Livving outdoors, not by choice very soon

i allways find homeless camps via towels put up to dry. so if ur trying to stay hidden dont do that

>>650407
K good advice actually, Thanks.

>>650398
make sure to look up the knife laws in your area and what excuses you can have for carrying weapons and shit as to avoid trouble with police just in case

>>650416
Good point, thanks. Other than bear spray and a leatherman I won't have a weapon on me for that very reason. Not a drug user or drinker either.

What are you going to be doing during the day?

>>650513
Job hunting/sending resumes from free wifi in locations where I can. Won't be loitering but will patronize the establishment at the bare minimum.

>>650514
How will you shower for an interview?

Where is all your stuff stored while you're homeless?

You literally don't have a friend who will let you sleep on the couch? HELL even a friend who will let you sleep in his YARD in a tent so at least you're safe? If I was homeless tomorrow I'd have at least a dozen options of places to go, you don't have anyone?

Seriously, this path might ruin you. Nobody is going to hire a homeless man. You'll smell bad, look disheveled, be tired and hungry. It won't be pretty. It's not just like "oh I'll camp for a few weeks until I get on my feet", this is literally the end of the line, where people become homeless for good.

You need options besides a tent and sleeping bag. It just won't work.

Why don't you just get a job, ANY job for now. Even a fast food place or gas station. Take out a personal loan for like $3k and find a terrible apartment for $500 a month. In 3 months you should be able to find SOME job and that $3k will carry you along for a few months if you're really careful with it. If you can't pay back the loan just declare bankruptcy, it's better than being homeless.

>>650528
>How will you shower for an interview?
There are limited options, some free some for a very minimal charge. Obviously hygiene is a top priority.

>Where is all your stuff stored while you're homeless?
What little belongings I have left are being sold off this week to help raise funds and to eliminate the need to store it (one less bill).

>You literally don't have a friend who will let you sleep on the couch?
Correct.

HELL even a friend who will let you sleep in his YARD in a tent so at least you're safe?
Sadly I do not.

If I was homeless tomorrow I'd have at least a dozen options of places to go, you don't have anyone?

That's great you have an network of friends/family that however not everyone does. What little family /friends I do have are on the other side of the country or in the US.

>Seriously, this path might ruin you.
You're right. Believe me when I say this weighs heavily on my mind.

Nobody is going to hire a homeless man. You'll smell bad, look disheveled, be tired and hungry. It won't be pretty. It's not just like "oh I'll camp for a few weeks until I get on my feet", this is literally the end of the line, where people become homeless for good.
I hope your wrong, but all I can do is deal the best way I know how and is available to me at the moment.

>You need options besides a tent and sleeping bag. It just won't work.
Options are a wonderful thing when you have them.

>Why don't you just get a job, ANY job for now. Even a fast food place or gas station.
Believe me when I say I have been applying for anything and everything, I am not picky at all.

Take out a personal loan for like $3k and find a terrible apartment for $500 a month. In 3 months you should be able to find SOME job and that $3k will carry you along for a few months if you're really careful with it. If you can't pay back the loan just declare bankruptcy, it's better than being homeless.
My credit is stretched to the limits as it is. I truly appreciate your input though.

>>650398
albertafag here. feel you man. Moved back with parents recently. It's been a weird 5 years for me since I came back here. The last year has been very tough.

I know BC but not nearly well enough to give specific advice. wolves and cougars would be the wildlife you want to watch out for. I heard lining a large cardboard box with styrofoam can be a very effective sleeping compartment for cheap in very cold weather. Having a durable tarp in the lower mainland would seem critical and getting something that would blend in would also help.

A red light attachment for a flashlight will be less visible. I'm thinking you should be sleeping at say 6, then up at 2 so you can have a small fire. clean up by 4 and out by 5. That seems the most logical to me to avoid attention. If you have a car that's gonna be the thing that will stand out. Either you pick remote roads (where you could get yourself stranded and then you have major problems) or closer to civilization. I'm thinking near industrial areas with woods nearby might be the best choice as then someone figures it's someone working over night and besides there's lots of parking and you can come and go as you please. Even if someone made you I doubt they would care enough to report it. Being near where people live would probably make someone more likely to report you. For cooking fires I think the dakota fire pit would be a logical choice for concealment if the ground isn't frozen. Last thing is setting yourself up in areas where it's an effort to access and making an effort to conceal.

>>650541
>heard lining a large cardboard box with styrofoam can be a very effective sleeping compartment for cheap
worst idea cougars will definitely want in on a cardbosrd box. even if they would left you alone otherwise!

