Other Areas
USA
Suntopia is somewhat like this site, except specific to whatever area you're in. Just put your zip code in the bar on the top.
Suntopia is missing a medical section, but here you'll find low cost and free medical assistance.
Another site like Suntopia is Need Help Paying Bills.
Hud's Website for Homeless Assistance
National Homeless including this page.
Also, check out my other sections that are geared toward the Hampton Roads VA area in many cases but sometimes include things applicable to other areas.
HOMES:
Did you know that you can be a homeowner even if you receive around $700 a month? Month per month, owning a home is often cheaper than renting, not to mention the tremendous long term benefit of tax incentives, gaining equity over time, etc. There are loans out there where you don't need a down payment or any other cash to get a home, where even initially, owning a home can take less than renting.
Multiple people whose sole income is SSI & were in bad rental situations with unresponsive landlords have called me and I've been able to direct them to loans where they were eligible to purchase a home. In fact, I've never had someone with SSI that I can remember who I haven't been able to get qualified after I connected them to one of my go to SSI lenders. Not all lenders can qualify them, which is important to note in case you've ever been rejected. The first time, it took me stretching out to my lender contacts after my initial group of go - to lenders at various banks could not help them. After I knew where to connect the first person with SSI with, connecting the next person with SSI to the right lender was easy.
For instance, one person whose sole income of less than $750 was SSI with a credit score of around 650. I directed her to a loan that is paid over the course of 38 years (rather than the standard 30 or less). The interest on that government-subsidized loan for that person was only 1%, which was much less than the traditional 3.5-5% at the time. With the loan I directed her to, she was eligible for an $80,000 dollar loan, which was $20,000 higher than another loan she was also eligible for. There was no down payment requirement nor a requirement for any other initial funds, which was perfect since she did not have any savings. She qualified for double the home that she eventually purchased (she purchased a home for $40,000), and her house payments now are significantly lower than what her rent payments were before. If she had purchased one for $80,000, her rent payments would have been very similar to what they were before, just under $500. In addition to that, she's now a homeowner that doesn't have to deal with a landlord that doesn't want to fix anything!
The above home in Hampton, VA was purchased by a client of mine for $80,000. The inside is in similar condition to the outside if you're wondering. It had no appraisal required repairs, meaning it was in at least decent condition if not good. It's in a decent neighborhood, where the Zestimates for the adjacent homes and the homes across the street is over $170,000 at the time of this writing (within a few months of purchase). The cost to rent it out should be around double the monthly cost to pay the mortgage.
Think that that's an unusually good home for that price & low mortgage payment? It was the best deal where we were looking that we could find at the time in my client's price range. Choosing the right agent is critical to find the best deal. In case you've never worked with a real estate agent before to buy a house, it's important to know that you wouldn't need to pay me anything for me to help you to find a home or for me to refer you to another agent who you also wouldn't need to pay.
TEMPORARY SHELTER:
Check out Suntopia and other websites at the top of this page above "HOMES". With Suntopia, enter your zip code at the top, click "find services, then click "Rental Assistance" or "Homeless Shelters."
Find campsites & other unconventional places to sleep here . Train stations and police stations are also options sometimes. When staying at places like that without a shower, one way to get showers is to sign up for the YMCA free program in your area. In Newport News, VA, the income limit is $30,000.
JOBS:
If you can't find any jobs locally or nationally and are open to working for food/housing or going international for higher paying jobs, click here.
Retaining a job:
On the job -
1. Show up a few mins early every time to work. If an emergency is
going to make you late, call in as soon as you know about the
emergency.
2. Avoid taking breaks. Make it clear by your actions that you want to
work longer than anyone else.
3. Find a balance of speed, thoroughness, & good customer service if
there are clients or customers present. When finding a balance, do all
3 very well. Work very hard whenever working.
4. Show up well groomed, w clean clothes, a shower that morning,
shaved as applicable, deodorant, but not too much cologne or perfume.
Outside of the job:
1. Be sure to budget well, spending only on necessities after initially getting a job, in order to have a savings cushion. Once you have a solid cushion of savings, you can have more freedom to spend on things that aren't necessary, but it's still very important to budget with necessities first in mind like housing, transportation, food, medicine, etc.
2. Never drink alcohol in excess the day of or the day before a job.
Even better is to avoid alcohol altogether due to the expense,
addictive nature, & possible negative side effects including someone's
perception of it as negative if you have alcohol on your breath even
if you aren't tipsy. Problems are better dealt w in a holistic way
rather than a temporary numbing of the pain. Counseling is often
available if you are on some form of insurance. Also, a good church
can be a resource as well as Scripture. Keep in mind that there are
plenty of churches w no life where the sermon could put you to sleep,
so feel free to go to a few dozen before deciding on one.
