself to 2 hand use.Put this in your cache tube when you are not using it.


CONTAINERS
- Zebra stainless steel pot
- MSR Seagull stainless steel pot - my SINGLE most important container
-2 ea 1 gallon Arizona tea bottles: Scavenge a nail, heat it in the fire, poke holes in the lids to make a shower.
-My 1976 US Army issue plastic, BPH impregnated canteen, cover stainless steel cup and stove.


COMBUSTION
- Zippo lighter
-Crown White Gas Camp Fuel, buy it at Walmart, a 32 oz tin will last for months, it's exactly the same thing as zippo fluid but cheaper, remember, in 1935 Zippos were designed to work with white gas. Cache the can of fuel
-Flint and Steel and charcloth..not the ferro rods, but use them if you have them I suppose. I carry flint, steel stiker, and char in my wallet.
CORDAGE
Initially, I did not have any cordage and I SUFFERED because of it.
- Tarred bank line is good.
-Hanks of 100 feet of clothes line from Walmart is economical, and useful for most everyday purposes.
-Paracord was too expensive, sold in too short hanks, and the tarred bank line and clothes line made paracord an unnecessary luxury.


COVER
I used an old surplus Army canvas pup tent.
I eventually upgraded to a good hammock, to get myself up off the ground, and a 10x10 canvas tarp as a cover.Get some interior/exterior latex paint, earth brown. Paint the tarp. It will soak into the canvas making it waterproof, and flexible. It will keep the canvas from rotting.
I bought some material in a sewing store ...the kind that sells bolts of material...whatever the stores are called. Anyway, purpose built mosquito netting did not fit my set up and was over priced.

I bought a few yards of a black coloured material that was similiar to mosquito netting, ran a cord over the hammock under the tarp, and draped the netting over it and let it hang down. Not very pretty, but beauty is in function, I always say. And it worked, for 1/8th what a purpose built net cost.
The netting, cordage, went into my cache tube at rising, the hammock, and tarp went into my ALICE pack. ALICE went everywhere with me.


CANDLING
In Walmart, near the backyard grilling supplies, you will find charcoal lighter fluid, and these little "tiki torch" things. Forget the ones with the bamboo holders you stick in the ground. There are these little table top tiki torch cans for .97 cents. Charcoal lighter fluid works great in them. When you run out of charcoal lighter fluid, refill the container with bulk bought kerosene from a RV campground.
Another great thing are those cheap knockoff lanterns like the old Dietz lanterns.
Pocket flashlights
spare batteries
A HEADLAMP- that way you can have your hands free. I did not have one and I regretted it.


OTHER STUFF
*A Leatherman would have been nice, but a pair of pliers did admirably,
* A SILCOX KEY: Get this with all of your getting. It's about $8.00 at a plumbing supply store I was near. With it, you can turn on the water spigots on commercial buildings where ever you are. I still ran the water through my Sawyer water filter, but frankly, the water was cleaner that some catchment pond or street puddle. It allowed you access to pressurized water for cooking, cleaning, bathing, ect. GET ONE.
A spoon. Forget forks, whittle a pair of chop sticks, but a spoon is hard to make in the woods, and if you need a spoon, you need a spoon.
* Buy a couple of 2 litre sodas . Dump the soda. Wash and dry the bottles. Fill with dry, white rice. It makes a GREAT water proof, insect proof, dirt proof container that is easily cached. Rice keeps forever, is easy to cook, and is filling. Remember those NVA/VC soldiers? Rice was their staple.
* Canned beans. Easily cashed, easily heated. Mixed with rice, nutritionally sound and filling.

[misandry]

homeless woman here: Goodwill doesn't help the homeless, they don't give out

[kentneumann]

Homeless in Minnesota here. I would add two or three things in my experience.

Plastic shopping bags in cold season.

Keep on the move in all seasons, until you get back to your "safe" spot.

If you keep moving, you don't draw attention as much.
I mean, do your thing, then get on.

Don't linger around anywhere for too long.
The less attention you draw, the better.
If you can move unseen, all the better.

If you are out at night, and you see or hear any vehicles or people approaching... Its time to use your bunny kung fu.

Freeze, stop moving until they have passed. You won't be seen 99% of the time.

Remove or blot out any reflective parts of your clothing, shoes, backpack, or bike.

Wear dark colored hoodies.

