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Homelessness vs. Mother Nature

During the winter months, homeless need to stay warm, and keep hydrated, to avoid dehydration, and hypothermia. However, to stay warm during the winter months when temperatures can average between 20 to -40 degrees, in some parts of the country, costs fuel when living out of any vehicle. We’re spending $30 a day to put gas into the tank and keep the vehicle running just to have some heat.
Just to see how warm our bodies have been lately I went and picked up a few different things at the local Walmart, Hardware, and borrow some equipment from the doctor’s office. This is going to help determine how well-insulated vehicles that are not RVs or Semi-Trucks really are.
My average body core temperature using a standard thermometer that simply goes under the tongue was 96.5 degrees. Almost, two degrees below normal, borderline hypothermia. I hung an outside/inside thermostat to show the average degrees outside and inside the car.
The outside temperature reader was placed on a tree nearby while the inside reader was hung at the center point of the car, one in the front, and another at the very back of the car. A one week test was conducted using the same points to determine temperature readings at sunset, midnight, late-night, and early morning. During the night, on an average temperature of 18 degrees was recorded. Inside the car, with the motor running all night, the average temperature was 58 degrees at the front of the car, 49 degrees in the center point of the car, and 37 degrees at the very back of the car.
Without proper insulation and heat, the body will do everything it can to stay warm. The organs are the most important on the human body and that is the first thing it is going to protect. Fingers and toes, not so much. There were several steps my husband and I took to help better insulate the car to keep the heat in and the cold out.
One: Flex Board Insulation – it’s not very thick but you can use it to put in the back windows and floor area to help keep the car insulated.
Two: Padding – Mattress Pads are your friend. We purchased a full-size mattress pad at Walmart. It was expensive but worth it. We folded the full-size mattress pad in half and laid it down with the back seats folded down and made a bed.
Three: Pillows – Body, Travel, and Standard Pillows – placing the pillows on top of the padding, up against the doors, down onto the floors, and windows. This will also help keep the heat in and cold out. ****I would not recommend placing any pillows on the front dash or on the floor in front of the front seats. This could potentially cause an electrical fire or other damage to the vehicle***
Four: Blankets and Comforters – Fleece Blankets and Down Comforters- Have you ever watched The Mummy? Do you remember how the mummy got wrapped up like a mummy? Well, guess what. Time to wrap up like a mummy. The fleece blankets are great for a base layer besides wool socks of course. You can wrap the fleece blanket around your feet and legs to help keep the heat in. The one down comforter underneath you and one down comforter on top of you. This will help prevent hypothermia.
The only problem with all of these items. They require money to purchase. Luckily sometimes people are giving away some of these items or the benefits of the holidays is some items are cheaper than others. So, things like blankets and down comforters, that are $200-$300 for a good one. You can purchase a cheap one for $40-$60 and it will help do the same goal you are trying to accomplish.
When in doubt don’t sleep alone if you can help it. If you do have to sleep alone, sleep during the day when it’s warmer outside. During the winter, temperatures can become extremely dangerous, threatening your life and safety.
Don’t fight mother nature. Review local weather conditions ahead of time by listening to the local radio station broadcasts or purchase a local newspaper for upcoming storms, and freezing temperatures.

You're Homeless, Now what?



·        What steps do I need to take to not become homeless anymore or at least make things a little less stressful?

o   Social Services – SNAP, Emergency Assistance, Temp Assistance programs
§  Apply for every program possible. Better to get a no from social services rather than realize, you could have gotten some help, compared to nothing at all. Just be prepared to explain your life story, personal life, and list everyone known relative, whether dead or alive.
§  Expect to spend 3 to 4 hours at Social Services minimum!
o   Homeless Shelters – Social Services may already recommend this to you. However, what they don’t tell you is many of these Homeless Shelters are already full.
o   When Shelters are full make your own – A lot of stores throw away pallets, boxes, even building materials. When, in doubt, build your own shelter.
o   Know who you can trust – Police are there to enforce the law. There is no law against being homeless, however, there are a lot of laws against where you can put up your “shelter”, park, or sleep for the night.
o   Where is a safe place for your shelter – Whether you have pallets, boxes, tents, or tires for your shelter you need a safe place to put it up. Sometimes there are other encampments around your area, you can find them. Some are in plain sight, others, the woods.
o   Time to Face Facts – If you’re on your own or with loved ones. You are homeless, your personal belongings are no longer personal, everyone can see you. You no longer blend in with the crowd. You stick out, the one people will point at, stare at, laugh at, and even feel sorry for you. Not many people are going to step out of the crowd to help you. The only thing they can do is stare, gossip, and point.
o   Theft – it’s not a matter of when stuff will be stolen from you it’s a matter of, people will steal from you. You are at the bottom of the totem pole, so-to-speak. What values most to you, keep with you always. When you are able, get a backpack. Stuff is going to get stolen if you're not careful.
o   Journal – If you are alone, get a journal and start writing daily. You can lose track of days quickly. This will help to keep track of what day it is and help keep some of your sanity.
o   The on-lookers: If you live in your car, guess what, you are now a target. When I mean a target, I don’t mean someone is going to walk up and shoot you. What I mean is local and state police are going to keep an eye on you for your safety and the public. Also, if your personal belongings are in plain sight, especially electronics, your car will be broken into. Keep valuables out of plain sight. When in doubt, find a Tint Wizard to Tint your windows. However, make sure the tint stays legal, of course. If you can’t afford to get your windows tinted, buy sunshades from Walmart. During the winter, sunshades go on sale for $.50 - $3.00 each and they work great for keeping peeping toms out of your windows. 
o   Nightly knocks – If you don’t have permission to be there, don’t stay there. For example, if you are camped or parked on someone’s property you need their permission! If you don’t have their permission, you are trespassing and can potentially be arrested for it. Walmart offers overnight parking, call the store manager up and ask. Better to ask and know than not know and spend the night in jail for loitering. Also, remember those peeping toms? Well, they like to come knocking nightly so be prepared for restless nights.

o   Sleep during the day – It’s easier to sleep during the day but harder to work during the day and stay awake at night. Learn tricks to help you sleep. If you must sleep at night, go somewhere public. 

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