>>650541
>I'm thinking you should be sleeping at say 6, then up at 2 so you can have a small fire. clean up by 4 and out by 5. That seems the most logical to me to avoid attention.
Good advice, thanks

Also no vehicle.

Check out indeed, it has a lot of new job postings every day.

If you apply to hotels around the more well-known areas (like banff, jasper), a lot offer a place to live too for cheap.

Also, when I was in Banff about 2 months ago, the Tim Hortons there was extremely hurting for employees. I'd give them a call, it couldn't hurt. (they also had staff housing for fairly cheap)

>>650577
Thanks anon, checking this out now.

couchsurfing DOT com

>>650407
i usually find them in really obvious spots, like small abandoned structures in secluded areas.

I'm not that much of a dick that I'd fuck with a homeless guys stuff, but if some kids find your camp they could easily ruin your life.

Also, most people are afraid of the homeless, so if you make your camp look as lived in as possible (make people think you could be 30 ft away taking a piss), most people will steer clear for fear of being stabbed by the "crazy hobo"

maybe buy a woodland camo tarp or 2 at walmart for $10. Could be useful for hiding your campsite.

I'd also suggest buying a messkit, water bottle, and water filter. You should be able to get all of that for like $20. Learn how to build a dakota fire pit, and have some method of starting fire. Make sure you have some rope, buy a lot of paracord on amazon for like $5.

Try and find wool clothing at thrift stores. a wool sweater, wool socks, and waterproof shell are more or less must haves. It's worth having a couple pairs of wool socks. A cap and gloves will make cold temps much more bearable as well. Thermal underwear would be nice as well.

Good luck.

>>650534
Would it not be worth it to travel cross country to stay with family while you're going through this?

>>650534
Can you not apply for unemployment benefits, welfare benefits... any government assistance?

There's no shame it in. It may save your life.

>>650398

post paypal

>>650614
>Implying those apply if you live in a shithole country and aren't a poor minority/immigrant female nursing 3 childrums.

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>>650548
pic related
never hide from cats in a cardboard box ever!

OP here. I appreciate the helpful advice guys.

>>650602
Some solid stuff here, thanks. Dakota fire pit looks very useful. Also the camo tarps are a good idea. Rope as well. I'll see what I can find for wool at value village though prob the worse time of the year to score heavy winter goods.

>>650613
The employment situation is not any better there if anything it's a bit worse. Also while they are family they have certainly made it a point to make me feel unwelcome but then things have been like that between us since I was a kid and I'm sure it's a boon to her ego seeing me be the one in need for a change.

>>650614
I have never applied for any assistance before and I'm not saying I wouldn't just that I would have to research it. Also as a single white guy am I even eligible? I'm not a drug user, hell you can count on one hand how many times a year I drink also no disabilities or anything.

>>650423
>Not a drug user or drinker either.
This will help you a lot not only with cops but mentally and financially. With many, the cycle of homelessness is due in part to their inability to save money or look presentable enough to improve the situation they are in regardless of how they got there.

>>650534
>That's great you have an network of friends/family that however not everyone does. What little family /friends I do have are on the other side of the country or in the US.
Come to the US, I would pitch in to get you to some family as I am sure >>650616 and others would.

>>650646
>Some solid stuff here, thanks. Dakota fire pit looks very useful. Also the camo tarps are a good idea. Rope as well. I'll see what I can find for wool at value village though prob the worse time of the year to score heavy winter goods.
Usually milsurp stores around here have wool blend blankets for $15 burger bucks. Second hand you could probably get a 100% wool blanket for that and it is arguably my most important piece of equipment. Right up there with filtering water is not freezing to death. I would consider picking up an emergency bivvy bag. You said you have a winter bag but depending on quality and the temperatures, a bivvy could keep you alive. A space blanket is the same material but they aren't shaped like a bag so they don't hold heat quite as well. In a bad situation it can keep you dry and warm even if you go in to it damp. The most I have ever spent on one is about $15.

>>650646
>I have never applied for any assistance before and I'm not saying I wouldn't just that I would have to research it. Also as a single white guy am I even eligible? I'm not a drug user, hell you can count on one hand how many times a year I drink also no disabilities or anything.
I have no experience with Canada but it is worth applying, the worst they can say is no. Then you are right back where you started and all you did was fill out a form.

>>650646
You can receive unemployment if you're white, black, or purple. Assistance isn't for minorities, it's for low income people. They can't provide assistance based off race or religion in Canada, you're as eligible as anyone. You can get unemployment, housing assistance, food programs, ect ect.... lots out there.

DO IT NOW, before you become homeless. You need to start today looking into it.

