Americas homeless: We love you.

© November 2019: J Jericho & The Free School www.thefreeschool.education Price: USD 0
Copyright is waived if the author is acknowledged.
Author Dr Jay
Has lived and worked in a halfway housing complex since 2016.
This educational book is not for sale. It aims to support independent grassroots scholars who
conduct research in real-life settings beyond a campus. Royalty free use of images are claimed
under fair illustration purposes in education. Images without © identifiers are Microsoft Clipart.
You may download a free copy of this book in PDF format at www.thefreeschool.education
This public exposure draft aims to receive feedback about errors and ideas as a basis to publish
a revised, first edition. You may e-mail the author at jay@journalistethics.com
This author aims to place a photo of an inspiring homeless USA legend on this book’s cover page.

i | j o u r n a l i s t e t h i c s . c o m A m e r i c a ’ s h o m e l e s s – W e l o v e y o u
Contexts Characterizations p. 2
Connotations p. 4
Censuses p. 6
Constructions p. 9
California p. 11
Causes Credit p. 14
Cash p. 16
Crisis p. 18
Cycles p. 21
Choices p. 23
Cravings p. 25
Corruption p. 27
Coping p. 29
Circumstances p. 31
Characters Citizens p. tba
Children p. tba
Communities p. tba
Cats p. 34
Casualties Corpus p. 37
Cerebral p. 39
Crime p. 41
Coventry p. 43
Closure p. 45
Cures Charity p. 50
Charters p. 52
Caravans p. 54
Camping p. 56
Cooperatives p. 58
Courage p. 61
Cureless Care p. 63
Conclusions Cleverness p. tba

ii | j o u r n a l i s t e t h i c s . c o m A m e r i c a ’ s h o m e l e s s – W e l o v e y o u
Case studies
Contexts Characterizations Statutory p. 3
Connotations Roma et al. p. 5
Censuses Invisible p. 8
Constructions Crisis p. 10
California Californivacation p. 12
Causes Credit Usury p. 15
Cash Deductions p. 17
Crisis Relationships p. 20
Cycles Natives p. 22
Choice Flipside p. 24
Cravings Gambling p. 26
Corruption Elderly p. 28
Coping Parole p. 30
Circumstances Katrina p. 32
Characters Cats TSNR p. 35
Casualties Corpus Clinics p. 38
Cerebral Loneliness p. 40
Crime Criminalization p. 42
Coventry Alternatives p. 44
Closure Skid Row p. 46
Cures Charity Miniature p. 51
Charters Status quo p. 53
Caravans East Palo Alto p. 55
Camping Caution p. 57
Cooperatives Tiny p. 59
Cureless Care Settlement houses p. 66
Conclusions Cubicles 1984 p. 68
Controls Charlatans p. 70 Social workers’ checklist p. 77

iii | j o u r n a l i s t e t h i c s . c o m A m e r i c a ’ s h o m e l e s s – W e l o v e y o u
Compassion
This book is about the state of homelessness in America
as at Fall, 2019. It contains six thematic sections. These
are, in order: contexts, causes, characters, casualties,
cures and cureless.
The first annex outlines some of the most common
rental scams seen in America. The second annex aims to
offer a useful triage checklists for care workers who
soldier the frontlines alongside homeless persons.
This is a public issue first draft. Its most important
section – Characters, aims to promote the inspiring
stories of one current or formerly homeless person from
each state. May a diverse population of homeless
persons chronicle their champion story in this section of
the first official edition of this forever free book.
Let’s remind our nation and the world of the many colorful
reasons why we love our homeless extended family.
This book
centers around
the
narratives of
50 lovable
homeless
Americans.

1 j o u r n a l i s t e t h i c s . c o m A m e r i c a ’ s h o m e l e s s : W e l o v e y o u
Contexts

Characterizations
The adjective ‘homeless’ is difficult to define. Understandings of ‘homeless’ vary widely among
members of our society. This book tackles this challenge by exploring 50 American’s unique
stories and circumstances. These synonyms may provide a useful reference to define ‘homeless’.
A person who perpetually lives in different luxury hotels, at their employer’s expense, may
consider themselves homeless if they do not own a private abode that they may access any time.
Many people who live in a basic van by choice do not consider themselves to be homeless. This
may be because they have access to a private, secure, comfortable shelter that protects their
body and possessions from danger and the elements. Many people who live in a helpful friend’s
house and sleep on the couch as a transient guest consider themselves hopelessly homeless,
even if they have unfettered access to all facilities and there is no pressure to vacate the house.
Access to a secure, dignified, private space that has adequate living facilities, such as a clean
bathroom, are core themes in discussions about homelessness. This definition is problematic.
Many adults who live in grand houses have little privacy as they a forced by circumstances to
share a bedroom with family. Sole access to a private space is a recurring theme in this book.

Statutory
Statutory and institutional definitions of homeless persons aim to be precise. Allocation of scarce
financial resources to homeless projects are dependent on measuring the totality of people who
fit the definition of homeless and the number of eligible persons who lodge a claim for assistance.
This image extract captures the Federal Government’s (USA) definition of ‘homeless youth’.
Readers may access this three pages document at this web link:
https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Federal-Definitions-of-Youth-Homelessness.pdf

Connotations
The stereotypical image of a homeless person portrays them as a soul who lives and sleeps in
public spaces such as streets and parks. This commercial stock image may fit this description.
In the minds of many, the picture above checks the boxes of the hallmarks of homeless people.
These include themes such as unwashed, sleeping rough, sluggish and begging for money in
disheveled clothes. All homeless people have a story. In the spirit of this book’s focus on diversity,
hope, joy and empowerment, this selection below aims to portray homeless people as happy.

Roma, Hobos, Pikeys et al.
I was born in the wagon of a travellin' show
My mama used to dance for the money they'd throw
Papa would do whatever he could
Preach a little gospel, sell a couple bottles of doctor good
Gypsy's, tramps, and thieves
We'd hear it from the people of the town
They'd call us gypsy's, tramps, and thieves
But every night all the men would come around
And lay their money down
Re: stereotypes
Picked up a boy just south of mobile
Gave him a ride, filled him with a hot meal
I was sixteen, he was twenty-one
Rode with us to Memphis
And papa woulda shot him if he knew what he'd done
I never had schoolin' but he taught me well
With his smooth southern style
Three months later I'm a gal in trouble
And I haven't seen him for a while, uh-huh
I haven't seen him for a while, uh-huh
Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves (abbreviated) lyrics Songwriter: B Stone © Universal Music

Censuses
The number of homeless people in America’s 50 states is difficult to measure. Figures in most
states are estimates. Definitions of homeless vary between states. It is near impossible to gather
accurate figures as many homeless people are under the radar. Many, possibly most homeless
people never register their homeless status in the national Census as they don’t have a mailbox.
Many thousands drift between homelessness and non-homelessness multiple times each year.
A White House publication titled “The State of Homelessness in America” dated September 2019
estimates that over 500,000 American residents are homeless on any one night.
The image on the page overleaf captures the number of homeless persons by state, as reported
by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness as at January 2018. This agency’s
estimate of 552, 830 homeless in January 2018 is similar as the White House figure for 2019.

At January 2018

Many homeless people who chronicle their stories in public media frequently use the adjective
‘invisible’ to describe how they feel about living on the street. They say that the vast bulk of non-
homeless people who pass by them do not acknowledge their predicament in any way.
Many affordable gifts that we can offer homeless persons are those that are free or cost less than
$2. If you offer a homeless person a smile, chat, apple or coffee this may mean the world to that
person. You may be the first person in days to acknowledge that this human soul exists.

