A Spending Plan for Homeless People,

A Spending Plan for Homeless People, 

Learn what to put into a backpack to make it into a homelessness survival kit for yourself or others using this list as a guide. | Source

A Spending Plan for Homeless People, Suggestions for Those Who would Help

When I was homeless about twenty-five years ago I came across a hundred dollars in a cigarette pack. Someone's carelessness with his money saved my life. I think without it, my life would have been very different and may well have ended well before now.

The reason that relatively small amount of money made a life-changing difference is because I'd carefully worked out how to spend it long before that windfall came my way. I was tempted to spend it in other ways, like buying a couple nights in a motel room with a bed, a bathroom, and best of all a locking door or using it to go see a doctor.

Others might face different temptations but if carefully spent, even smaller amounts of money can be used to build a ramp up out of the pit of homelessness.

The purpose of this page is to give people who are homeless a little hope and a plan and to give people who wish to help a good idea of what they could do for or give to them to help them out. The Washington couple who started the $20 backpack homeless care kit charity movement claim it inspired the direction they took in helping those in need while sticking to a tight a budget.

What You Can Do With This List - What These Amazing People Did With This List - A personal note

I found this video about a $20 homeless backpack care kit because it had gone viral on the Internet and I clicked on it. You can not possibly imagine my surprise when I was watching it, not knowing I had anything to do with it when, there on the screen, was my article. They fulfilled my fondest wish, not only because they are doing what I hoped people would do with the information, but because they've successfully popularized the idea in a way I could not. Many more people will be doing this and other things to help people in need. It fills my heart with joy!

These lovely people not only put this list into use but were gracious enough to say where they got the idea. Putting love into action makes us all greater for it.

• HomelessBackpack.@ https://josephfreedomoranarchy.blogspot.com/2014/07/veterans-project.html
  A very useful homeless backpack charity website inspired by the couple who claim to have been inspired by this article.
• Infographic: How to Survive the Street and Work toward Employment and a Home | The Homeless Hub
  An article and infographic created by The Homeless Hub using text from this article.

We need a great deal of social change in our country and this is not a solution to poverty. However, it is an action to spread the awareness necessary to make such change happen while helping some people a little directly in a concrete way. I think of it as an extremely kind advertising campaign for social change.

image by Fanginhoon, freeimages.com

Goals, Tasks, and Items for Escaping Homelessness

What a survival kit can help you accomplish

Goals:

• Getting a regular job.
• Keeping a regular job.
• Conserving enough money to get an apartment or rent a room.

To do these things you must be:

• Clean
• Well-groomed
• Rested
• Fed

To accomplish your goals you must have:

• An address
• A phone number
• An alarm clock or watch
• A place to bathe
• A clean place to sleep or a way to stay clean when you sleep
• Clean clothes
• Food

photo by Yiannis Papadimitriou, freeimages.com

A Backpack

A place for all your important possessions

A backpack is probably the single most important item you can buy for your homeless survival kit.

A backpack allows you to carry all your belongings with you at all times. Unattended items will usually get stolen or vandalized, so everything you absolutely need must come with you wherever you go. Sleep with your backpack on. I used to reverse mine and wear it on my front and curled around it on my side when I slept. If you can, also tie the backpack shut securely with a piece of wire or string through its closures at night so thieves have to struggle to open it and wake you. It's very easy to do with backpacks that have a two tab zipper arrangement on their closures. In that case, you can take your wire or string and tie it through both zipper tab holes.

If you sleep in a homeless shelter, take your shoes off and put them in it at night to avoid getting them stolen. You will probably want to leave your shoes on when you sleep outside so you can run away from trouble if you need to.

You can buy a backpack at a thrift store like Goodwill or Salvation Army for about $5. Don't worry about how it looks, if it has cartoon characters on it or whatever, only concern yourself with whether or not it is tough and will hold up with lots of use. Be sure it closes completely and that the zippers are sturdy and not broken before buying.

Don't buy anything too fancy or it might get stolen and maybe even get you hurt in the process. Keep this in mind if you are buying a backpack for someone else, too.

