30 Former Homeless People Share Unwritten Rules And Codes Among The Homeless That Most People Don’t Know About

Homeless protips:

Make friends. It's not like you have anything better to do, and ultimately this is what will get you off the streets.

Don't look like a hobo. Go to goodwill and get some nice looking clothes. A button up shirt and some slacks makes a huge difference, even if they're a little dirty.

Cops are not your friends. The closest thing there is to a hobo code is that you Do. Not. Cooperate. With. Pigs.

Sometimes a dog is a good idea. Make sure it's a cute one, and keep it well trained. Road dogs are actually treated much better than most house dogs, and are far better behaved. Never f**k with a man's dog is one of the other hobo rules. Kick someone's dog and you can bet you'll be in a ditch by morning.

Get some good gear. Military gear is best, because it's cheap, durable, and camouflaged well enough that you can camp near cities. A good USGI sleep system will keep you warm down to -40, collapses down to a cubic foot, and costs about $80-100. No tent required, comes with a camo bivy sack that you could use to camp unnoticed on the side of the road. A comparable system would cost you upwards of $600 at REI, and it would be flimsy and colored neon orange.

Be friendly with other hobos but don't turn your back on them. Many of them are awesome people, many more are addicts or criminally insane.

Watch your pack. It is valuable and if someone steals it you're f****d.

And at least once in your life, drink a hobo slam.

avoid the cart-toters
a little booze goes a long way toward making a new friend
chipping in a few cents here or there when someone is short for some alcohol also helps
the older guys are usually the more mellow of the bunch and can help point you toward a safe place to sleep or a shelter
if someone is an a**hole, ignore them and move on.
Always Be Cool, Dog. be the nicest person you can be but don't be a chump; some people will appreciate having someone who will just listen

I was homeless, only for about a month, during my teenage years- left my parents, moved in with d**khead boyfriend, got evicted by d**khead boyfriend. I learned not to accept "favours" without knowing what was expected in return as payment... painful reminder of the old saying "nothing is free".

Save every penny. Buy a tent. Put your tent next to a river. Go to the library every single day. Spend as much time as you can applying for jobs. Take the first job you can get. Keep bathing in the river, and working until winter. Do not spend a dime on booze. Once winter comes get an apartment, and keep working. Apply to your local technical college, and get a job in IT. Stop being homeless. Worked for me.

Homeless for 5 years here(since I was 18). heres a few I noticed

Prison and jail culture bleeds into the homeless community. Watch your words. Words normal people get to say can have serious meanings on the streets, one example? saying "B***h" to someone might get you assaulted. Watch your mouth, or you won't last long.

No one's pressing charges or calling the cops, If you get into a fight with someone, it's all he said she said bulls**t. Everyone takes it and conflicts resolve themselves. Everyone you're around is homeless, you gotta stay in that shelter with them every night, you'll share the same public spaces that everyone whos homeless has to. You don't have a choice. Keep to yourself, don't mouth off, dont fk with anyone else, or you'll get f****d with.

You cigs are everyone elses cigs. Everyone on the street smokes, if you got em, you're probably going to end up sharing them.

You get what you give. If you act like an a**hole to the people around you, they'll treat you like one...especially when you're in tent city. Just because a crew is homeless doesn't mean they don't have a community. You can either be part of it or not, but if you treat people harshly...expect it back at you.

Don't f**k with street families / street kids.

Most people don't want to acknowledge you exist. I'd say don't get frustrated with that, but it gets old really fast. Just find a way to make your day a little brighter. And be careful with what people give you. There's a lot of a**holes out there.

Regardless of what the police say, no, you're not going to get your things back. Oh, and don't argue with them. They'll beat the c**p out of you for no reason in a lot of cases because you don't have anybody standing up for you politically. So expect to be woken up really early, randomly, and be searched and then told to move.

Unless you have a crew watching your stuff, don't leave it out in the open. Someone else will take it. Some of them are people who need it just as bad as you do. Others are just j***s.

If you walk around and eat food and drink from Walmart that is under 30 bucks, they don't call the police, they just kick you out.

This applies to groups, especially those with addicts: don't trust anyone. Be civil, nobody likes a d**k. Be helpful, nobody likes an a**hole. But don't trust anyone. Somebody will take advantage of you.

Most homeless just want to get by. They got where they are through s**tty circumstances, and all they want is peace, a roof, and food. Unfortunately, as with any group, there's a minority that ruins it all. They see the other homeless as tools to their next meal or fix.

Most common was jail; they go in for a small crime, and leave with nowhere to go. One guy had mental problems, but I never learned the specifics. He talked to himself a lot, and got angry really easily. He hit some lady one day, and the cops/judge didn't care if he was mentally ill or not; off to jail, then back to the streets.

Turbo edit - I was "only" homeless for about 6 months, so I almost only experienced the leeches that flock to the newbies to exploit them in one way or another.

Former homeless person here. Don't trust a single word any homeless person says to you. They figured out a long time ago that empathy is the most efficient way to get money out of you.

Don't give money to homeless people at all. Its not helping. Its enabling!

Edit I made another comment but it won't be seen as much as the following....

As much as people despise religion online, religious people are by far the most compassionate about the homeless. A good church will do everything it can to help you, without trying to force its faith down your throat.

Edit 2: If you want to help the homeless give them your time not your money. Volunteer at a shelter. Donate clothing to goodwill or whatever the second hand store in your area is called. Donate money to the salvation army. They are by far the largest advocates for the homeless population. Here's an idea instead of just passing them by and going on your daily routine, stop and ask them their name. You have no idea how this small token will be appreciated by someone that is passed by thousands of times a day without so much a look in their direction. Offer your phone number, say if you want to talk call me. You don't need to be a psychologist to show compassion. Start a group activity that welcomes homeless. Recreational sports league? Invite him/her to come play.

Find a popular area and claim it. Make sure no one else can claim it and you should be able to live well off in terms of food.