Constructions
This page makes brief mention of a topic that may be of interest to those who aim to scratch
below the surface and understand the political economy of homelessness. Some social
commentators claim that homelessness is a purposeful social construction by apex elites such as
executive bankers and certain members of congress. Such arguments differ from discussion that
claim that homelessness is mainly a symptom of incompetent (i.e. accidental) economic policies.
The colorful title of this article and image above may capture the imaginations of those curious
to research this topic that is rarely discussed by homeless people on the street. The core focus of
homeless people understandably centers on daily survival: food, water, shelter and hygiene.

Crisis
A common theme among mainstream and alternative researchers is the claim that around 80%
of Americans have less than USD500 of cash saved in a financial institution or other places such
as their piggy bank. Most Americans could not meet their rent or mortgage commitments for the
following month if they were retrenched from their current place of employment today. In other
words, many Americans live in a perpetual state of potential imminent homelessness.
Forbes
Will America’s homelessness crisis worsen beyond 2019? Let’s turn this question into a positive.
Please start preparing your financial plan and contingency plans today. Not tomorrow. Today.

California
California and the West Coast of America feature prominently in policy discussions and case
studies in this book. It is beyond the scope of this book to outline the many unique factors about
California’s political economy and geography that account for this glorious state boasting the
highest homeless numbers per capita, highest rental prices and worst images of homeless
despair. News media debates center around tired old bipartisan blame game political rhetoric.
Thousands of street tents are visible on the roadsides in central downtown Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, 2019
Drought and fires have exacerbated California’s homeless crisis. Strangely, many bush fires in
California only burn houses and the surroundings of these houses are pristine. In September
2019, President Trump announced his intention to intervene in California’s homeless crisis.
ERH

Californivacation
Some social commentators claim that California is part victim of its success. The West Coast, with
its glorious Pacific Ocean views, is a suitable place for a long-term homeless person live year-
round. Many counties and states funded one-way bus tickets for homeless residents, enabling
them to travel to a place where they claimed they could receive care, such as their place of birth.
Print media consistently report that a disproportionate number of homeless Americans who used
bus relocation programs requested and received a one-way bus ticket to California.
There is anecdotal evidence that some authorities outside of California encouraged homeless to
move to big cities in California. Nevada has been accused of this practice (e.g. Canon, 2015).

Causes

Credit
Credit – buying something that you cannot afford. This is usually the case. Some people who have
a stash of cash use a credit card for convenience. The aim of this book isn’t to judge or
indoctrinate. I merely offer an opinion that others may ignore or reflect upon as they see fit.
Living a ‘play today, pay tomorrow’ credit lifestyle eventually catches up with most people. Credit
spending can be just as addictive as nicotine and morphine. The emotional high from buying new
designer label jeans is an irresistible short-term buzz. Interest charges on credit cards average
around 15%-20% in America. And banks charge interest on accrued interest. Many Americans
find themselves in a perpetual enslaved demoralizing debt cycle that is self-inflicted.
What are the basic expenditures that one needs to outlay in a typical month to survive? This
varies by person and context. This may be a fair list for most: food, water, clothing, housing
(mortgage or rent), medicines, toiletries, utilities, health insurance and transportation.
Please consider these basic tips if credit addiction is a problem. Pay off credit and interest-bearing
debts as an urgent priority to avoid paying interest on interest. And never use credit cards again
– unless it’s for an urgent expense such as a metro travel card. Having no metro travel card may
cost you your job. Please write to the author of this book if you want to know more. This book’s
middle-aged author has never been in net debt in his life. His many faults are in other domains!

Usury
America is supposedly a Christian nation, according to Census data. Many people claim that the
Old Testament outlaws interest bearing loans and creditors should forgive debtors every seven
years. These images may offer a reference for those who are curious to validate these claims.
The sample images above illustrate that there are thousands of Old Testament translations. This
may partially explain why America seems to be a perpetual creditor-debtor nation. The
constitutional separation of religion and state may be another reason, among many others.

Cash
It never ceases to amaze and frighten me how frequently I hear people say: “I am hopeless when
it comes to managing money – I have no idea”. I rate basic financial management skills as among
the top five life skills that one must master by early adulthood. And I’m not talking about the
financial economics of Wall Street wizards. I am talking basic adding, subtracting and planning.
Consider this simple scenario. Your bank account is empty. You have 220 bucks in your hand. Oh,
how rich you feel. You next paycheck arrives in two weeks. Your house is loaded with food and
supplies and your Metro card is loaded for the month. So, you can buy those $200 stunning sports
shoes teasing you in the window – right? Did you think to consider when your rent is due? It is
due in four days, and you only have 20 bucks or so left in your hand if you buy those shoes.
I know that this scenario happens as I have witnessed it many times. If you cannot pay your rent
or mortgage when it falls due, because of shoe urges and the like, then this is not your landlord’s
problem. It is your problem. And if this is a recurring dilemma, your landlord or bank has the right
to initiate eviction proceeds against you. These people likewise have other parties who they need
to pay to manage their affairs; insurers, staff payroll and administration costs as examples.
This free budget planning web tool may be useful for those who struggle to balance their budget.
http://www.thefreeschool.education/finances.html

Deductions
Those who struggle to pay their rent or mortgage on due dates may request their employer or
financier (e.g. Social Security) to pay their rent or mortgage direct from their paychecks to the
creditor who owns the property. This setup ensures that you cannot fall into shoe shopping traps.
This Times article above is about people who get pre payday loans from so-called loan sharks.
You may sign your next paycheck to the loan shark, who takes a cut for the loan. This intervention
is useful for a crisis. Pre payday loan shark contracts have two main problems. The interest rate
per annum may be very more than 100% on an annualized rate. Pre payday loan contracts may
condition people to structure their life so that they always need/want cash prior to their payday.

Crisis
A common theme in public access content that interviews current and former homeless persons,
is the notion that just one unforeseen crisis can potentially cause any person to become homeless
in a matter of seconds or minutes. Non predictable emergencies are a broad category of events
that includes thousands of diverse scenarios. Examples may include a hurricane destroying your
family home and personal injuries, such as getting hit by an automobile.
Whether a single crisis can cause a person to become homeless in the short, medium or long-
term mostly depends on the network of support that a person has behind them. Sometimes a
person does not have access to friends or family who are willing or able to support them. A person
who becomes homeless without notice in Puerto Rico may have been raised in Hawaii and they
have family and friends in Hawaii who can house them. However, the homeless person and their
family cannot fund the cost of transporting their loved one to fabulous Honolulu.
Many homeless people become or remain homeless because their identifications were lost or
stolen. These include state issued documents such as a Social Security card, birth certificate,
passport and drivers’ license. It is extremely difficult to secure a rental or sub-let when you don’t
have adequate identification – even if you have enough cash to pay rental deposits. Identity theft
is a major problem in America and beyond. Many peoples’ credit rating has been destroyed by
criminals who stole their identifications and racked up massive unpaid debts in their name.

For many/most people, a stable home is one of four key dominos that must remain standing for
them to maintain a stable, prosperous life. If a person loses their home at short notice and
become homeless, this event can cause damage to their health, finances and employment.
For example, a homeless working person may contract pneumonia on the street and start to
appear disheveled. Their absence from work or disheveled appearance may cause their employer
to fire them or force them to take a break from work. This loss of wages means that the homeless
person cannot save enough money to fund a new home. This vicious cycle makes them sicker,
poorer and more unkempt. As a result, they remain homeless and unemployed long-term.
Domino 1 = Finances Domino 2 = Health Domino 3 = Home Domino 4 = Employment
Exercise
Mentally picture the life of a person whose home, health, finances and career are stable.
Choose any domino above. Imagine that this is the only aspect of a person’s life that crumbles.
Consider how the fall of this domino can trigger a sequence that causes all dominos to fall.

