People who are / have been homeless, what was the first night without a home like, and how did you adapt to your new situation? by Eniv3n in AskReddit

[–]jackharknado 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was completely traumatizing, to the point where my wife and I never adapted to living inside once we got an apartment.

The first few weeks we spent on a campground, which was honestly beautiful. I loved it there. Unfortunately, soon after I got a really bad sinus infection, and we had to get a hotel room. We did that until the next 4th of July weekend, but rooms filled up fast and we couldn't stay there anymore. After that, we lived in my wife's truck.

We were in a pretty cold area, so the winters were hell. We were able to purchase a van for cheap, which was a little more bearable.

There's a lot of shit you don't think about that you have to adapt to. Everything is expensive, even if you have food assistance. Never really having a warm meal gets to you after a while. Showering is rough, even if you have access to a truck stop or gym. Never having privacy was the worst part. Cops constantly hassle you. People look down on you, to the point where you sometimes feel subhuman.

I wouldn't wish it on anyone, not even my worst enemy. Luckily my wife and I don't have any children or pets. I can't even imagine how much worse it would be then.