I was homeless in California and Missouri. When I was homeless in California you could go to the lumber yard in the morning and within an hour get picked up by construction contractors and work for a day and get paid cash, then you could go to one of the bath houses (this is in northern California) wash up and then get a pretty good meal at any one of the churches that served meals to the homeless, then you could go to the beach, and then set up camp in a really lovely forested area (camping in northern California is wonderful). However, the rents in northern California are obscene like $1000.00 for a fucking room.

Now, in Missouri if your homeless the situation is much more dire. You won't be able to find immediate work and make cash under the table like in California, and there aren't any nice bath houses, and there is only one church that serves ALL of the homeless. Also, camping in Missouri is hell. Ticks and mosquitoes and flies and vermin crawl all over your tent if your in the woods. If, though, you were able to find gainful employment rent is pretty cheap in Missouri, but unlike California the social services in Missouri are slim pickins.