Hobo Happenings

My name is Shanna, and I have been homeless in Florida for the last 3.5 months.

I came down here for 3 reasons:

My ex left me.
I was really sick and told I was going to die within 1-2 years.
I panicked.

I didn’t know what to do. I spent a few months grieving and just being depressed. Then I sorta…turned all my emotions off, found a really good home for my kitties, packed 2 bags, got on a bus, and made the 2.5 day trip down to Miami from Minnesota.

My plan was to live hostel to hostel.

I got sick on the way down here. When I finally arrived at the hostel I had booked, I went into the bathroom and broke down in tears. Some Aussie chick came in and comforted me. then brought me back into the dorm room and helped me drag my mattress to the floor since I was too weak to climb up.

The next morning I was given a bottom bunk (yay) and spent the next week getting over whatever I had. I also found out someone had stolen all my cash. I still had my emotions pretty much off, so I was like…fuck. I knew then I was going to be homeless because it was all the money I had.

I got rid of my 6500CU bag and most of the stuff I had. This included clothes, my movie collection, my CD player, some books, a whole bunch of crap. I was left with only my backpack and camera bag.

I started off by tying my tripod to the back of my backpack with some rope I had brought with me, but it kept ripping it open at bad times. So I gave it to some random dude who was peeing in the bushes the first night I slept on the street.

I normally have a pretty good system. I stay in a cafe during the day until they close…then sleep outside somewhere at night. I do sponge baths in bathrooms, brush my teeth and hair, do my makeup…and generally try to not look homeless.

It apparently gets cold in Florida at night. I never knew that.

One item I got rid of when throwing my stuff away was my over sized hoodie. I so could have used it the last month. =/

Um. It was OK being homeless at first. I had a nice sidewalk in South Beach and it was nice at night. Warm with a slight breeze. It was too noisy to sleep well though. And random men groped me awake. That annoyed me.

I got a really bad UTI and called an ambulance to take me to the ER since I didn’t even have enough money for a bus at the time. I had no money for antibiotics either, so I had myself admitted to the psych ward. Free anti’s, yo.

I was there about 4 days and they refused to put me back on the street. I was put in a fucking half way house instead. It was horrid. 3 men there kept trying to fuck me. Touching, saying stuff, etc. I went to a new halfway house after a week. The HOUSE MANAGER tried to get me into bed and everyone was a narc. They listened in on my phone calls and tattled that I was going to leave. The house manager would text me crap like: ur cute And wanna come cuddle with me in bed?

…

Yeah. It made it rather awkward. So I gave them my dummy bank card that has no actual account linked to it and hired a limo to pick me up in the morning. I was told recently a cab would have actually been cheaper, but at the time I thought it would cost more.

‘Sides, the limo picking me up and dropping me off back on my sidewalk to be homeless is an awesome story.

I was there a night or so and then I found a room to rent. I was sick again and oh so tired. The dude (owner) picked me and brought me to Hollywood, FL. I had my own room, but the door didn’t close. I had to prop a painting against it. I didn’t leave much. Mostly just to get food a couple times. =]

I had some psuedosuicide attempts as well. Such as swimming in a gator infested lake at midnight during a thunderstorm. o.o

After a month I was stupid and nice to someone and ran out of money. So I had to leave!

I packed up my crap and took a cab to the hospital. I got admitted to the psych ward and was there about 4-5 days. They told me they would drop me off at an ALF (Assisted Living Facility) so I could finally get help getting a doctor and getting treated and maybe not die! I was excited. So I got into the cab they paid for and…

He dropped me off on a corner! In Fort Lauderdale! I had no idea where in hell I actually was at first though. I had to ask what city I was in…which is pretty lame and gets you weird looks.

I fed a homeless dude and myself at the local McDonald’s (keep in mind I hadn’t eaten McDonald’s in years…it makes me ill. But it’s cheap!) and paid for him and I to take a bus to this shelter I was told to go to.

As soon as we got there they took my phone away. I burst into tears because I hadn’t been able to talk to any of my friends in almost a week and I needed that contact and I couldn’t have it while there. I rarely cry…and they told me that crying wouldn’t help anything. This helped to piss me off enough that I stopped. I had to sit in a chair for 5 hours waiting til 8:30pm so I could lie on the concrete floor with only a sheet to cover me. It was very cold. I didn’t sleep.

This was the beginning of my sleeplessness.

The next day I got up early and got my stuff together. I did my sponge bath and walked to the nearest bus stop. I took the number 1 to Broward General Hospital and sat in Starbucks alllll day long. I paid $9 in all for Internet that day. Then I cried when I realized the hospital had free Internet. =/ I also got my Starbucks card here. I put $5 on it and had unlimited Internet until they closed.

I tried to sleep hidden in the chapel in the lobby, but I was too scared that someone would find me and kick me out. I did this for two nights until the fucking guards kicked me out.

I walked and found this law office building…huge colonial looking house thing…and it had an outlet! So I plugged my phone in to charge, laid down, covered myself with my stolen hospital blanket, and tried to sleep.

It didn’t work.

From then on this was my bed spot. I began by walking 2 blocks to a gas station to pee whenever I had to go, then I said fuck it and peed in the bushes. Took me awhile to get the hang of it and not pee on myself each time I had to go. ~_~

It got colder.

I was totally sleep deprived. Hallucinating, micro sleeping, twitching, just totally out of it. I was getting sicker. I even got hypothermia one night and was almost FORCED to go to the ER. There I got warm IV fluids and a hot shower. I even slept a few hours. But they neglected to wake me up and feed me.

I was very hungry.

This was when people started adding money to my Starbucks card. I hear it’s a bitch to do, and I hate accepting help, so they got to figure it out by themselves. -.- This went on for another week or so. Then! I got my monthly monies. I get them for being sick and dying and stuff.

So I booked this hostel for 2 weeks. I leave on the 17th.

My plan is to go to Starbucks, get a caramel apple spice cider (comfort drink…better than booze!), take the bus to the hospital, and get admitted.

I reallllllly need to wash my clothes. x.x

I have 1 shirt and 3 pairs of pants. My jeans have a hole in the crotch. I still wear them because my shirt is so big it covers it. I have flip flops. And one pair of toe socks.

I have $33 left on my Starbucks card because I am too fucking nice. =/

I’m having a very hard time keeping the depression away. I’ve wanted to just give up so many times. I still may. I haven’t quite made a firm decision.

My compy should be fixed soon. This will make me feel somewhat better. I NEED communication with people. I have a hard time believing I actually exist sometimes.

But for now…I’m here. And I will continue to blog and post pictures of my homelessness.

Am I the only homeless person with a blog? o_O

Signing off…

Me