If you wear your shoes while sleeping, undo the bow on each shoe and tie the shoestring loosely but firmly around your ankle. That way you'll wake up if someone tries to steal them.

A Mylar Emergency Blanket - Mylar blankets are great for any type of survival kit

A Mylar emergency blanket can keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Face the shiny side in to stay warm. Face the shiny side out to stay cool.

Emergency preparedness kits have become popular and they usually include a Mylar blanket. You can usually find a kit containing a Mylar blanket and other useful items or a Mylar blanket by itself at stores like Target, Walmart, and K-Mart. I've also seen the blankets sold by themselves in drugstores like Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and CVS as well as in some dollar stores.

You can usually buy a Mylar emergency blanket for under $3.

Emergency Thermal Blankets 52" X 84", 10xPack

I like this size of Mylar blanket for a wide variety of uses.

photo by Emiliano Spada, freeimages.com

Bar Soap and Antiperspirant

It's hard to stay clean and smelling fresh without them

You can use bar soap to get yourself and even your clothes clean in a pinch. Combine it with a washcloth and a resealable plastic bag and it'll be a lot easier to wash up.

Bar soap usually costs less than $2 and washcloths can often be found in dollar stores.

Get some good, scented antiperspirant. Be sure it says it's antiperspirant and not just deodorant. Antiperspirant contains deodorant but it also reduces the amount you sweat. Deodorant usually just covers up odors with a scent or perhaps neutralizes them. But deodorant still allows you to sweat and the sweat that wicks into your clothes will soon start to stink.

You can get a stick of antiperspirant for around $2.

photo by Michal Zacharzewski, SXC

Brushes for Teeth and Hair

Homeless does not have to equal unkempt

Well-brushed hair can pass for clean longer than un-brushed hair. A comb will work too, and it is smaller to carry. You can buy travel-sized brushes for a dollar or less in many stores and combs run even less.

You can't keep your teeth clean and your breath fresh without using a toothbrush so invest in a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Toothbrushes and toothpaste can usually be found for $2 or less.

photo by Andrea Kratzenberg, freeimages.com

Pants and Shirts

Certain fabrics withstand the rigors of homelessness better than others.

Buy any clothing you can't get free from a charity at a thrift store. If you can't find everything you need at a single one, go to others. If you can't find a particular item, wait a few days, they might get it in.

Buy polyester or other thin, synthetic fiber shirts and pants; they might not look as nice but they shed dirt and wrinkles much more easily than natural fibers, also they can be rolled or folded up very small to pack away in a small bag. Additionally, they dry more quickly when washed.

Also, buy some cotton t-shirts of the sort that can be worn without a shirt over them. You can wear these on days you don't have a job interview or work to go to.

Try to get at least three shirts, three pairs of pants, and three t-shirts.

If you stick to the suggested fabrics, your entire wardrobe will fit in a single washer and dryer load so you may be able to cheaply wash your clothes at a Laundromat if your funds allow.

Underclothes - Underclothes that dry quickly are the best choices

image by Sanja Gjenero, freeimages.com

For women, the socks to get are called trouser socks. For men they are called dress socks. You can usually get these for about a dollar a pair in dollar stores or big box stores. If you can't wear synthetic material socks, buy the kind you can wear. If synthetics don't work for you cotton socks usually work for anyone.

Try to have at least three pairs of socks. Some charities hand out socks. It's better to have more than three pairs because a sock change in the middle of the day can greatly increase foot comfort.

The best underpants you can get for men are actually those silky bikini style briefs. The best underwear and bras for women also follow this trend - thin, synthetic fabrics which can be hand wash and dry quickly. They don't take as long to dry as cotton but their most important factor is they are more resistant to mold and mildew.

Try to have at least three sets of underwear.

These are not the undergarments homed people tend to desire but their ease of care and ability to dry quickly allows you to have clean underclothes which feels a lot better than the alternative. Their resistance to mold and mildew helps prevent them from stinking up your pack when you have to store them damp inside it. It also helps you avoid stinking and having to wear moldy underwear.

Washing clean, shedding dirt easily, and resisting mildew as well as drying very quickly are what make me consider these types of underclothing to be good choices.

