LEARNING TO "BE HOME" OR SOME ADVICE FOR THE HOMELESS
From the author. A well-known Russian proverb does not recommend renouncing from the bag and from prison. However, in our unpredictable country anything can happen.
The following are tips drawn from communication with professional homeless people, whom the author had to meet quite a lot. Partially used and personal experience.
So, we learn to be homeless correctly ...
1. Mental attitude
The most important thing is not to lose heart and, in no case, do not seek solace in alcohol or other antidepressants. My personal firm conviction is that you should drink only for joy. If misfortune happened, then it is necessary to mobilize all the forces, and not to intoxicate the brain with alcohol.
First, accept the fact that life has changed drastically. It is necessary to leave old habits and without looking back to adapt to a new life. A miracle will not happen - no one except ourselves will help in anything. We will learn to survive and hope that this black streak will end. Let's get out somehow... Let's start with:
2. Homeless equipment
CLOTH
The question is difficult. As a rule, what you get is what you have to wear. However, if there is a choice, then preference should be given to soft and dark colors. Ideal outerwear is a leather jacket or windbreaker, knitted hat, jeans. Footwear - durable boots such as tourist or military. Such an outfit is “all-weather” and will allow you to endure both heat and cold tolerably. The main task is not to stand out from the crowd and try to maintain a more or less decent appearance. This, at times, is not easy - after spending the night in the attic or in the sewer, it is very difficult to look like that. But, it is necessary to strive for this - a fairly decent appearance will help to avoid many troubles.
Sometimes it is useful to mimic some image - a tourist, a fisherman-hunter, a handyman, etc. One of my acquaintances very successfully exploited the image of a monk-wanderer and was very successful in this matter.
The ability to look like an intelligent person is considered aerobatics among the homeless - but for this, with a homeless life, a lot of effort and work is needed.
The smell is one of the most unpleasant and vile companions of all homeless people. It is sometimes impossible to get rid of it, but it is necessary to strive for this. It would be superfluous to say that whenever possible, you should regularly wash your underwear and wash your body. The easiest way to do this is in public toilets. Do not spare even the last money for hygiene. If this is not possible, regularly wipe the body with a damp cloth slightly moistened with warm soapy water. Then, wipe dry with another cloth. With some skill, this can be done without even taking off your clothes. Such a hygienic procedure, although it will not replace a full wash, will help keep the body relatively clean. In winter, change your underwear regularly and, if it is not possible to wash it, hang it out for several days in the cold. Thus, the underwear is slightly weathered from an unpleasant smell. I must say that the smell appears when the particles of sweat, absorbed into the fibers of the fabric, begin to decompose and rot. Therefore, another effective remedy is to fry clothes in thick smoke, simultaneously killing putrefactive bacteria by smoking. The smell of wood smoke is much more pleasant than the "aroma" of mustiness and decay coming from dirty clothes. And if you disguise yourself as a fisherman or a hunter, then it will be quite natural for you.
Another source of bad breath is, so to speak, your environment. Therefore, avoid staying for a long time in basements where there is a specific spirit, in landfills or garbage dumps, near dirty public toilets, etc.
If, nevertheless, your clothes are saturated with these odors, then use every opportunity to be in the fresh air, air your clothes and warm them up in the sun (ultraviolet light kills bacteria that cause unpleasant odors). It is recommended to use various fragrances and masking odors - toilet fresheners or strong-smelling chemicals. Believe me, people around are much more tolerant of the smell of gasoline, acetone and kerosene than the specific smell of dirty clothes. A friend of mine successfully used instead of perfume a special liquid for watering floors in stables and pigsties, fragrant with camphor and turpentine.
STUFF BAG
The best option is an urban backpack. Try to get it by any means and you will appreciate the convenience of this piece of equipment. You can easily carry loads up to 10-15 kg and your hands remain free. A shoulder bag is more inconvenient, but if there is nothing suitable, then it will do. And if you are going to pretend to be an intellectual, then the best thing here is a bag from under a laptop. The worst option is a plastic bag. However, in any case, a container where you can put something useful and in which to carry your modest belongings should be a must. Don't rely on pockets alone.
CANE
I strongly recommend getting hold of this item even if you are not disabled, do not limp and do not need it. Best of all, the usual, so-called invalid cane without any frills, carved handles and other bells and whistles. The easiest way is to buy a cane at a pharmacy from among the cheapest or steal (beg) in any hospital.
This is an indispensable item for long standing in one place and in long-distance transitions. It is very good as a weapon against two-legged beasts and is great at fighting off a pack of dogs. And sometimes it is useful to pretend to be a lame invalid and here, without a classic invalid wand, there is no way ...