Relationships
This page shows that the four domino models is not all-encompassing. Other domino triggers
may include core life factors that a person cannot always control such as personal relationships
and the stability of their neighborhood. Some people are forced to flee a precinct that is riddled
with crime, grime and addiction in order to stay alive and healthy.
Many people flee the family home to escape violent assaults from their common law spouse. This
article discusses how homelessness can be triggered by acts of domestic violence.
Can you identify one or more dominos beyond home, health, work, finance and
personal relationships that can cause a person to become homeless?
Is this a domino that a person can control or not control in most common scenarios?

Cycles
Many homeless people know no different. They are born into a family that is perpetually
homeless or homeless for long streaks of time. This cycle can impose on a young person’s life
course in numerous ways. Some people simply don’t know how to survive in a house as a
welcome tenant. Chores such as cleaning a house and paying bills on time are foreign concepts.
For many, perpetual vicious cycles of homeless may begin after a person has left home. Research
indicates that the longer a person remains unwillingly homeless, the more likely that are to stay
that way. The reasons for this pattern are usually found in the domino diagram (p. 19). The
deterioration of physical and emotional health is the norm when people are constantly exposed
to the elements, especially in harsh environments, and cannot secure meaningful employment.
A point previously made in this book is that not all homeless persons live pitiful, disempowered
existences. Many long-term homeless persons openly boast that they enjoy living in the
wilderness, in the forest without concrete floors, walls and ceilings imprisoning them.
Homeless individuals and those who support them can draw on their experience, training and
intuition to decide who is a homeless person whose life course has been negatively impacted by
cycles of ongoing homelessness. Spoken words are usually the best gauge of traumatic
experience. The state of a person’s physical appearance and facial expressions may reveal much.

Natives
The notion of homeless is not just a personal construction (see p. 2). In the eyes of this author,
and many others, homelessness is a social and cultural construction. In other words, societies
and cultural media may define who is homeless and who is not. Cultural media includes hundreds
of communications modes such as poetry, fiction/non-fictional books, movies, laws, newspaper
stories, paintings, sculpture, street performances and oral stories shared with generations.
Many Americans of Native origin who live in America do not consider themselves homeless in
any circumstances. America is their home. Some in the cities are ‘houseless’ but not homeless.
We love your rich culture.

Choices
There are countless reasons why a person may willingly choose to become or remain homeless.
Nomadic people who live hunter and gatherer lifestyles may be perpetually homeless according
to their definition or the opinions of others. Such lifestyles may have deep ancient roots.
Many people say that they choose to live on a street or in other spaces as beach caves as they
feel ‘free’ from various stresses. Those who do not live in the confines of a house may not have
to pay for the costs of rent/mortgage, utilities and general household expenses. Moreover, many
people who live in public spaces say they feel free from the dramas of sharing spaces with people
whose values or habits annoy them. Connecting with outdoors and nature are popular themes.
This knowledge may help citizens to better understand homelessness. It may also aid those who
work with homeless persons as volunteers or professionals. A person’s homelessness becomes
problematic when the homeless person uses words and/or gestures to advise us that they no
longer want to be homeless. Until then, let’s never forget that many homeless are happy souls.

Flipside
There are many stories published in popular media that discuss the ways that homeless people
learned to become happy about their involuntary homelessness. Some of these people may seek
to end their homelessness in the short- to long-term and others may not.
This article above is one of many hundreds online that are easy to locate using simple online
searches. You may access this article via the live link in the references section of this document.
Becoming homeless may cause a person to appreciate simple things in life. Being homeless may
force a person living in a rut to develop their survival skills and seek out a more interesting life.

Cravings
Addiction is a dominant theme in written and spoken media that discusses homelessness and
engages directly with current and former homeless persons. Addiction mostly covers three
categories: illegal drugs, alcohol and prescription drugs such as opioids. Illegal drugs include a full
spectrum such as marijuana (a ‘soft’ drug) and so-called hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
There are two main reasons why addiction can cause a person to be homeless. The first issue is
difficulty living in shared spaces. This problem may affect those who live alone in an apartment.
The interventions of roommates and neighbors may result in eviction when an addict’s lifestyle
adversely affects those around them. The second issue is financial mismanagement. It is difficult
to pay rent when one prioritizes their income/savings towards an expensive habit such as meth.
Finances Health Home Employment
Addiction is a classic challenge that may trigger any of the dominos, as outlined on page 19. Can
you think of one scenario where addiction can trigger each of the four dominos shown above?

Gambling
Gambling and shopping addictions do not require a person to place something addictive inside
their mouth or another orifice. Gambling addiction is a major cause of homelessness in America.
Gambling and shopping addictions may be an indirect cause of homelessness.
Financial stresses from gambling and shopping addictions may cause a person to not be able to
afford food and transport. The financial stress imposed on addicts may destroy relationships with
friends and family. An addict may be forced out of a relationship, and the family home, even if
they are not required to pay rent. Gambling addicts face other problems. These may include civil
and criminal court cases and aggressive debt collectors knocking on the door at the family home.

Corruption
Systemic, institutional corruption is a cause of homelessness in America. Predatory home loans
are one example that falls in this category. Many Americans who are homeless in 2019 can trace
their dire circumstances to the sub-prime mortgage crisis that unfolded in 2008 and 2009.
This article chronicles the life course of a once successful New Yorker who became homeless in
2008. This person’s “road to recovery is still is winding on 10 years later.” (CNBC, 2018)
The current financial global order bears many parallels with the world economy in 2008-2009.

Elderly
Older persons who are homeless or at risk of being homeless are a vulnerable demographic. The
oldest and youngest members of our society face unique challenges. Youth may lack ‘streetwise’
life experience and are subject to exploitation. Older persons may sign unfair contracts because
of dementia or because they fear that this is the last housing offer that they may receive.
This episode of Roseanne discusses a perceptive issue that is taboo in many social circles.
Roseanne’s 63 years old mother Beverly leases an apartment in a nursing home complex. Per the
lease term, the nursing home inherits Beverly’s apartment upon her death. Roseanne boldly
challenges this nursing home’s manager. Her line of questioning makes the point that the for-
profit nursing home makes a bigger profit when their residents die sooner. This business model
may be a useful point to consider when booking a nursing home for yourself or another person.

Coping
Many people become homeless because they are unable to cope with an event that might not
cause others to become homeless. Most people in our population are vulnerable to some
unforeseen event. We all have our Achilles Heel.
Examples of drastic life course events may include:
 Divorce
 Death of a family member
 Being released from prison
 Receiving an adverse medical diagnosis such as cancer.
How this plays out depends on the individual’s circumstances and their response to the crisis.
Greatsong.net & Coryell/Peyroux
Reminder – a lot of homeless people are super-happy souls.

Parole
Finding a stable home is a challenge for most people released from prison. Medium- to long-term
prisoners may not have a network of family/friends waiting for them upon release. Many ex-
prisoners find it hard to secure employment due to the stigma of having a criminal record.
Discharged prisoners are disproportionately represented among homeless shelter populations
that do not cater for this demographic. Drug trafficking, theft and violence is a problem in most
big city shelters that don’t stringently screen their clients. For example, some family shelters only
admit parents with children if the parents do not report peculiar issues such as addiction.