A Plastic Drop Cloth or Tarp

Protection from the elements and dirt

A plastic drop cloth of the kind people use to shield floors and furnishing when they paint will provide you with a clean surface to sleep on and can shelter you from the rain in a pinch. You can fold it up small to carry with you.

You can buy a plastic drop cloth for under $3 at most hardware or home improvement stores and in stores like Walmart, Target, or Sears.

image by Steven Goodwin, freeimages.com

How Did I Come Up With This Stuff?

Why would I even bother thinking about what things homeless people could use?

I spent a lot of time fantasizing about what I would buy if I ever got some cash when I didn't have a home. When I finally got some cash, I had a plan for how to spend it well. I'm also a bit obsessive about lists and planning.

Pepper Spray - Defense against the many predators who prey on the poor

I was reluctant to put this on the list because I've been strongly criticized for doing so but the fact is that homeless people are frequently assaulted or raped. It's not pretty but it's true. So pepper spray is a good thing to have on hand for protection.

However, if you are making up packs for other people, you can leave this item out if you are concerned it could be used to do harm.

1/2 oz 17% Pepper Spray in Hard Case w/ Black Case

The small size and cheap price of this pepper spray are what caused me to select this item to display.

photo by Ove T�pfer, freeimages.com

A Phone Number

Cell phones can provide stable phone numbers.

If you can't convince someone to let you use their phone number as a message phone you may need to get a cell phone.

Pay as you go cell phones are getting cheaper these days. You can buy a cell phone for as little as $20 and you can get enough minutes for three months use for about $35. This will give you a functional phone number to put on job applications.

Additionally, many cell phones have an alarm clock function which will help you keep appointments and get to interviews on time. If your cell phone has a clock and alarm function, you won't need to also buy a watch or alarm clock.

It can be tricky to keep your cell phone charged. If possible, try to pick up a solar cell phone charger. If you have a job, plug your phone in at work. If not, perhaps a friend or acquaintance who has a home could be convinced to let you charge it at their home.

Solar Cell Phone Charger

A solar cell phone charger can solve the problem of charging a cell phone without a home.

12000mAh Portable Waterproof Solar Charger Dual USB External Battery Power Bank

The actual Swiss Army knife I used, photo by me

A Swiss Army Knife or Other Pocket-Sized Multi-Tool

A good, sturdy Swiss Army knife or multi-tool can be a life-saver. I used mine to open bottles and cans, to pull out slivers, to cut food packages open, to cut loose threads off my clothes, and just so many other things I couldn't list them all here without it getting ridiculous.

A multi-tool or Swiss Army knife is clearly a tool so it might be less likely to get police all upset than a regular pocket knife if they do a stop and frisk on you. I found that to be the case but I was a small and very young-looking white woman so what applied to me might not apply to others. Maybe it helped that it was in my pocket with a sewing kit?

Tools for Sewing

You'll probably want to have a sewing kit so you can repair your clothing. It will help you keep your clothes looking presentable longer and fix functional issues like missing buttons. The sewing kit pictured below is a good example of a pocket-sized sewing kit. Choose a kit that has a sturdy case because the ones in plastic bags or flimsy cases will fall apart on you and leave you with a tangled up wad of thread with needles stuck in it eventually.

Mini Sewing Kit - A Portable Travel Kit You Can Keep In Your Pocket - Useful for Emergencies - Compact Size for Easy Transportation, But Large Enough to Be Comfortably Usable in Any Situation - 90 Day Guarantee!

This is a good example of a travel sized sewing kit. You should be able to find one in a department store for under five dollars.

photo by Michelle Rau, freeimages.com

Beg, Borrow, or Buy an Address

Do your darnedest to get a friend or acquaintance to let you use their mailing address on job applications. It's the easiest option for many people. If none of your friends, family members, or acquaintances are willing to let you use their mailing address on job applications check at local churches to see if they would allow you to use their address for this purpose. I have heard that many of them will provide this service for homeless people.

Another option is to go to the Post Office and apply to get your mail by general delivery, which means you get your mail right at that specific Post Office. Unfortunately, many Post Offices don't do this anymore, but a few small town offices still do so it can't hurt to ask if you live somewhere rural.