In general, the entire huge range of applications of this subject of application is unusually wide and you can think of it yourself.
Just never hide knives and sharpeners in them. The very first place where they start looking for weapons is in a cane. And, if they find him there, then you will not do well ....
CUTTING TOOL
It is best if it is the cheapest Chinese fold. Only in this case will you have a guarantee that this knife will not be taken away from you or stolen. The quality of steel, the length and shape of the blade are unprincipled. As for sharpness, get hold of a piece of a bar or sandpaper and always keep the blade in a razor-like state. Mild steel has its advantages - you can restore the sharpness of the blade in ten seconds, and if you do not chop nails with this knife, then razor sharpening will last long enough. By the way, a well-sharpened knife is a much more terrible weapon than, say, a blunt bayonet-knife ...
Ordinary scissors can also serve as a good replacement for a knife. The range of their application is quite wide, and they will cause less suspicion among others.
DISHES
Best of all, a stainless steel mug with a capacity of 300-500 ml. In sports and hardware stores, it costs less than a hundred rubles. As soon as the money appears, be sure to splurge on this purchase. An irreplaceable thing in order to brew noodles, cook soup or just warm water for hygiene procedures. And if you are cooking on an open flame, then before that, rub the dish with soapy water, and you will not have to suffer, wiping off the soot.
As a container for water, use a simple plastic bottle of one and a half liters. Never miss an opportunity to fill it with clean water.
NEWSPAPERS
Always have them with you. More universal thing I do not know. This is a tablecloth, and a napkin, and a sheet, and a handkerchief .... A wet lump of newspaper, instead of a kitchen sponge, can perfectly wash the dishes.
Need to clean the inside of a plastic or glass bottle? Finely tear the newspaper, put it through the neck, shake it vigorously with water. Several such procedures and the bottle will glow like crystal. If we want to indulge in hot tea, then we roll small paper balls from the newspaper, kindle a tiny fire from them, and after ten minutes a mug of boiling water is ready. To speed up the process, you need to cover the mug with a piece of the same newspaper.
Well, to kindle a normal fire, a newspaper is also useful ...
In some specialized literature, it is recommended to wrap your legs in newspaper in severe frosts. I tried. It turns out nonsense - the newspaper is torn, crumpled and practically does not create an air gap that would warm: feet in the newspaper freeze just like without it. But if you put newspapers under clothes, with one layer under a shirt, another under a sweater, the third under a jacket, it becomes much warmer. A more versatile and easily accessible insulation is hard to imagine!
MEDICATIONS
First of all, have a dressing material. Remember that with wounds and injuries it is very important to stop the bleeding. To restore each lost drop, additional energy will be required, and for a sick and exhausted organism, this can be an overwhelming task. It is quite possible to use cleanly washed and sun-dried used bandages. For better disinfection, they can be boiled. By the way, they did this in the Great Patriotic War ... . But, nevertheless, it is much better to get hold of a full-fledged sterile dressing bag. which will literally save a life. In addition to their direct purpose, bandages perfectly replace the rope and go to all kinds of garters. It does not hurt to have a bottle of iodine and some pills in an individual first-aid kit. However, this is already a luxury for a homeless tramp ...
The list of homeless equipment can be continued indefinitely. These are matches, and salt, and a change of clothes, and much, much more. I have indicated only some public and necessary things.
The question is: where can I get all this? Here I am not an adviser .... It all depends on your capabilities, imagination, courage and a certain amount of luck. However, with confidence I undertake to assert that a big city can provide everything you need. It is only necessary not to be lazy, to discard false shame and learn to adapt to circumstances.
Almost everything that can be found and acquired (stealed), one way or another, will fit in a difficult wandering life. It is not necessary to carry all these small valuables on yourself - arrange secret caches and hideouts. Maybe life will change for the better and your supplies will never be needed. Let them disappear then. Or the opposite can happen...
3. How to get food
It's actually not that big of a problem. It is only necessary once and for all to abandon false modesty and scrupulousness. It is enough to approach any person on the street and, honestly looking into their eyes, ask them to buy you bread. Please note: you do not need to ask for money, namely food! This should be emphasized in your requests. You may be sent away, but be persistent and at least one in ten will respond to the request.
Traditionally, in urban areas, food is obtained from garbage cans and urns. Actually, this is an extreme option, but in the trash you can find a lot of things useful for the homeless - plastic bags, clothes, shoes, dishes, etc. Food waste also comes across.
