[Guide] The players handbook to homelessness

[Rum]

There are many different personalities and quirky individuals that can usually be found underneath highway overpasses, usually in large groups. Most can be found wearing old, dirty clothing. The homeless tend to creep around small communities, which are usually situated close to the highway overpasses and are littered with garbage and other debris. Tents and sofas can be found in these communities, which is likely makeshift shelter, providing very basic, limited comfort. Homeless can also be found pushing around shopping trolleys and raking through dustbins. Though don't be worried, they won't attack unless provoked, and if so... you have to remember they have strength in numbers.
 

---

 

ROLE-PLAYING THE HOMELESS

Treasures / Food / Findings.

Starting from the top, when you're homeless the thing you want to get is food, some clothes and perhaps something in hopes to aid yourself further through the day, may it be a sandwich, maybe finding an old hammer or perhaps even finding a plastic bottle to make-shift pipe for any sort of substance that comes your way.
 

If you're walking around on your character, it's always good to show that you're going the extra mile, you're homeless, but you're not dead. You're hungry,  thirsty and always looking for your next hit and or to complete some sort of goal for the day, unless you're burnt out from the night prior. 
 

If you see something of a pile, trash or maybe you're digging through a large trash bin? The best thing I'd do is start getting familiar with use rolling system, /roll 1-10.

Here's how I use the system myself.

1-2  - You find nothing what so ever.  Nothing of use that is, maybe a small piece of plastic to scrape out your next pipe or something of use to just chew on, a stick?
 

2-4 - You found a small piece of  food, a little bite of a sandwich or a nearly finished donut that's stale and has a slight bit of mold, that or maybe a small bit of water in a finished cup that's collecting rain.
 

4-6 - Alas! You've found some sorts of drink and food, this time it's half eaten, oh boy!
Maybe you've found a half eaten sandwich or a half finished cold and expired coffee!
 

6-8 - This is where the fun comes in, usually if anything rolls from 6-8 is where I like to say I've found a piece of clothing, some sort of artical I can wear, maybe a unmatched sock, unmatched blown out shoe, a scarf or some grimy looking beanie that can be dried by a fire.  You can always put your own twist on it, perhaps you found a tooth brush or a pencil, maybe a pen that you can defend yourself with.
 

8 -10 - The Holy Grail, you've done it lad, you've done it. You found the "treasure" you've been looking for!  This could be anything from a full meal... too a sandwich that's untouched and slightly expired and has been thrown away from the LTD or maybe you found a half case of donuts, no bites taken out of them either!
 

You could also find a nice artical of clothing that isn't completely sacked to shit, maybe a military jacket or a matching pair of socks that little Timmy didn't want for his birthday, the options are somewhat endless, just make sure that it's still reasonably trashy, we're homeless... we aren't upstanding models. 
 

 If I manage to roll a perfect ten?
The options are truly endless, you could find anything from an piece of clothing to a full blown pizza that only had a slice taken out of it, maybe you found another piece to a bike you're repairing or a ripped blanket, some sort of piece to a contraption you're working on, make it up as you go!
 

---

Tents / Shelter / Home / Turf



The most known place for homeless activity is in the underpass leading into Strawberry. The place is riddled with rats, mice, various other lingering filth. Those who surround the community are without a doubt homeless, trying to push through their own struggles and demons, most having quite a few faults as they go through their day.
 

First thing's first, find some sort of mesh or clothing like a large oversized jacket or tarp, you can start off by making a small little makeshift shelter from some rope or something to hold the tarp and a few boxes you could find.  If you have a tent? Amen, you're in luck, the tent will be your holy ground, that is where you can store most of your stuff unless the other homeless around decide to ransack the tent for their own need and greed.  
 

The turf as said above is under the Strawberry overpass. If you're homeless, this is your turf, at least should be, there's also another large square of land under the highway leading into Mirror Park... it rests just beside the Mission Row Police Department.
 