Circumstances
Many peoples’ homelessness is imposed on them by factors that are beyond their control. Coping
is not an issue. There is simply no access to suitable or affordable housing.
Examples of drastic externally imposed events may include:
 Natural disasters
 Changes in economic activity
 Changes in government laws and policy
 Discharge from an occupation that provided housing (e.g. military)
 The expiration of a rental lease agreement that is not renewed.
Some changes in laws and government policy may directly or indirectly require certain persons
to give up their home or career. For example, many American farmers claim that new farming
import bans imposed on American farm produce by China have caused suicides and bankruptcies
among American farmers (e.g. Jones, 2019).
The depletion of minerals in mining towns and agricultural trade shocks can displace an entire
town. Boom towns can become ghost towns that displace locals from their long-term residence.

Katrina
Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans during late August 2005. Tens of thousands of homes
were destroyed. Most were eventually repaired or rebuilt within a few years of this major storm.
This article by The Seattle Times reports that thousands of people remain displaced seven years
after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Leaving a city or region to find housing is not an option
for many people. It is common for people to seek comfort in familiar surroundings around family
in the location where they were born and raised.

Characters
This entire subsection is a draft.
This author aims to place photos and stories of inspiring current and former homeless American
residents in this section. His goal is to include 50 people – one from each stunning state.
This author does not plan to censor any homeless persons’ contribution. Some inclusions may be
handwritten or uploaded in a font of the contributor’s choosing.

Cats
Homeless domestic animals live in America’s residential neighborhoods. Cats are the most
abundant of domestic homeless street animals. Homeless dogs are easy to catch with a net. They
eventually get impounded by animal collection agencies because people are fearful that a dog
will bite a child. Most street cats escape Trap, Spay & Neuter Program staff by running under
cars, in tunnels, on rooves, over fences, under house foundations and down narrow lanes.
This author feeds a colony of homeless kitties behind his home daily. He attests first-hand to the
fact that street cats live harsh lives. Most die before age four. My favorite feline was hit by a car
and euthanized at age 16 months. His sister died earlier from ingesting rat poison. Their father
died after a catfight. We can make the short lives of street pussies happier by offering food, water
and shelter in winter. It is not an offence in most jurisdictions to support homeless furballs.

TSNR
Many counties and not-for-profits provide free ‘Trap, Spay, Neuter & Release Program’ cat
sterilization services for eligible residents. This service in Salt Lake City, Utah is an example.
Good kitty. Purrrr. Purrrr. Rrrrrrrreeaaaaaaaahhhr !!!
© pawsok (2019)

Casualties

Corpus
For most people, being homeless in the medium to long-term eventually takes a toll on their
physical body in multiple ways. Exceptions to this rule are rare. Natives who are born to live in
open spaces in pristine locations with temperate climates may fall into this category.
Social workers and frontline healthcare workers see first-hand the ailments and wounds
experienced by long-term homeless persons. Some conditions may be relatively easy to fix. Those
with Athletes Foot, caused by constant exposure to damp, may be healed with some anti-fungal
spray, a set of fresh bandages (and a supply of spares) and some thick clean hospital issue socks.
Dehydration and frost bite are common ailments among those who live in hot and cold places.
Chronic ailments caused by homeless includes these few examples among hundreds:
 Tooth decay and tooth loss – e.g. high sugar diets and no access to a bathroom.
 Kyphosis (hunched back) – e.g. sleeping on concrete long-term.
 Osteoporosis – e.g. from poor diet, over consumption of alcohol, lack of exercise.
These problems are exacerbated by America’s health care system that centers around expensive
private insurance. State and Federal Uninsured Program exists such as Medicaid. For example,
see New Jersey https://www.nj211.org/healthcare-programs-and-resources . Homeless persons
encounter difficulties registering for some uninsured health insurance programs if they have
inadequate identification and cannot provide a residential mailing address.

Clinics
Many free clinics in America offer limited health care support for any person who attends their
clinic. These clinics usually offer limited hours such as 10 am to 1pm on Wednesday and
Saturdays. The service offered is usually limited to basic intervention such as triage diagnosis,
referral and routine interventions such as bandaging minor wounds and prescribing antibiotics.
Many of these clinics are part-staffed by medical students and interns who gain valuable frontline
experience. Social workers and others should be able to locate free local medical services using
simple online searches. This example above illustrates a listing site for residents of New York City.

Cerebral
In a similar vein to discussions about the body, medium to long-term involuntary homelessness
inevitably takes its toll on the homeless persons’ emotional health. In many, and possibly most
cases, a homeless person is already experiencing one or more emotional crises – this is the very
nature of most homelessness experiences. These are examples of emotional health ailments.
* Stress * Despair * Suicidal tendencies
The link between emotional and physical health is reciprocal and self-reinforcing. Long-term
emotional health problems can cause bodily disease and vice versa. Long-term homelessness
from low self-esteem issues can cause malnourishment if the person’s appetite is affected. This
lean body shape can further lower self-esteem and exacerbate the loss of appetite and so on.

Loneliness
Loneliness and isolation are two of the biggest challenges faced by those who experience long-
term involuntary homelessness.
A common theme among homeless persons interviewed by street reporters is that other
homeless street persons are often their prime threat. Items stolen from their tent or sleeping
spot are mostly stolen by other homeless persons, especially identification documents.

Crime
Homeless persons may be exposed to crime in two capacities. They may commit crime or be a
victim of crime. The identity theft illustration on the prior page is an example of the latter.
Life on the streets as an involuntary homeless person can be tough. Many homeless spend an
entire day begging for cash in hope of earning enough for a bed for the night in a bunk room
hostel. In New York City, the cheapest hostel bunks beds costs around USD60 a night plus 14.75%
Goods and Services Tax and a $3.50 City levy per day. These ‘cheap’ beds are usually booked out.
Many American hostels don’t admit guests who cannot prove that they are out-of-town tourists.
Some homeless persons turn to crime such as theft or drug dealing to fund a bed for the night.
This reality is a stereotype. There is no evidence that most homeless people commit crime.
Some states such as Ohio have criminalized pan handing – aggressive begging for money.
The legality of these laws is currently being challenge by America’s Civil Liberties Union.

Criminalization
America’s homeless persons are under attack in many municipal and state government
jurisdictions. A homeless person can be arrested and taken into custody by a law enforcement
officer if they are caught living or sleeping in public spaces such as a park or beachfront.
Some jurisdictions such as Los Angeles County have enacted laws that criminalize supplying food
and beverages to homeless persons on the street.
These laws seem to be strictest in California which is home to more than 100,000 homeless. It is
illegal in California and some other jurisdictions for a person to live overtly or covertly in a vehicle.

Coventry
Many homeless persons are shunned from participation throughout many aspects of our
economy and society merely because they are homeless. Please consider these examples:
1. Some jurisdictions such as Delaware (2019) restrict access to some welfare programs if
the applicant does not have a fixed address or cannot verify a Delaware mailing address.
2. Many employers refuse to hire homeless persons as they falsely assume that homeless
persons are automatically likely to record higher levels of absenteeism and late arrivals.
3. Some so-called friends and family refuse to associate with a person merely because that
person is known to be homeless and this status is stigmatic.
4. Some landlords refuse to offer a lease to an applicant who is currently homeless even
when the applicant easily meets all minimum criteria specified on the application form.
This social and economic isolation further exacerbates the problem of loneliness for those who
are prone to suffer from this social problem. These scenarios listed above reinforce common
themes in this book about discrimination, stereotypes, falling dominos and repeating cycles.
There is a false assumption among many that only certain types of people become homeless.
They believe that the homeless always impose their troubles and failings on those around them.

Alternatives
An ever-growing number of Americans live in halfway homes such as unofficial boarding houses.
Most of these structures are traditional family homes that converted most/all bedrooms into
miniature apartments with a lockable bedroom door. Many of these are rented via Airbnb as
short-term lets. Others are let via a written lease. Boarding house rooms have legal status in New
Jersey as shown by this rental guidebook (Legal Services of New Jersey, 2014, p. 48).
In 2014, it was estimated that around 40,000 residents of New Jersey live in boarding houses.
p. 90
Comprehensive documents such as this example above can be found online that cover tenants’
rights in most American states. This comprehensive example above is 110 pages in length.