Unless you are a vulnerable adult. Best just leave that stuff alone if you can't handle... being an adult I guess.

I watched this video expecting it to be useless advice. But this guy has a lot of good points and useful tips.

He did mention plastic bags I think, but to be more specific...

Plastic shopping bags loosely bunched are the BEST insulator against the cold winter nights.

Better than thinsulate or any store bought insulated materials.
They instantly stop all wind from penetrating, and at the same time, trap your body heat and surround you with it, while having enough air space so you don't sweat, if you are not moving.

I was out dumpster diving a few, x 2 years ago (maybe 6 or 7 years) on a bitter cold winter night.
I walked too far out, not thinking of conserving energy or warmth for the return walk.
Like driving somewhere but not having enough gas for your return trip.

I was dressed for it to be sure. But I got too warm, and was sweating, then got really cold and really tired.

The construction dumpster had a full garbage bag stuffed tight with used plastic shopping bags in it.

I stuck my freezing hand (yes I had gloves on) in the bag and... Instant warmth.

So I pulled bags out by the loose handfuls and lined the inside of my full body coveralls with them.

I took my boots off (frozen toes) and pulled a loose bunch up on around each foot. Instant warmth.

I nestled down into the dumpster on a pile of bunched up sheet or rolled plastic, pulled one end of it over the top of me and laid there to warm up for a bit.

So cozy and warm and relaxing that I fell asleep for awhile. When I woke up I was completely refreshed and warm and ready to make the 2 mile walk back to my rented garage/storage/improvised shelter that I had at that time. Paid for by way of barter.

I kept the bags in my coveralls in place, pulled 2 bags over each foot, put my cold, damp from sweat, boots back on, pulled a loose bundle over each gloved hand and left.

Shedding plastic along the way as my body heated up from moving.

Didn't get frostbite, didn't get sick, stashed a nice pile of copper and brass scrap, and most important of all, discovered the most efficient, cost effective (or no cost rather) emergency insulation against the cold.

If you have a Walmart, they usually have a big box in their entry way where people bring in their used shopping bags for other people to re use.

Another thing... If you are out and about and get too cold... Its always my fingers and toes... Don't be afraid to find a hidden place (like a dumpster) and build a TINY SMALL fire just big enough and long enough to warm your frozen digits up to continue your journey.

Clear everything as far away from one corner, down to bare metal as you can.
Have a small pile of readily flammable material at the ready so you can add to your teeny tiny flame only as needed.

Prop a section of the dumpster lid a few inches open to draw the smoke out.

You WILL get smoked out, so better to avoid plastic, but burn it if it's all you have to work with.

Piss in a bottle so when you are done you can aim that liquid to make god damn sure that tiny fire is completely out.

Use snow if available to douse your itsy bitsy fire.

This is an emergency only, last hope flea soap, technique that is dangerous on too many levels.

The smoke will blind and choke you.

The light from the flame (tiny!) may draw attention to you. As will the smoke.

But its better than losing anything to frost bite.

If you get caught, you will be in deep legal shit.

If the other shit in the dumpster catches fire it will destroy it by burning the paint off.

Arson, vandalism, destruction of property, trespass, etc.

And there are security cameras everywhere these days. But they only review them if they find something wrong, generally speaking.

I built a small fire in an overflow flood gate culvert one time to avoid frostbite too. Dead grass, and plastic litter.

Just be careful and when it comes to putting the fire out, over doing it is your best course of action.

Urban survival is a bitch that doesn't ever forgive if you fuck up.

[wild-radio]

***that feeling of being "swept" by the COPS*** ...Coming back to camp and having ALL of your gear thrown in a dumpster, by COPS...
Keep your backpack WITH you.

[furryface]

one thing i can't stand, people stealing from homeless or Poor people

[revbarth]

Right up my alley here, since I've been homeless since June 16 th of 18. An ordained minister, photographer and survivalist since early teens. I don't panhandle, or ask for money/food/needs in anyway. Which many would find crazy. Maybe I am, but I wholeheartedly trust in the LORD and HIS WORD. Knowing that HE'll meet all of my needs, and to date HE hasn't let me down!!!

[sofine]

I’m about to become “homeless” by choice at the end of this month. I have a full time career; I’m just fed up with wasting money on rent. I’ll be sure to donate some of my savings to the less fortunate.