Hello World! As an American citizen in The Philippines, whom was homeless twice in the USA, whom is now permanently disabled & totally BLIND, I am wishing a Merry Christmas to ALL, including those that are homeless and/or disabled! ☺️
Yes, I was homeless TWICE in the USA, and I had self-learned how to SURVIVE on my own during both instances! The keyword, here is “self-learned”, meaning I did not depend on others for surviving. Though homeless life was a struggle to me, I have overcome homelessness, and moved on with my life.
The first time I was homeless, was in 1992, from September to December. The location was Anchorage, Alaska, USA. I was rescued from an abandoned fish processing vessel near Atka island Northwest Alaska. Temporarily, my rescuer had me stay in his bed & breakfast establishment, but evicted me two weeks later because I had no money to pay rental expenses. Since I previously had worked in a buffet restaurant in Seattle, I searched the Yellow Pages and found only one buffet restaurant. Though I was not yet hungry, the first task I had to do, is locate a suitable food source, in which I would not be expected to pay for the food I ate, so the buffet restaurant became the best option, but I could not afford to commute there. Since my Philippine-based girlfriend (at that time) was a Southern Baptist, I located a Southern Baptist church in Anchorage. After locating a suitable church, I quickly became involved, and then I asked the Sunday School teacher to bring me to the buffet restaurant I located in the Yellow Pages. After Sunday morning worship service, the Sunday School teacher, Mr Henry Wade, drove me to that restaurant. Upon entry, before eating, I went to the cashier, asking for an employment application. While dining at the expense of Mr Wade, I filled out the employment application, and wrote “Immediately” on the line that read, “When can you begin work?” or something similar. After bringing my application to the cashier, I asked for the manager. The restaurant’s general manager, Mr Tom Jones, then met me at the dining table I’m consuming my food with Mr Wade. After a short discussion, Mr Jones HIRED me, on the spot! Mr Jones then waived my meal expense, gave me part of a uniform and a nameplate with my first name on it. He then asked Mr Wade about getting me black slacks & white dress shirts, with buttons on the front, and black dress shoes, informing me I can start the next day, if I got my clothes that day. Mr Wade then brought me to the nearby department store, purchased the clothing I require, and then brought me to a homeless shelter. The next day, I began working in the buffet restaurant despite I was living in a homeless shelter. I began working, and kept working, and visited the restaurant on my days off, wearing my uniform, hoping another employee would become absent for me to work, etc. Mr Wade, my Sunday School teacher, refused my reimbursement for what he spent on me. Before Christmas 1992, I found a place to live, and I was no longer homeless!
And then, the second time I was homeless, was from November 2002 to June 2003, I was homeless, again. This time, beginning in Seattle, temporarily in San Francisco, then, back in Seattle. I began living out of my car, but nobody knew I was living in my car, mostly because I did not look homeless, and I equipped my car with my technical hobbies, such as radio communication equipment, GPS, wireless internet + pocket computer, laptop, and an electronic surveillance system that included front, side & rear video cameras. In addition to the car manufacturer’s FM radio antenna, I had a Larsen-brand 2m antenna on top of my roof (for mobile amateur radio communications), a windshield-mounted antenna (for radio scanner) & a right-side window-mounted antenna (for my dual-band FM amateur radio transceiver, often on my belt). My car was a Chevrolet Cavilier wagon, which had space in the back for me to sleep. I also hand-built my own WiFi antennas for acquiring free WiFi hot spots for my laptop to have internet, mostly for downloading satellite maps from the navigational data from my portable GPS on my dashboard. (This was in 2002!) I drove from Seattle to San Francisco, alone. I still had a business license, including a business membership card for Sam’s Club, which allowed me to get my food in bulk at low prices. During my journey to California, while still in Oregon, my car’s heater core broke, forcing me to keep my car’s thermostat set to “cold”, unfortunately, I could not drive fast up the steep mountains in Northern California due to my car’s engine becoming to high in temperature. Upon arrival in San Francisco, my car broke down, leaking coolant onto the ground. I had to call for help via my amateur radio, in which I met a HAM radio that repaired my car’s engine problem for free. I temporarily stayed at a men’s homeless shelter in Vallejo, California, but left two days later because my snoring kept everyone in the shelter awake. I then stayed in a rest area, driving to a clothing-optional beach for my baths. I had T-Mobile, my cellular service provider at that time, to provide me a local, San Francisco telephone number. Because I needed money, I drove to the San Francisco Chronicle, a newspaper, and advertised myself as “24hr computer repair service”, in which I received work. Since all my repairing equipment was already in my car, plus I had two AC inverters, I was able to perform computer repairs in my car, anytime. Though I was receiving enough income to continue living in my car, my car’s engine was showing signs that it will soon die. I then began my return journey back to Seattle, where I have my belongings stored in a contracted storage locker. I then spent my Christmas, alone in my car, in the parking lot of a 24hr Wal-Mart supercenter. Once, during the daytime, I visited that Wal-Mart, and encountered a former female friend, which was not helpful since I was still homeless. Two weeks later, my car died beyond repair. At nighttime, I slept alone in city parks, wearing my walkie-talkie, cellphone & 3D Maglite (security flashlight) with amber-colored lens. I also carried my handheld radio scanner for monitoring local police, etc. I avoided meeting other homeless persons, for reasons of morality. Since T-Mobile switched my phone to my original Seattle number, I had let my computer repair service clients know I’m back in town, allowing me to earn some money despite I was still homeless, and living in city parks at night. As a scientist, I often stayed in public libraries in the daytime, researching whatever I wanted to research, but often had librarians waking me up whenever I began sleeping. When it got too cold in Seattle, I had to stay in a “cold weather shelter”, South of Lake Union, just North of a Burger King restaurant. Then, due to health-related problems, I was forced to seek medical attention, so I went to Washington State DSHS office in Seattle, enrolled in the State’s Medicaid program to visit doctors for free. After a couple more months living in a city park, I received a phone call from an agency that wishes to provide me temporary shelter, for escaping homelessness. I was in a temporary shelter South of Greenlake park for about two months before moving to transitional housing for a year, then into permanent housing. Finally, I escaped homelessness a second time!
Thanks for reading my latest blog post! Have a Great Day!
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