Closure
Premature mortality rates are higher among long-term homeless persons. Many factors may
account for this phenomenon. These topics are covered in prior sections of this book. Examples
include addiction (overdose), suicide (emotional health) and disease (e.g. pneumonia). This
public access article offers a focused discussion on mortality rates among homeless veterans.
Homeless veterans report worse outcomes for mortality and health compared to non-homeless
veterans for most social indicators. This trajectory of this trend is worsening at rapid pace.

Skid Row
Research data consistently reports that the worst mortality rates (premature deaths) per capita
among homeless persons are registered in California – especially in San Francisco and Los
Angeles. Skid Row is probably the most widely known homeless precinct in America.
The homeless population of Skid Row in downtown LA varies from 5, 000 to 8,000 people. This
image above is merely an extract of skid row. Skid Row accounts for around 50 square blocks.

Cures
This section is potentially the most interesting policy analysis segment in this book. There is
probably no silver bullet solution to America’s worsening national homelessness crisis. There are
numerous deep-seeded causes that have been brewing for decades – nationwide and globally.
This section should enthrall many, as these suggested solutions may be novel trials that have
never been tested in America. In some cases, these interventions may be original solutions.
Case studies that I explore in this section are brief. I introduce policy solutions merely at the level
of ideas. Some interventions that deliver champion results in some counties or states may offer
no net benefits in other jurisdictions. Many factors influence policy efficacy. These include issues
such as age distributions, the concentration of homelessness per square mile and geography.
America is a massive country with diverse terrains. Projects that work well in desert cities with
low numbers of homeless, such as Albuquerque, may not work in a coastal city such as New York,
which is home to harsh Atlantic winters and has tens of thousands of homeless adorable souls.
Project ideas listed in this section are selected illustration ideas. Those who review homeless
policy literature may concur that hundreds of tried and untried practical solutions exist.

Stakeholders
Families & kids’ voices Homeless souls Businesses Government
Churches & Charities Grassroots researchers Care professionals Property owners
The homeless crisis will only improve dramatically when all relevant voices are present on equal
terms at a transparent policy making table. Everyone deserves a voice, including slumlords.

China
China’s massive regional ghost cities contain millions of never inhabited rotting apartments. This
phenomenon is a classic case of how rental markets may fail when an all-powerful entity enforces
its dogmatic policy ideologies onto others. Per Agenda 21, Communist China aims to force
millions of farmers off their land and morph these plots into state-managed macro farms.
Displaced farmers may be forced into these empty cities. These failed satellite cities may partially
reflect the greed of certain developers and investors who aim to make fast profits from housing.
https://allthatsinteresting.com/chinese-ghost-cities

Charity
Not-for-profit entities such as charities and non-governmental organizations will likely play an
important part in solving involuntary homelessness in American and beyond. For-profit
corporations may also play a part. On one side of the coin, commercial entities are strong at
innovation, customer service and catering to supply and demand forces at rapid speed. On the
other side of the coin, some for-profit entities that aid the homeless engage in unconscionable
conduct. Commercial tender contracts should be offered to multiple corporate competitors.
Charity begins at home is more than just a clique. Waste and corruption also exist in the not-for-
profit sectors. Billions of dollars sent to Haiti by naïve credit card donators never arrived. A main
advantage of giving charity direct to those who need it is that you cut out the administration and
payroll costs of the middle agent. You also get to see who is receiving your resources and evaluate
the success. If you have a spare room or basement and are financially stable, you may consider
subsidizing this room to a person or family unit who you believe are worthwhile. If you can assist
with other resources such as bedding, utilities and basic food stuff, you are helping more.
Community projects that pool resources to achieve economies of scale are often efficient.
Brooklyn Heights Synagogue operate a 10 beds mini shelter during the winter months. See:
https://bhsbrooklyn.org/shelter/ . This efficient use of space houses and feeds ten adult men who
have nowhere safe to sleep. Men of any religion or non-religion are welcome at this free shelter.

Miniature
Miniature homes and mini home communities are growing rapidly throughout America and are
probably most common in West Coast states such as Oregon. Seattle Central College is one
American college among many that deploys students and staff to projects that create low costs
mini homes for long-term homeless persons. This voluntary supply of labor means that the
homeless person can buy or rent the property for less than 10% of what it would cost to build a
basic full sized two-bedroom family home via a commercial builder.
This project offers college students hands-on practical experience beyond mere classroom
theory. Participation should be voluntary. Forced labor is never acceptable in a free society.
Mini homes have many advantages. Most are mobile – owners may relocate their home to a
place that offers suitable employment. Small homes are cheaper to heat, cool and furnish.

Charters
This table below lists a handful of examples of policies that may reduce homelessness. Political
honesty, decency and will are the missing elements in legislatures.
Policy Outcome
Exempt house building materials from taxes.
Cheaper building costs increases affordability
and stimulate demand and economic activity.
Ban or limit offshore investing in housing.
Example: limit offshore owners to one house
per investor.
Offshore speculative investors raise house
prices and undermine affordability.
Outlaw or regulate
speculative house flipping.
House flippers raise home prices. A
compromise policy may allow house flipping
only if the owner rents the home for at least
12 months at no more than 20% above
average market rates for that property type.
Build more government
owned affordable housing.
Governments are less likely to profiteer from
vulnerable demographics. More government
houses increase rental affordability.
First home buyers’ grant e.g. $10,000.
This is a form of building subsidy which
increases house building affordability and
stimulates economic activity.
Repeal laws that ban self-sufficiency and sub-
letting plots of land to transient mini homes.
Increases the supply of affordable homes on
existing properties.
These policies are contested. Many people argue that there are too many laws and regulations
in America’s so-called free economy. The business community argue that foreign property
investment injects billions of dollars into America’s economy. Laws that ban property owners
from building micro dams or installing rainwater tanks seem to pursue a sinister, hidden agenda
that aims to undermine self-sufficient living. Please research ‘Agenda 21’ and ‘Agenda 2030’.

Status quo
It helps to know the current laws and policies of the jurisdiction/s of interest if you aim to assist
others to devise better laws and policies. The website published by the City of Portland, Oregon
is an example of an official website that offers a useful summarized first point-of-call listing.
Most local and state jurisdictions publish similar information online.

Caravans
A growing number of Americans live in recreational vehicles (RV). In high rent cost states like
California, most people living in RVs are involuntary homeless persons who prefer to live in a
fixed dwelling but cannot afford rent. A high percentage – possibly the majority, are people who
work in casual jobs and professions. Rents in Silicon Valley California are among the highest in
the world per square foot. Bunk bed dorm rooms in apartments are common in Silicon Valley.
Caravan living may offer many advantages for certain persons. Flexible itinerant workers can
move their home to new work locations in other states. The costs of living in a van is a fraction
of the cost of rent and no upfront rental deposit is required. Fully equipped vans may offer a
miniatured version of every facility offered by a house or apartment, including a wet bathroom.
A major problem faced by van dwellers is finding a place to park at night in a safe, quiet location
where it is legal to park. Most counties in California have passed blanket laws that prohibit
persons from living in a vehicle in their county’s public spaces. Lawmakers have expressed
concerns that many people living in vans dump toilet waste and sink water waste into public
spaces such as rivers and street drains. These acts pose a massive public health risk for residents.
Counties may establish dedicated spaces that cater to caravan dwellers. These precincts may
offer sewerage services and other ‘on-grid’ facilities such as electrical outlets and shower blocks.