Here you should follow a few rules:
1. Throw away bread and other moldy products without pity or cut them off carefully. If you feel a specific taste of mold while eating, spit it out. It is better to stay hungry than get food poisoning - the body will spend much more precious calories fighting it than it will receive from dubious food. Remember this! Death from diarrhea is one of the most real dangers for a homeless person.
2. Try to cook vegetables and fruits. Moreover, everything is suitable for brew: rotten cucumbers and tomatoes, watermelon peels, chicken and fish bones, etc. It is advisable to add salt and pepper, if of course you have them. The taste of such a "soup" can turn out to be very peculiar, but it will have nutritional value.
3. It is highly undesirable to use cans as cooking utensils. But, if you already had to cook in them, then do not forget to thoroughly rinse these “dishes” and in no case leave food there even for a short time. The metal from which the jars are made can react chemically with fats and food acids to form toxic substances.
Speaking of bones. If small bones are ground between two stones before cooking, then a sufficiently nutritious food product can be obtained.
But the skin of fish with small scales, such as char species (chum salmon, pink salmon, salmon, trout, etc.), being well fried at the stake, will become a real delicacy! In exceptional cases, you can fry in small pieces on the flame of a lighter or match.
From exotic recipes, I can still recommend the fish soup of their offal. The intestines are opened, washed and boiled. Other insides will also come into play: the liver (do not forget to carefully cut out the bile), milk and heart.
HUNTING
Feathered and, first of all, urban (wild) pigeons are the most accessible. You can catch with the simplest loops of a strong thread, I wait until the pigeons step into the loop. More effective fishing on a regular fishing hook baited in the form of a piece of bread. Only, doing such a "hunt" in crowded places, be prepared for the fact that you can incur the "righteous" wrath of others. For some reason, people always feel more sorry for a bird than a living person .... Therefore, I recommend another way of hunting: usually pigeons, after dark, spend the night in the attics on the roof rafters. It is enough to get there with a flashlight and a hearty dinner is provided to you. Pigeons blinded by light are not at all afraid of humans. Take the bird by the head with your fingers, shake it sharply, and you're done! Without noise and dust, the immobilized carcass is in your knapsack.
There is an opinion that urban pigeons are carriers of various diseases. Perhaps this is true, but long-term heat treatment (cook for at least 40 minutes!) And thorough hand washing after cutting carcasses will save you from this scourge.
I do not advise catching sparrows, tits, wagtails and similar small game. They are more agile than pigeons, there is practically no meat in them, and you will spend disproportionately more energy to catch them. I don’t advise you to mess with crows either - these birds are very smart and it’s quite difficult to get them without weapons or ingenious traps. Gulls and cormorants are easier to catch, but not everyone will be able to eat their foul-smelling meat. By the way, if the seagulls living on the banks of reservoirs smell of rotten fish, then those living in a landfill smell disgustingly of carrion. This is the specifics...
CATS AND DOGS
For some reason, among the vagrant people, it is widely believed that cats are zapadlo. Why dont know. But, I personally have never eaten cats and I can’t say anything about it. But as for dogs, here all prejudices that this is a “man’s friend” should be discarded and these friends should not be eaten.
Without going into controversy, I note that dog meat is no less healthy and tasty than the meat of any other domestic animals.
Attention! Here I must warn - be afraid of people if they catch you in the process of hunting, butchering or eating dog meat! They will deprive them of life without blinking an eye, and they will consider themselves right, hiding behind arguments about the humane attitude towards animals, about animal life and about the notorious "friends of man." Such a contradictory human nature - hundreds of times I had to watch people shed tears of pity and tenderness, lisping with dogs, and, without the slightest pity, cracking down on their own kind .... In our society, a hungry person can easily be killed just for eating a puppy!
By the way, getting a dog is not difficult. Lure her with a piece of mass or sausage. Put a rope around your neck and lead to a secluded place. Dogs, contrary to popular belief, have absolutely no foreboding of death. Throw the rope over the branch, and pull sharply up. Some dogs wheeze for a long time and howl in the noose, filling the neighborhood with eerie sounds. Be ready for this and, in order to quickly end the suffering of the animal, press on the head from above or pull on the legs .... Unpleasant? Yes, sure! But somehow you have to survive...
When butchering the carcass, make sure that none of the food raw materials is lost. Drain and fry the blood, do not throw away the liver, if possible try to save all the meat. But it's not worth messing with the skin. It is impossible to isolate it in the conditions of a wandering life, but there is always a danger that they will recognize who this fur belonged to. In such cases, even stray dogs immediately find owners. The consequences for you can be the most terrible .... Therefore, the easiest way is to immediately bury the skin deep into the ground along with other waste or throw it somewhere far away so that you are not calculated and punished for the “crime”. Some, not doing it in time, paid with their lives ...
