I have a destination in mind as an emergency, but it does not have a permanent place of residence for me, so I might have to consider other options. I know that being homeless is an awful life, but I consider staying where I am an even worse possibility. I am considering running away because I cannot deal with the incompetence from my parents regarding so many things from empathy to cleaning the house (and they did even worse things to me… but that is too dark for this post).
For context, neither college nor working are suitable options for me because I am too traumatized from bad experiences in college and do not want to spend years getting a degree when the idea of constantly doing work for unknown benefits (degrees are becoming less valuable over time) hits my head, and no one is willing to hire me with my pathetic resume (I worked as a front-desk person at a place, and I volunteered at a store, but that is it).
I am not sure if I stated this already, but I live in Florida if anyone was wondering (revealing the state I live in is a risk that I feel like I have to take due to my potentially dire future circumstances).
Edit: For additional context, I cannot drive anymore due to trauma and just not being good at driving in general. I also live in a semi-rural place so a cab might be somewhat expensive.
Does it technically count as my income if someone else is currently paying for stuff? And yeah, I ought to look into jobs like the ones you mentioned (craigslist feels somewhat shady, though).
Someone else recommended helpx, which combines housing with a job (not sure if I get paid for it though) alongside other benefits, which might be right for me!
Yes income is just money you make regularly. It can be from a job, investment dividends, interest, disability, etc if it is regular money that you get in the form of money it is income. If you are not being given money, it is not income for EBT. Many states don’t even count savings or a house you own and reside in against you.
If you are not legally disabled you will probably be expected to be constantly looking for work and maybe showing that you are looking in some cases, but I have never heard of anyone actually being required to prove they are looking for work so it likely varies regionally.
Re: helpx, I don’t know that one but usually these types of work trade programs are just for housing and at best meals. If you are young and looking for life experiences then it could be a good fit, although be warned that these arrangements can often be very toxic dynamics if not outright predatory. They can also be fun, great job training and ways to meet lifelong friends. Keep your wits about you but be open to new things
you will not be able to escape the need to make your own income and provide for yourself for that long. You can probably get through all of your 20s and into early 30s living cheap, work trading, traveling etc but you need to be able to gather enough skills and experience to transition into a career of some kind that provided the lifestyle you want to live. One is either choosing to live the rest of their life as an ascetic or are working towards a career that will sustain them. Ascetic life can be great if you are down to get zen about it but otherwise it is just rough and uncomfortable and provides little avenues in the modern world
Ooh very interesting, I should definitely apply for food stamps and such then (though not sure if I should do it now).
What do you mean by legally disabled? Does that include mental illnesses? I am glad that I do not have to prove that I am looking for work.
I can definitely see how the dynamics can be toxic, though “often”?
I am not sure what sort of career will “sustain” me (what career can sustain you in the American economy right now?), so maybe that can be saved for the future.
Haven’t done this myself but afaik it does include mental illnesses. I have several friends who have registered as disabled in order to get government disability assistance. It provided them some amount of steady income and access to better care, more affordable housing and other programs but afaik it has much harsher limits on assets and income before you lose benefits. There are a lot of things to consider and do research about on that, and maybe others here have direct experience to offer.
I figure if you just send a bunch of resumes on LinkedIn and get a bunch of automated rejections you can pretty easily show that you are looking and just unable to find it
Think about it, it’s a bunch of people who are trying to start their own small businesses and get around paying for labor. Some cases may be really nice people and you can still learn a lot, but if you are a paid employee you have rights that you will not have as a volunteer.
It sounds like you are in a transformative moment, things are changing and that will include your own understanding of your needs and desires are. My point is that you are living your life and whatever you want that to be will require you to make it so. If you want it simple, and keep your overhead low and enjoy living, do that as much as you can and you will find whatever is next and adjust accordingly.
If you want a future of settling down with someone, owning any assets including a vehicle, having kids, getting formal education or training of some kind, living in a bigger city, etc then you will need to change your plans accordingly. There are endless other options, these are just examples of things you hypothetically could do. I know many people who spent decades with no plans at all, train hopping, pitching tents seasonal work and having a great time for some of it and absolutely terrible times for a lot of it too. Prioritize a steady income and housing, and then spend as much time as you want figuring the rest out from that place of stability and autonomy, especially if you have any disabilities that could be exacerbated by being in survival mode 24/7.
Thank you, all your advice is good. I have trouble really doing things because I am lazy, but I will try my best to figure out what to do.