East Palo Alto
This pilot project by the East Palo Alto County, California may lead the way for other counties to
establish permanent RV communities that specially cater for involuntary homeless persons.
In what way/s is this project in East Palo a first-of-a-kind? Is this the first time that this
model has been tried in this county (San Mateo), California, America or the world?

Camping
Most national parks in America, and their country/state equivalents, authorize short-term
campers in any reasonable location or in designated zones. Don’t forget to bring your last resorts
bear spray. America’s national park system comprises around 109 million acres. This acreage
includes water. Counties and states collectively manage millions of acres of preserved parklands.
Sharing some of this land with long-term camping communities who live in harmony with the
environment may lower house prices and partially solve homelessness. Permanent camps do not
automatically destroy national parks’ pristine image. Built infrastructure such as shower blocks
could be kept to a bare minimum. They could be constructed with natural materials such as wood.

Caution
Damage to forests caused by incognito campers is a legitimate concern. This story below explores
how this problem transpires when covert visitors leave human waste and trash in open spaces.
This article claims that other Federal Government agencies manage a further 400 million acres of
land. Sustainable Federal land grants may offer serious potential to alleviate homelessness.
Environmental groups traditionally oppose conversion of virgin forests into built environments.

Cooperatives
Cooperative colonies may offer a part solution to America’s burgeoning homeless crisis.
Cooperative housing projects are an old phenomenon. Those who live in a shared village form
committees that devise and update policies that affect residents. Examples include rules about
what types of pets are acceptable and the division of communal labor, such as recycling trash.
Most cooperative housing projects likely overlap with other solutions discussed in this section.
For example, many charities supply labor and materials to build a low-cost village. Government
by-laws offer special building permits and delegate by-law powers to the village committees.
A major advantage of cooperative housing projects is that they usually allow a high number of
people to live cooperatively in a small space. This may be an efficient use of land allocation in
large cities with dense populations such as Dallas.
Most cooperative housing projects record high success rates. Members usually sort out their
differences harmoniously, with better outcomes compared to alternatives such as community
policing, courts and rental tribunals. This is because members of the community know the
personalities and private challenges experienced by other residents. They also have a vested
interest in being accepted by other members of the communities. Cooperative communities
often pool resources, such as ladders and personal talents. This may vastly reduce living costs.

Tiny
Reverend Faith Fowler from Detroit is pioneering a new tiny homes model that offers eventual
home ownership to long-term homeless persons. Her charitable organization purchased 25
vacant lots from the City of Detroit for USD$15, 000, circa 2017. A volunteer workforce built
seven homes in around 5 weeks, using mostly donated materials.
Tenants pay $1 a square foot for rent per month. Tenants are required to sit mandatory financial
literacy classes and volunteer for neighborly watch. After renting for seven years, tenants own
their home if they are up-to-date with their rental schedule.
This project incorporates multiple initiatives discussed in this chapter. These include charitable
supply of labor and physical resources, government assistance and cooperative living plans.
Church governance over financial management and career planning classes are novel additions.

Concepts
These ideas bullet pointed below may offer inspiration for policy makers, private investors and
those who work on the frontline with the homeless and housing projects.
 Tenancy laws that protect rental scammers decrease rental supply. Honest potential
landlords are fearful of being conned by career rental scammers. If a person is behind in
their rent, they should not be able to play the court eviction system that can take six
months to get evicted. This slowness allows scammers to get free rent for six months.
 Imposing rent ceilings laws (price controls) can increase homelessness. Free market
forces, that are backed up with a one tier bona fide court system and a one tier policing
system invariably offer the best and fastest responses to the needs of the community.
 Those who love the homeless may consider bequeathing one or more of their properties
to a cooperative housing project. A two-story family home with a basement could house
circa seven formerly homeless souls who live cooperatively in a shared space.
 Counties should plan and manage long-term housing projects that extend far beyond
the short-term electoral cycle that centers around winning cheap votes with wasteful
schemes that may be popular in the short-term but inefficient in the long run. The
Netherlands has a population of 17 million people. It does not have a city that has
reached a million people. Lawmakers should develop micro cities in regional areas.
Homelessness is worse in major capital cities. It is time for lawmakers to show valor.

Courage
For many, homelessness is a symptom of underlying problems that they are willing and able to
control under the right circumstances. Probably the best solutions to the homeless crisis are
programs that empower individuals to deal with core factors that underpin their homelessness.
These may include issues such as low education levels, illiteracy and poor numeracy skills.
Some homeless people remain homeless because they cannot understand the basics of their
written lease agreement. Placing a rent due date on a calendar and writing a check are foreign
concepts. Basic practical financial literacy and numeracy skills could be taught in junior high
school. A significant number of Americans continue to drop out of school at around this level.
With the right social, cultural, political and economic structures in places, homeless persons can
boldly fight the underlying forces that perpetuate their long-term homeless cycle. In many cases,
becoming homeless, staying homeless and returning to homelessness is an outcome that is
attributed to unwise choices made by individuals. Of course, blaming and shaming a person who
is at a low point in their life rarely aids that person to improve their situation.

Cureless (?)

Care
It is possibly true that some people will forever remain involuntarily homeless. This statement
doesn’t encourage people to give up on any homeless person. Quite the opposite. Knowing that
a certain percentage of people may possibly remain involuntarily homeless may aid us to offer
these people support that is better than a private room that they may self-sabotage on day one.
Core inputs that keep people alive are food, water, oxygen, basic shelter from extreme weather
and for some, regular access to medicines and health services. These historical resources below
are examples that offered all services, including referral to overnight shelters during a cold snap.
What I like about these services, above, is that they dish out resources and heal bodies. Too many
publicly funded homeless facilities offer nothing more than a referral to a service that in turn
sends that client to another referral service. Such referrals are do-nothing, cash wasting cycles.

Empowerment
During the past four years, this author has lived and worked in a complex that has been occupied
by hundreds of homeless transient persons. Many healthy, smart, hard-working, employable
people face a couple of small barriers that continually stop them from landing a job interview
and job. Many homeless people are penniless and have no friends or family close by who can
offer them basic resources: a shaver, haircut, shower, towel, clean clothes, iron, metro card and
somewhere to store their bag while they attend a job interview. Some people must take their
survival backpack to their job interview. This predicament is a Catch-22. These homeless people
look homeless and cannot secure a job to pay a rental deposit. As a result, they remain homeless.
A restaurant that never has to close
Breakfast, every hour
It could save the world Tori Amos (1999)
Access to basic resources can speedily resolve the homelessness crises for employable people
who are ready to commence work. The diagram overleaf is an example of a one-stop shopping
center that offers free or sliding-scale subsidized basic resources that may aid financially stressed
jobseekers to find/start work. I advocate for centers to provide travel cards instead of cash. Some
people may be tempted purchase e.g. tobacco over a return bus fare to their job interview. Many
goods and services shown on this diagram could be provided by champion volunteers and via
other modes such as discount basic hair cut salon vouchers provided by a local business.

One-stop-shopping job-seeker support community center

Jane Addams
Settlement Houses were a community center model that were more popular in America prior to
the 1970s. These houses offered an array of charitable community services to homeless persons,
migrants and those with financial problems. These services included basic medical assistance,
tuition, vocational training, job search support, food, childcare and access to hygiene facilities.
Images: Jane Addams’s Hull House, Chicago * Vocational leisure below, not child labor.
The merits of Settlement Houses are in the same vein of the criticisms that I offer about do-little
referral only homeless services. A major advantage of the Settlement House model is that it is
less likely that clients will make excuses about solving their problems due to absent services or
getting lost as they travel between facilities. Some people cannot afford public transportation
between facilities that offer different services. Settlement Houses also bring rich and poor classes
together. Those providing charity can see first-hand how their talents and donations aid others.