3. Avoid cigarettes altogether. They negatively affect your
clothes, are addictive, and are expensive. See above for some holistic
solutions.
4. Avoid non-prescription drugs at all costs, as they are expensive,
addictive, & negative. Something that dulls the pain but doesn't solve
the problem is not a solution.
5. If you are on prescription drugs, be sure to take them as directed. Also, keep in mind that sleep and diet including alcohol and sugar play a big role. Too little sleep can cause unusual side effects and can reduce any positive benefit of a medication.
WIFI:
I Googled "How do I get free wifi at home." I found this list with a number of options, including Wefi. I found another great list here, which included Freedompop. With Freedompop, there are various possibilities. The 1 that I like is where you purchase a $50 device (including shipping) and then get 500 MB for free every month thereafter. It's great for email, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're trying to stream video. You can find more options here.
Wefi offers an app where you can locate the free wifi closest to you, showing you a map and a list with the distance from you.
The best free way to get online is probably at the library.
Another great way to get online is to purchase a smartphone with wifi, such as many blackberries that are available for around 30$ used off Ebay, or by purchasing a used laptop or new Chromebook or other laptop that can be purchased for $100 or less at times.
FOOD:
Check out Suntopia and other websites at the top of this page above "HOMES". With Suntopia, enter your zip code at the top, click "find services, then click "Food Pantries."
If you're low income, hunger shouldn't be a problem in America if you know what you're doing & work the system. I remember a homeless friend of mine who had a job, but said that he "never" spent any money on food. He would buy plenty of alcohol, which sometimes meant that he couldn't eat at places with free food if he was intoxicated, but he would never buy food. He knew how to work the system, even if he was lax sometimes by showing up to a feeding while still tipsy. Alcohol was a big factor in giving him poor health and promoting his homelessness, but he wasn't hungry.
While hunger should not be a problem with a small understanding of the system in America, nutrition sometimes is. The more that you know about the right channels, the better nutrition you can get. Without knowing much, but knowing a little, you probably won't be hungry, but you might be malnourished with a diet of mostly bread & lesser portions of meat. Eating those alone will mean that you're a lot more likely to get things like pancreatic cancer from not having enough fiber. It's also important to break the norm here among homeless & poor people. Some people don't believe in the whole "culture of poverty". I do. I saw it firsthand abundantly clearly. When 2nds was called, the meat and potatoes were cleaned out quickly, while no one got 2nds on peas. Plenty of people didn't get any seconds because the only item left was peas. Peas are the #1 nutritious food that they could have eaten that night by far out of the 3. With vitamins and fiber, it serves exactly what a homeless diet lacks too much of. I got a whole plate of peas for seconds that night. I suggest getting some education on the kinds of foods you should be eating, focusing on veggies that are not starches (corn, white potatoes, etc.).
If you're homeless &/or your income is low, you may be eligible for food stamps. When I Google "food stamps in virginia" the first non-ad site that comes up is the one I'm looking for, here.
It's critical to budget your food stamps & any other funds for food wisely so that you don't run out before the end of the month. It's best to try to eat minimalistically for the first 3 weeks of the month prior to larger purchases for more long term foods near the end of the month. Large bags of rice, large containers of oatmeal, large bags of beans, large bags of flour, etc. can be very wise purchases. If you know a member of Costco or another wholesale store, that can be one of the best places to get these items. Having a good freezer and stockpiling when good deals come up (like $1/lb split chicken breast or cheaper leg quarters on sale at normal grocery stores or cheap frozen turkeys around Thanksgiving) is also a good idea.
Look for your local food bank. By Googling "food bank" & your city
MEDICAL/DENTAL:
This website includes state by state lists of free and reduced cost medical services. Just look for your city & adjacent cities for the best options for you.
For glasses for kids, click here.
Keep in mind that with more water than most people drink, a higher fiber diet, proper weight, and avoiding substances like alcohol, cigarettes, and illegal drugs, many health problems are avoided.
The better care you take of your teeth, the lower your chances of needing to go to the dentist. Brushing within 30 minutes after meals at least twice a day and swishing water after any eating including snacks or any non-water drinking is a big help.
You can find out a ton through Google searches. Much of the information on this site was acquired through it. For instance, I googled "Rhode Island Homeless" and this site was the first non-ad site that popped up.
CLOTHES:
Check out Suntopia and other websites at the top of this page above "HOMES". With Suntopia, enter your zip code at the top, click "find services, then click "Clothing Donations"
INTERNATIONAL:
Shelter International: Middle East and Africa: (Sudan, Senegal, Iraq, Afghanistan, Tajikistan at the time of this writing)
UK, Australia, Ontario:
http://www.homeless.org.au/directory/shelters.htm
Japan, Europe, and some other countries: http://www.homeless.org.au/directory/regional.htm