With every area there's a large barrel that's often filled with news paper, rummaged about sticks, ruined clothing or something that can burn that's super cheap or most likely free and found on the ground. This is all to keep yourself warm and suitable for harsh conditions, if there's anything to burn that is, you might have to try and rough it out inside an abandoned building or inside your tent if it isn't already beaten to bits.

 

---

What is homelessness?

Homelessness is an extreme form of poverty characterized by the instability of housing and the inadequacy of income, health care supports and social supports. This definition includes people who are absolutely homeless (those living on the streets, sometimes referred to as "rough sleepers"); shelter dwellers (people staying temporarily in emergency shelters or hostels); the "hidden homeless" (people staying temporarily with friends or family).

When people lose their housing, they often move in temporarily with friends or family, a practice known as "couch surfing". If the option of moving in with friends and/or family is not (or is no longer) available because of weak social capital or a lack of steady income, many people will stay in temporary emergency shelters, or end up absolutely homeless. Emergency shelters exist in medium- and large-sized urban centers, but are not generally available in rural areas and small towns, meaning that most will eventually be at loss and fend for themselves.

If they are able to generate money, people who experience homelessness may rent motel rooms, move into rooming houses, or with friends, temporarily. Others will sleep "rough" in parks, along alleyways, on rooftops, or under bridges. Most people who are homeless move through a variety of temporary and unstable living situations, which makes generating income, maintaining health, keeping safe, nurturing healthy relationships and obtaining permanent housing extremely challenging. Homelessness, then, is not defined strictly by an absolute lack of shelter (though this is the most obvious manifestation of it), but rather by the intersection of a range of social exclusionary factors that exacerbate poverty, limit opportunities and create barriers to full participation in society.

 Mental Health

People with poor mental health are more susceptible to the three main factors that can lead to homelessness: poverty, disaffiliation, and personal vulnerability. Because they often lack the capacity to sustain employment, they have little income. Delusional thinking may lead them to withdraw from friends, family and other people. This loss of support leaves them fewer coping resources in times of trouble. Mental illness can also impair a person’s ability to be resilient and resourceful; it can cloud thinking and impair judgment. For all these reasons, people with mental illness are at greater risk of becoming homeless.

Homelessness, in turn, amplifies poor mental health. The stress of being homeless may exacerbate previous mental illness and encourage anxiety, fear, depression, sleeplessness and substance use. The needs of homeless people with mental illnesses are similar to those without mental illnesses: physical safety; education; transportation; affordable housing; and, affordable medical/dental treatment. When providing care to people who are homeless, it is essential to create a non-threatening and supportive atmosphere, address basic needs (e.g. food and shelter), and provide accessible care.

People with mental illness remain homeless for longer periods of time and have less contact with family and friends. 30-35 percent of homeless people, in general, and up to 75 percent of homeless women specifically, have a mental illness. 20-25 percent of homeless people suffer from concurrent disorders (severe mental illness and addictions). People who have a severe mental illness are over-represented in the homeless population, as they are often released from hospitals and jails without proper community supports in place.

Substance Use
 

The relationship between substance use and homelessness is complex. While rates of substance use are disproportionately high among the homeless population, homelessness cannot be explained by substance use alone. The use of substances alone does not necessarily signal addiction, nor a harmful or problematic lifestyle. In addition, many people who are addicted to substances never become homeless, but an individual that is experiencing housing instability, often due to low income, has an increased risk of losing their housing if they use substances. Once on the streets, an individual with substance use issues has little chance of getting housing as they face insurmountable barriers to obtaining health care, including substance use treatment services.

The term "substance use" refers to all types of drug and alcohol use. It is used in place of the traditional label of "drug abuse" which perpetuates social stigma and judgement and can marginalize and alienate people from the supports they need. The term "use" signals a push to reduce the harms for all users - from the person who uses drugs or alcohol occasionally, to someone who has a serious addiction. The term "substance", rather than drugs, better reflects the full range of psychoactive substances including alcohol, cigarettes, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, solvents, and inhalants that are habit-forming.