$15 homeless kits
An American YouTuber who communicated with this author advised him that she walks around
her local neighborhood and hands out what she calls free ‘$15 packs of supplies’ in winter. These
kits include the basics to keep a person refreshed for a few days. A basic winter kit may include;
1. A half-gallon bottle of fluoride free water ($1)
2. Two fresh pairs of socks ($2)
3. A pack of 80 non-perfumed (i.e. no sting) body wipes from Rite Aid ($1)
4. Three high energy protein bars ($6)
5. A simple plastic poncho raincoat ($2)
6. A fresh orange and apple ($1)
7. A mini jeweler bag that contains a few multivitamins ($1)
8. A mini toothbrush and toothpaste kit ($1).
Most supplies cost less than $2. Most big Rite Aid stores have a champion $1 items collection.
Don’t forget to bring your store card – which on average saves 50% on sale items every week!

Conclusion
“The Retirement Commune: Housing New Direction For Baby Boomers
BOSTON - JUNE 18: Joanne Tuller shares her Dorchester co-operative house with seven
other housemates ranging in age from newborn to 67.
(Photo by Colm O'Molloy for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)”

Controls

Charlatans
This section builds on this author’s first-hand experiences with rental scammers as a rental
applicant, renter and live in caretaker. Please share this information with the widest audiences
possible. Those who are most susceptible to scams are the poorest and most vulnerable people
in our society. Mature age, educated, financially literate people with diverse life experience are
less likely to get scammed. Any demographic can be scammed. Rental scams mostly affect:
1. Younger people under age 30.
Most older people have learned about scams from decades of life experience.
2. Migrants and people from out-of-town.
People who don’t know local laws and customs do not realize that many demands made
by people offering a rental property are illegal. New arrivals may feel desperate to pay
cash for the first rental offered because they fear sleeping on the street just for one night.
3. People who are financially illiterate and/or have zero to minimal literacy skills
It is easier to get scammed if you cannot understand the written contract that you sign.
Try to never hand over cash or a check for a rental property on the same day that you first
see the property. Try and sleep one night on the decision. Simply ignore pressure tactics from
rental agents that “the room will probably be gone tomorrow”.
Sometimes we realize that an offer is a scam the next day after we have ‘slept on it’

Crime
Never pay a deposit for a property that you have not fully inspected in person.
Many properties advertised online are fake photographs of a property that is not available for
rent. This advice is especially true for websites such as Craigslist and Facebook. Many of the worst
types of scammers are found on Craigslist and Facebook. This advice may not apply if you are
dealing with an established real estate agent who has an excellent reputation. You should
telephone and email the agency direct to confirm that the person offering the property is not a
fake actor who is not from their agency. Renting a property that you have not inspected from a
good agent still carries many risks. The photos supplied may be old. There may be many problems
that you can see only when you visit the property. For example, it may be infested with vermin.
The neighborhood surrounds of the property may be noisy, filthy, ugly and dangerous. Real estate
agents are experts at describing an average property in a way that makes it sound delightful.
Never pay via Western Union ™, Money Gram ™ and similar money transfer agencies.
Scammers prefer to be paid via Western Union and others like them as it is difficult for police to
trace overseas scammers. Never pay for rentals via any of these legal money transfer agencies:
Bitcoin is a scam. No one knows how owns, manages or created the mysterious digital junk.

Never hand over cash just because someone looks like they own the property
This is a popular scam. John Doe rents a single apartment on Airbnb for three days and pays $300
to the owner. The owner tells John Doe that he will be away from the city/country for three days.
John Doe advertises the Airbnb apartment on Facebook and Craigslist. He tells rental applicants
that he is the owner. Renters may inspect the property. John Doe arrives at the property with a
big bunch of keys and he is wearing a suit and looks professional. He only offers the apartment
to the person who will pay via cash, Bitcoin, Western Union or MoneyGram today.
The scam victim Chang Zhang, a newly arrived international student, hands over a $2000 deposit.
The real property owner arrives back three days later and tells Chang that she has been scammed.
Some scammers have clean-cut images.
Speak with neighbors and check paperwork via careful investigations to find out who owns the
property. Ask to see the identifications of the person who claims to own the property. Don’t be
shy to ask. Did they ask to see your identification and credit report before dealing with you?

Denial that you paid
Informal renting agreements are becoming more common, especially sub-letting rooms in family
houses. High taxes and tenancy laws that protect tenants who are scammers push many honest
landlords into the rental black market. Black market means ‘off books’. The property owner
avoids rent contracts and other paperwork that proves that someone is renting their living space.
Some scams are as simple as this. You pay rent in cash for the next two weeks. The next day the
landlord says this lie to you “you don’t live here, and you have never paid me rent – get out now”.
If you refuse to leave, the property owner will call the police and they will evict you. The police
may charge you for trespass. Police prefer to keep out of rental disagreements. They have been
instructed by lawmakers to refer disputes to civilian law courts. These tips may protect you:
√ Ask to speak to other renters in the property before handing over cash.
√ Only hand over cash if the property owners send you a text message at the same time
confirming that you have paid for rent, and that dates that you paid for.
√ Try to pay weekly and not monthly. They can only scam you for a week of rent at most.
√ Only pay for the rent via a check from your personal bank account or direct money
transfer to a bank that operates in the state where you are renting.
It may be best to avoid paying property owners who insist on cash payments. Period. Avoiding
them does not make you homeless. If they are a scammer you will be homeless and penniless.

Bankrupts
Some people who own a domestic rental property or sub-let a room are in deep financial stress.
They will not tell you this until you hand over your cash and move in. After you pay your first rent
and deposit, this unethical person may advise you that the house that they are legally renting is
far behind with rental payments and utilities. Unless you are willing to help them with additional
cash, beyond the rent you agreed to pay, both of you risk being evicted or living in a place that
has no gas hot, water and electricity. As far as this leaseholder is concerned, their financial
problem is also your problem because you agreed to move into the house. Even if you don’t agree
to pay extra, this type of person may harass you daily with updates about this home’s crisis.
Ask to see original paperwork that shows the property taxes and utilities are up-to-date before
paying deposit. Ask to see original receipts that show rent/mortgage payments are up-to-date.
Overall, homeless room seekers are more vulnerable than the person living in the property who
manages the lease. The latter person has a roof over their head. The way that room sublets are
managed reflects this imbalance. Many people who rent out a room will demand that renters
provide a credit report (e.g. 700 points) before offering you the privilege of paying them $3,000
for the first month, last month and deposit. Few landlords would ever agree to supply you with
a copy of their credit report and receipts even though they are the one requesting money.
Landlords who aren’t flexible with allowing you to pay your deposits slowly, e.g. over a period of
a few months, may be the types who desperately need a stash of cash now to avoid bankruptcy.

Safety
Many people became homeless because of how they were treated when inspecting a property
or living in a property. Just because you are renting a decent bedroom in a good neighborhood
does not mean that you can drop your guard. A landlord or their invited guests can steal your
property, such as identification documents. Consider locking valuables somewhere safe like in a
safety deposit box, a storage unit or leaving it at a safehouse with a person who you trust.
Vulnerable people should not visit a rental property alone. Many
people have been sexually assaulted, bashed and robbed by scammers who
lured them to isolated locations that do not have a rental property available.
Please be wary of people/advertisements offering free rooms for ladies.
Please, precious you, always let other people know that you are visiting a rental property at a
specific time and place. Check thoroughly the identities of the person/s offering the property
before arriving. Verify that they have a business office, a corporate website and that you can call
the person at the phone numbers advertised on this website before agreeing to visit.
Never be fooled by business operators who have a simple website. It is possible to create a
fake basic business website with a few realistic looking web pages in 20 minutes.
Be wary of people who use @hotmail, @gmail, @yahoo as their business email addresses.
Never trust a real estate business that does not have its own original domain
name and uses free shared hosting websites such as Weebly and Wix.