The other alternative is to buy a Post Office box so you can have an address. The cost of this varies but you should be able to get a basic Post Office box for $50 - $85 for six months rent. Unfortunately, most PO boxes have to be paid in a lump sum and some of them require an additional deposit.

If you are unable to get a box at the Post Office due to not having an address, try the private mail service companies like Mail Boxes Etc, the UPS Store, Pak Mail, or similar stores.

Even if you can't get a friend or acquaintance to let you use their address to receive mail at or to list on applications, you may be able to get them to let you use their address to get a Post Office box or mail box at a mail store.

photo by Kylyssa Shay

Hats and Gloves

Without a home, people need more protection from the elements

Even if it isn't particularly cold where you live, wearing a hat and gloves at night can help keep a homeless sleeper warmer. The hat will not only keep your head warm it will also keep you from getting stuff in your hair if you roll off your bedroll and onto the ground.

I've found some really great hats, gloves, and scarves in my local dollar stores lately so these can generally be found for a dollar or so.

image by Lode Van de Velde, freeimages.com

Food

It's not easy getting reliable meals

Check out the food banks and soup kitchens in your area before buying food. Also, apply for food assistance through your local human resources department. They may also be able to direct you to other helpful resources. It can be hard to take charity but this will allow you to save up for that apartment or room.

When those resources are exhausted and you must buy food, think cheap, easily prepared without a kitchen, and high in calories. This is not a nutritionally sound diet for long term use but it will prevent outright starvation. Ramen noodles are one of the best deals. They are high in calories, very light to carry around and you can eat them dry if necessary. Bread is also light and cheap, especially if you buy day-old baked goods. Canned beans are cheap and provide protein.

Once you can swing it, buy nutritious foods including plenty of vegetables and fruits. Avoid buying meat as it is difficult to prepare without a stove and is not a cost effective source of protein. Avoid soda, candy, and salty snacks, they have no real nutritive value and don't provide the energy other foods do. Obviously, you should avoid foods that require having a stove to prepare them.

If you live in a rural area, you may be able to convince farmers to either let you glean their fields (pick leftover fruit or vegetables after the harvest) or pay a small fee to pick fruit or vegetables from their fields.

This advice is not intended as a suggestion for your long-term diet. These are survival strategies intended to help you make it to a point when food is readily available and you have the luxury of making healthy choices rather than just staying alive.

If buying food to give to others choose ready-to-eat non-perishables like canned foods, granola bars, and peanut butter. Some people are allergic to peanut butter but they will usually know if they are and trade or give it to someone who can eat it. It's high in protein and doesn't spoil quickly. If you buy canned food be sure it has a pull top so it can be opened without a can opener.

photo by Ilker, freeimages.com

A Watch or Travel Alarm

Helps people get to work, interviews, and other appointments on time

You will need something to keep time with such as a wrist watch or travel alarm if you want to get to interviews, appointments and work on time. A watch is probably most practical as you can look at it at any point without pulling it out of your pack.

You can usually buy a cheap digital watch for around ten dollars. If you are lucky, you may find a functioning watch with a battery in a second hand store for less.

If you already have a cell phone or intend to get one, check to see if it has an alarm and clock function before buying a watch.

If Making Up Knapsack Packs for Others...

Please include pads, tampons, hand sanitizer, and flushable moist wipes if making them up for women. These items can be assembled in plastic zipper bags ahead of time to add to kits as they are given out.

Pads, Tampons, Feminine Wipes, Hand Sanitizer, and Dignity

• Homeless Periods, a Problem of Poverty, Dignity, and Feminine Hygiene
  Menstruating isn't considered fun by anyone, but having your period while homeless sucks in its own special way. Learn how you can help women dealing with homelessness and menstruation. Includes suggestions for making homeless period hygiene kits.

Transportation

I'd suggest using public transportation, purchased in multi-use cards or tickets as they are cheaper per use than individual fares. For those who are physically able adding a decent used bicycle will add flexibility to transportation options and many city buses have racks to hold them to use them with public transportation.

image by Przemyslaw Szczepanski, freeimages.com

What to Do With the Rest of Your Money

Save it.