(Most of your homeless characters should have some sort of fault, causing an issue per day or an issue that can make your daily obstetrical more difficult)

The potential harms associated with the use of substances are many. This includes pharmacological effects of the substance itself that may impair a person’s ability to safely and competently make decisions and carry out tasks that they engage in. Problematic substance use may lead to deteriorating health; accidental death; and increased chances of risky sexual behaviors. Other harms that may result from problematic use of substances include: the inability to work or stay in school, ruptured relations with family, friends and community members, and problems with the law.

People who live on the streets and engage in substance use face many risks, one of which is difficulty obtaining and maintaining employment and housing. The frequency of such problems suggests the potential viability of harm reduction programs that provide a safe environment for stabilization to clients who are unable to maintain abstinence.
 

Transitional housing is frequently recognized as an approach to addressing substance use problems, and is often provided through emergency shelters and supportive recovery facilities. Often though, these housing options require abstinence in order to accept clients. The result is that many people fail to qualify, and remain on the streets or in environments that are not conducive to addressing their substance use problems. And even if they do complete treatment, because of a lack of supported housing options, once they are discharged from hospital or treatment center, many people with substance use issues have no place to live, a situation which puts their recovery in jeopardy.
 

---

Here  are some of the complications that your average street dwellers and or struggling persons are most concerned about on a daily basis:

• the constant search for temporary shelter

• inadequate food and nutrition

• shortage of appropriate clothing

• harassment and physical assault

• inadequate medial services

• negative or low self-esteem

• social isolation

• development of mental health and/or substance abuse problems

• poor prospects for employment and appropriate permanent housing
 

[JHP]

Now this is epic.

[LG]

epic guide

[Phased]

It's a shame that you can't really beg as a homeless character on this server, because someone with millions will get main character energy and try to "save you" by buying you an apartment or giving you an absurd amount of cash, killing the concept.  

[Rum]

On 2/17/2022 at 6:56 AM, Phased said:

It's a shame that you can't really beg as a homeless character on this server, because someone with millions will get main character energy and try to "save you" by buying you an apartment or giving you an absurd amount of cash, killing the concept.  

You can beg, you sure can. Just make sure that when you decline it and what ever the money you give, persay.. 5000? Just roleplay 50$ instead of mass amount.

[Pickle]

On 2/17/2022 at 9:56 AM, Phased said:

It's a shame that you can't really beg as a homeless character on this server, because someone with millions will get main character energy and try to "save you" by buying you an apartment or giving you an absurd amount of cash, killing the concept.  

When I had my homeless character and I begged I just made sure I was very specific of the amount I asked for and they usually gave me that. Just remember you don't have to rp all the money that you have!

[Rum]

On 3/8/2022 at 2:53 PM, Pickle said:

When I had my homeless character and I begged I just made sure I was very specific of the amount I asked for and they usually gave me that. Just remember you don't have to rp all the money that you have!

It's quite the deed.

[ClaireAsBelle]

Awesome guide for a great and gritty RP style 😄 

On a OOC note, I agree that one of the biggest threats to this RP is generous players rescuing you from the street. I tend to mitigate this by having a character who chooses this lifestyle, but also being more of a street vendor type of thing selling handcrafts, music, paintings, stuff like that. If your character takes pride in their work, no matter how desperate, they are less likely to just seize the closest job or source of money they can find, which works for me!

[Rum]

8 hours ago, ClaireAsBelle said:

Awesome guide for a great and gritty RP style 😄 

On a OOC note, I agree that one of the biggest threats to this RP is generous players rescuing you from the street. I tend to mitigate this by having a character who chooses this lifestyle, but also being more of a street vendor type of thing selling handcrafts, music, paintings, stuff like that. If your character takes pride in their work, no matter how desperate, they are less likely to just seize the closest job or source of money they can find, which works for me!

Thank you. That's what it's all about!

Unless it makes sense for your character it's just generally better never to do so. I had a character that did so too, usually crafted animals out of tin.
 

[Rum]

Update: Posted exactly same format for LC.