Brokers
Rental brokers who work-from-home with nothing more than a cell phone and a Gmail email
address are popular on Craigslist. Many such brokers advertise this sort of offer ‘You pay me $300
to register and then I provide you with a list of empty properties that match your needs for two
months’. After you pay the $300 (no refunds) fee you discover that this broker offers you nothing
more than a list of properties that any person can find on Facebook, Craigslist and other websites.
Please consider only paying a broker’s fee to professionals who meets these criteria. The broker:
 Has a comprehensive, professional website that show staff names and faces;
 Offers a list of available properties and photographs of them prior to taking your fee;
 Has a tidy business office that you can visit and deal with the broker/s face-to-face;
 Are approved agents of the person who owns and rents the property;
 Accepts checks and/or direct bank transfers paid into a local bank account;
 Provides an official taxation receipt for moneys paid on corporate stationery.
These sorts of Craigslist ads claim to possess a list of similar rooms with the same rental price.
Such ads are usually uploaded by work-from-home brokers. They are not offering a particular
property. Try and cut out middleman. Save money by dealing with the property owner direct.

Checklist
The two-pages checklist overleaf may aid social workers, shelter staff and others to keep a record
of the profile and needs of clients. This template is self-explanatory. A seasoned pro like yourself
doesn’t need this author to tell you how to fill out a registration form. I wish you well.
Jay

References
ACLU (Binion, B.)(2019), ACLU Challenges Laws Criminalizing Panhandling,
www.reason.com/2019/04/02/aclu-challenges-laws-criminalizing-panha/
ACLU (2019), Domestic Violence and Homelessness,
www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/dvhomelessness032106.pdf
ADV China (2018), Are NEW Chinese buildings really FALLING DOWN?,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XopSDJq6w8E
All That’s Interesting (2019), 34 Unforgettable Photos Of China’s Massive, Uninhabited Ghost
Cities, https://allthatsinteresting.com/chinese-ghost-cities
Best friends (2019), Community cats https://utah.bestfriends.org/our-programs/communitycats
Bible hub (2019), Deuteronomy 31:10, https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/31-10.htm
Brooklyn Synagogue (2019), Homeless shelter, https://bhsbrooklyn.org/shelter/
Bryan Howard Channel (2017), Community Builds Tiny Homes for Homeless in Seattle,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8RwSIjLnGk
Canon, G. (2015), Dear Nevada, #&$% You. Sincerely, San Francisco,
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francisco/

City of Portland, Oregon (2019), Homelessness tool kit,
www.portlandoregon.gov/toolkit/article/562206
Couloute , L. (2018), Nowhere to Go: Homelessness among formerly incarcerated people,
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/housing.html
Davies, P. (2012), Gambling and Homelessness Go Together Like Thelma and Louise,
www.phillymag.com/news/2012/05/30/gambling-homelessness-thelma-louise/
Delaware State Government (2019), Division of Social Services: 3000 Technical Eligibility for
Cash Assistance,
http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title16/Department%20of%20Health%20and%20S
ocial%20Services/Division%20of%20Social%20Services/Delaware%20Social%20Services%20Ma
nual/3000.shtml
Exploring Real History (2018), Smart Meters?...The most 'selective' Wildfires in history,
https://exploringrealhistory.blogspot.com/2018/11/smart-metersthe-most-selective.html
Forbes (Pascarella, D.) (2018), 4 Stats That Reveal How Badly America Is Failing At Financial
Literacy, www.forbes.com/sites/danipascarella/2018/04/03/4-stats-that-reveal-how-badly-
america-is-failing-at-financial-literacy/#21a260be2bb7
Friedman, Z. (2019), 78% Of Workers Live Paycheck To Paycheck,
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shutdown/#1b0cd86b4f10
Getty Images (2019), The Retirement Commune: Housing New Direction For Baby Boomers,
www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/joanne-tuller-shares-her-dorchester-co-operative-
house-with-news-photo/

Great Song (2019), Paroles de Homeless Happiness: Madeleine Peyroux,
https://greatsong.net/PAROLES-MADELEINE-PEYROUX,HOMELESS-HAPPINESS,105487989.html
Jones, C. (2019), Amid Trump Tariffs, Farm Bankruptcies And Suicides Rise,
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suicides-rise/#460821652bc8
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Mail Tribune (Mann, D.) (2019), One-way ticket for the homeless,
https://mailtribune.com/news/top-stories/medford-proposes-bus-rides-for-the-homeless
MPR News (2019), Rural Minnesota’s lack of shelters make homeless an ‘invisible population’,
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/10/22/rural-minnesotas-lack-of-shelters-make-
homeless-an-invisible-population
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New Jersey (2019), Healthcare overview, www.nj211.org/healthcare-programs-and-resources
News Week (2018), Why it’s illegal to feed the homeless in cities across America,
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NPS (2019), Other Federal Wilderness Lands,
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Palo Alto Online (2019), First-of-its-kind program for people living in RVs debuts in East Palo
Alto, www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2019/05/03/first-of-its-kind-program-for-people-living-in-
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Rollin Stone (Taibbi, M.) (2010), Invasion of the Home Snatchers,
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Roseanne (1992), Ladies’ choice, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJZw43jsDiY
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storm level, www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/7-years-after-katrina-new-orleans-homeless-
twice-pre-storm-level/
Shelter Outfitters (2019), The Reason Some Choose to Be Homeless,
www.shelteroutfitters.com/smartblog/5_the-reason-some-choose-to-be-homeless.html
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The New York Times (Carrns, A.) (2014), Getting your wages, before payday,
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Veterans Affairs (2018), Aging and Life Expectancy in Homeless Veterans: Nine Questions,
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Vice (2016), Homeless Are Flocking to America's Forests, But It's Damaging the Land,
www.vice.com/en_us/article/gqme43/homeless-are-flocking-to-americas-forests-but-its-
damaging-the-land
Witesman, E. (2017), Op-ed: The vicious cycle of loneliness in homelessness,
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homelessness

Index
Addiction pp. 14, 20, 25-26, 30
Airbnb p. tba
Animals pp. 34-35
California pp. 11-12
Crime pp. 18, 20, 26, 29-30
Domino theory pp. 19-21, 25
Family pp. 2, 18-21, 26, 28-29
Finances, financial crisis pp. 3, 10, 14-18, 25-27
Governments pp. 3, 6
Homeless,
Definitions pp. 2-3, 22
Stereotypes pp. 4-5
Voluntary pp. 23-24
Natural disasters pp. 11, 31-32
New York, New Jersey p. 27
Older persons p. 28
Scams, rental p. tba
Social worker triage checklist pp. tba
Stereotypes pp. 4-5
Veterans, military pp. 4, 31
West Coast, USA pp. 11-12
This is a work in progress document.
The major chapter, Chapter 3 – ‘Characters’ is current being researched and composed.

Some other C’s of homelessness:
For independent researchers who question official narratives
 Carbon tax scams
 Climate change scams
 Climate engineering
 Chemtrails
 California fires
 Crop failure
 Corn harvest failure e.g. Colorado
 Cubicle homes
This book excludes these issues from its main body. This free book aims to focus on homeless
souls and their unique, magnificent narratives.

Americas homeless: We love you.

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