If possible, put it in a bank account. If that isn't possible, buy travelers checks or money orders made out to yourself. This will prevent people from stealing your hard earned cash.

Do not spend any money on anything at all but necessities. This means no entertainment, no alcohol, no drugs, no single nights in motel rooms.

Be strong and think about the future. Save every penny you possibly can to get an apartment or to rent a room. Keep that room with a locking door in mind as your motivation.

photo by Csaba J. Szabo, freeimages.com

Buying Showers and Keeping Clean

It's difficult to shower often enough

Now here's the difficult part. It's hard to stay clean when you are sleeping outside.

Lay down your tarp and put your bedding on it before lying down.

Wear the same clothes to sleep in for several nights and change into clean clothes from your backpack for work or interviews. Don't sleep in your day clothes, roll them up neatly and store them in your pack to avoid getting them soiled or wrinkled.

When you go into a public restroom, grab some paper towels and wet them before going into the stall. You can do a little clean up in the stall with the wet towels. It works better to have a washcloth that you can store in a Ziploc type storage bag or other waterproof container.

If you find a bathroom with a locking door like a gas station bathroom, wash right at the sink as best you can. Use lots of soap and water and use a lot of antiperspirant after you dry your underarms. Never leave a mess behind because it will encourage business owners to lock their bathroom and it's basic courtesy.

Wet wipes are your best friend. While the kind that come a whole bunch in a pack are cheaper, the individually wrapped ones remove concerns of all their liquid evaporating or leaking all over your stuff. The individually wrapped ones fit easily into your pocket.

To get even more out of your antiperspirant turn your shirts inside out and rub a bunch of antiperspirant into the cloth of the shirt everywhere your underarms might touch. That way, in case some of the antiperspirant wears off of your body there will be a little bit of a backup on your clothes. When you get laundry access, pre-treat the underarm area of shirts and dresses by putting the soap on them and rubbing it in before washing. It will help you avoid underarm stains.

If you can find a truck stop that sells showers, you have hit cleanliness gold. You can buy a shower for several dollars at many truck stops.

How You Can Use This Information to Help Homeless People

Please, if this page is useful to your mission to help homeless people, feel free to print it out to share. If you want to use it on the web, please link to this page instead of cutting and pasting it to use. Pasting it in big pieces may get it taken down by the host website and make this resource unavailable to others who find it through existing links on charity websites. Some charities and activists have plugged fairly big direct quotes into infographics programs to make images to use on their websites. I love it when they do that! Images with my words in them will not harm this page but I ask that you allow such images to be freely shared as I do not extend copyright permission for any kind of exclusive use.

Some soup kitchens have printed out a less detailed version to hand out, making a slightly edited version of the text available for people to read. Some churches have edited the information in this lens to add to church bulletins.

If you want to take it to a more personal level you could print off this page (or the parts you'd like to) and put it and as many of the items listed as is practical into backpacks to distribute to homeless people. For the clothing, many thrift stores either have gift certificates or credit vouchers one can buy to serve in its stead.

I have been delighted and humbled by the number of people asking me how they can use this information to help others.

photo by Sanja Gjenero, freeimages.com

What Purpose Does This Page Serve?

This Sounds Like A Good Idea, But What Good Will It Do? How Can This Info Be Used To Help Homeless People?

I wrote this page to help people without hope make a plan to spend any money they get to better their situations but mostly, I created it to encourage people to buy these sorts of items to give to homeless people they know. This list of items and suggestions comes from my own experience and these items are some of the things I bought with an unexpected windfall when I was homeless.

It's all about helping people make a plan, spreading awareness, and giving people something concrete and empowering to do about homelessness. I think it would be of great benefit to everyone if we citizens could take it upon ourselves to help end this problem, starting with the people we see every day.

This is not just about ending homelessness, it is about understanding our obligations to each other as human beings. I'm a humanist and to me that means that the only help and hope we have as human beings necessarily comes from each other. I also believe that helping the less fortunate members of the family of humanity helps the helpers as well. It's like being a good parent, child, or sibling; it gives a person a sense of connectedness and strength.

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