Oh..... I've never been in this situation before. I'm losing my house, and I have nowhere to go. I'm broke and jobless. I've been unable to find work for the past three years, even before I started transitioning. Has anyone else been here? What do I do?
I lived in a shelter for a year. Now I'm doing much better.
:)
Big hug! At some point, you stop worrying about what you've lost and concentrate on what you have. I know that doesn't sound very helpful, but it's what I had to do when I was in your shoes. Every step you take is a step up if you're at the bottom.
Hugs, Devlyn
Hi ,
A big hug from me too . Unfortunatelly i don't have a real solution for your curent situation , as i am myself in a difficult one , but i want you to know and feel the love and support (even the moral support ) that are given by our comunity.
I know that it is very important to have friends in times like this , feel free to open yourself and also you could try giving some details about your curent city/country , what jobs would you want , experience and so on . It is very possible that somebody here could really help .
Myself , i live in Romania in Europe at the moment , and i guess you are from US , that's makes it hard for me to share a place with you , although it would've been my pleasure .
I wish you best luck , please try to cheer up , positive thinking really helps a lot .
I've been there, and done that. Devlyn's advice is pretty good.
There's always shelters, but I never went that route. If you end up on the streets, pack a bag of everything you'll need. If it doesn't all fit, you either need a bigger bag, or less stuff to carry. Always keep your bag on you....always. If you take it off to sleep, tie it to you with a length of cord. Same goes for shoes. When I was sleeping under a bridge in Houston, a scuffling noise woke me up. I woke up in time to watch some guy running off with my boots.
For me, homelessness was a lot like camping, just in the city. Don't be afraid to ask for help or panhandle if you have to. And always keep your money in out of the way spots, and split up in more than one place. And try to eat well. Nothing will rob you of strength and health faster than eating nothing but fast food, although that kind of convenience food is tempting when you're on the street.
And if you're smart, you'll stay off drugs and booze. The streets are an awful place to be strung out and coming down with nowhere to go. Believe me I've done it....
If you have friends and family, ask for help. Find out what resources are available where you are and use them. Use the library. You can use the computers and printers to print resumes and look for jobs and they may have information there that can help. Also, books and giving yourself something to do can help keep yourself sane if you like to read. Find a place that you can use as an address on resumes and a phone that people can contact you by.
Do not start smoking if you haven't already, do not do drugs, and avoid alcohol. For one, they cost money and for another, it is very tempting in times of stress. Find other things to do instead.
This is just what I did and what's helpful depends on your situation.
I've been thinking lately that someone needs to have a company that is trans friendly where young trans who lose their home can stay and transition with others and they could all learn from each other and support each other. A non traditional company that could provide living quarters and such to keep the cost down. Everyone would work, of course, and so they would pay their own way with their effort. Transition can be an awkward time. It would be nice to have a supportive environment in which to go through the process.
That is really good advice on the avoid alcohol, drugs, and smoking. No faster way to lose attractiveness and can become a trap.
Tell us more about yourself. What are you good at? What kind of work would you like to do? How old are you? Maybe someone on this board would have a job for you.
Thank you, everybody. I don't smoke, drink, or do any drugs. I eat really well. I've been a vegetarian for.... eighteen years? A long time. I'm 31 years old.
With work, let's see... I've recently learned HTML and CSS. I'm good at cleaning and housekeeping -- janitor stuff. Well, I'm not good at it, but I can do it. I have experience delivering mail in high school. I'm a talented musician, songwriter and performer, and I know my way around a recording studio. I've been skateboarding almost all of my life, and I had a skateshop when I was 18 and 19. I've held my share of odd jobs. I've worked in health food stores. Right now I volunteer at the world's coolest thrift store, where I stock shelves and clothing racks. If you live in Philly, you know which one I'm talking about.
I'm also a fun-loving, light-hearted, empathetic person, and I'm honest to a fault.
Oriah, I've lived in Houston before. Do you still live there?
Quote from: MugwortPsychonaut on February 20, 2014, 12:25:23 PM
Thank you, everybody. I don't smoke, drink, or do any drugs. I eat really well. I've been a vegetarian for.... eighteen years? A long time. I'm 31 years old.
With work, let's see... I've recently learned HTML and CSS. I'm good at cleaning and housekeeping -- janitor stuff. Well, I'm not good at it, but I can do it. I have experience delivering mail in high school. I'm a talented musician, songwriter and performer, and I know my way around a recording studio. I've been skateboarding almost all of my life, and I had a skateshop when I was 18 and 19. I've held my share of odd jobs. I've worked in health food stores. Right now I volunteer at the world's coolest thrift store, where I stock shelves and clothing racks. If you live in Philly, you know which one I'm talking about.
I'm also a fun-loving, light-hearted, empathetic person, and I'm honest to a fault.
Oriah, I've lived in Houston before. Do you still live there?
No, I'm up in oklahoma now
If you can pass a background check, you could have a job here. You would suffer through some weird weather is all.
Take heart. I think one way or another we can see that you don't spend that much time on the street. I might have something opening in a month or so if you haven't found something by then.
There are a dozen hospitals in Philly. Did you apply for environmental Service work, loading dock, kitchen, cafeteria or the like? They all have on-line job boards. I would look at the Universities too.
I know four that have fantastic Trans* procedure coverage.