>>650548
maybe. a lot of people use those styrofoam coolers to make stray cat winter shelters. Apparently they can get near room temps in freezing conditions though.

>>650577
this. don't forget lake louise also.

government jobs is something to look into. good pensions. service canada seems to hire anyone with a pulse. I worked at EI. It has kind of an annoying job in the end. But payed ok. They are fucking bastards though.
http://jobs-emplois.gc.ca/index-eng.htm

got any schooling at all? What kind of work experience? Might be able to suggest more things...

>>650646
for clothes I want to suggest fleece. It is the same warmth as wool (dry and wet) with about 1/8 the dry time. You can lots of cheap fleece stuff at value village or goodwill. I worked at value village and I can say you will get better deals at goodwill.

>>650656
yo. I used to work at EI. OP did you work at all in the last year? You might qualify for employment insurance here. we could be talking up to about 1800/month so maybe we should be talking about this as well.

>>650668
there is potentially a lot to talk about with Employment Insurance as well. It all hinges on you having worked though. Even if the scenario was something like you got laid off 8 months ago and only now you are applying you can ask for retroactive payments if you can show you weren't aware of how it the system works. It can be very confusing but I'm willing to give you any guidance you need to hopefully get things moving as fast as possible if it applies to this situation. Also there is a program with EI for supplementing income with trades training which might be useful if you're looking to get educated in the blue collar sense. Hell of a lot better prospects that way than working at min wage jobs your whole life.

>>650398
If you're still around OP, see if you can find a cheap gym membership nearby. Good place to shower and clean up. Also a great place to kill a few hours during the day. 24hr gym might help on those coldest nights for a bit as long as you don't abuse it.

Good luck mang. Stay warm.

>>650734
>Gym membership
>Cheap enough for a guy who can't even afford shelter


Anyways depending on where he lives there are probably better cheaper options, for instance some public facilities near me have showers, as do I believe nonprofit things like homeless shelters, but OP doesn't even necessarily need that, you can always just wash the bits that matter (armpits, groin, face, and anything that smells) with a wet wash cloth and be fine for the most part. There are also a lot of public buildings that are open 24hrs, classics like bus stops, some sections of libraries,and such.

>>651037
Gyms by me are like $10 a month with no sign up fee. You could spend $30 and have showers and some entertainment for 3 months

>>650614
this
>>650646
Not sure what they have in place in canada but centerlink (aussie welfare) has a thing called newstart allowance, basically getting paid while you look for work, you get a decent sum each fortnight, you gotta make meals stretch but it covers rent if your house is cheap enough.
If canada is as good as I've heard it is I'm sure theres something in place, talk to someone at a welfare office about it and get them to fill you in.

A lot of good advice here. You should get a car. I haven't been homeless but I've done some gnarly solo camping and the like and it's pretty rough going. A while back I found and read this blog
guide2homele
ssness.blogspot.com
and it's very good. His main advice is having a car. Good luck my main man

>>650398
Join your military, son.

Unemployment Benefits. I live in New Zealand which has a lot of the same sort of social development infrastructure as canada, and the only barrier to entry here is if your a drug user or not actively looking for work. If you check out, they give you tons of assistance. Here for a single person its $175 per week, plus an amount to help with accommodation, they pay your bond and can help with food etc, and the list goes on.

With that you can find a flat or a room, and keep looking for jobs. You might have to come in for weekly meetings but they basically pay you indefintely to keep you from being homeless.

Honestly it sounds like youve resigned yourself to being homeless before checking out all the options and facts. Some religious organizations will rent rooms on the cheap at a church or community center if you volunteer at their events and go to mass or whatever gathering they have.

There are tons of options, and being homeless is a last resort. Normally the homeless here are people who gave up, took drugs are got fed up with the system. Ive been on welfare a couple times, and it fucking sucks but not eating or showering well and living outside is a lot fucking worse. They even help with classes on budgeting, getting you into higher education and ideas on how to fix your credit/get out of debt.

Go to a welfare office, they'll set you up.

>>651139
This
> inb4 excuses

>>650398
Hitchhike to the U.S border and then couch surf with sc/out/s

As others have said, do not become an outdoorsman when you're homeless. You need to be as urban, domesticated, and groomed as possible to be employable.

Get a gym membership. There's your hot shower and working out will help you destress and build your self-confidence.

Some cities have "street survival guides" with lists, numbers, and addresses of shelters and temp agencies to get you some employment.

Just stay urban and relevant. That's whats gonna get you out of this.

>>651139
Seconding this

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>>650528
>rich people cant understand having nothing