4. Shelter (dwelling)
Based on personal experience, I can say with confidence that the most convenient and safe place is housing in nature. Any hut, in the summer, is preferable to the most comfortable entrance (attic, basement, collector).
Firstly, there are not so many such places that are relatively convenient for an overnight stay in urban conditions. Most of them are already occupied by other homeless people who will have to fight for shelter.
Secondly, remember: any struggle directly related to survival (namely, this is what happens among the homeless) can be extremely cruel and insidious. You don't have many chances to win it if you are a beginner. Even if health, youth and strength are on your side...
Thirdly, the danger in the city awaits from all sides: it is the police, and drunken teenagers, and vigilant citizens, and their own homeless colleagues. All of them took up arms against you and are ready to kill. Yes, yes, not just to beat, but to kill! For, in our country, for the murder of a homeless person in 99 cases out of a hundred, nothing happens. If you are a homeless person, then no one will look for you. And when your corpse is found with traces of violent death, they will try in every possible way to either hide it or write it off as death from natural causes. Either way, it won't make it any easier for you...
In short, back to nature. In winter, you can also live in central Russia. In principle, there is nothing impossible in building a heated dwelling from improvised means. On the other hand, you are guaranteed safety - it is rare that someone will stick their head into the forest just to oppress and offend the homeless. Even rather the opposite. If you are hospitable and friendly, you will soon acquire familiar summer residents, mushroom pickers and hunters who seek to help the unfortunate homeless.
Housing should be taken care of in advance, preferably in the warm summer months. It's hard enough to choose a place. It should be near the city, since only there it is easiest to find food, clothing and temporary earnings. A source of drinking water (stream or reservoir) is desirable near your parking lot. An abundance of fuel for a fire is highly desirable. This could be a dead wood, a sawmill located nearby, or even construction waste illegally dumped outside the city.
Sometimes such housing is not necessary to build. Teenagers, having seen enough films about Indians, scouts and partisans, very often build various dugouts, houses, huts and caches. Even hunters-fishermen build solid huts so that there is a place to drink vodka with relative comfort. The villagers often build huts, put residential trailers on distant mowing or forest plots. Often, this “distant housing”, in fact, turns out to be very close to the city limits.
It is enough to rummage around the neighborhood for a week and, not far from the outskirts of any settlement, you will definitely find something acceptable for housing. Household items left there will tell you who the owners are and how you can negotiate with them about settling .... As a rule, children quickly lose interest in such toys and will even be happy if an adult uncle uses their house .... The hunting and fishing brethren will not mind either. Just always have at the ready a couple of pitiful stories about how you got to such a life ...
Some homeless people find shelter in numerous public organizations and monasteries. The latter are not the best option - they make you work hard, pray and feed meagerly.
It is difficult to find shelter in all kinds of charitable doss-houses - usually, the number of applicants exceeds their capabilities. By the way, one-time assistance can be easily obtained if you manage to get an appointment with some deputy and public figure. Practice has shown that in one form or another, this audience always helps. It’s just that it’s not always possible to overcome the numerous barriers of assistants and secretaries .... Here you can not tell compassionate stories - confess frankly. Lying is not recommended - they can break through the databases.
The other best option is to go to the hospital. It is impossible to give specific advice on how to “mow down”: it all depends on age, the presence of chronic diseases, the state of the body, etc. Only if you deliberately make yourself sore, remember that you can easily overdo it and, instead of the desired shelter, you will actually have a serious illness. Don't know which is better...
The rules for staying in the hospital are not complicated: be clean, friendly with the staff and do not drink pills - after all, your task is to stay in the hospital as long as possible. Very well helps to slip obviously bad tests. For example, the urine of a sick person. But again, be careful - if they notice, they will be kicked out for such “jokes”.
From the first day of treatment, start making supplies: dry crackers in a secluded place (bread, as a rule, is given without restrictions). One of my acquaintances, after a month's stay in the hospital, came out with a solid supply of crackers, which helped him survive in the future. Along the way, he prepared another powder from dried orange peels - they made excellent tea.
In a large hospital, you can get hold of decent clothes. Some patients admitted in a serious condition refuse, subsequently, to take dirty and bloody clothes. You just have to clean or wash it.
5. Legend
I already mentioned above that any homeless person must have a beautiful story about how he came to such a life. It is best if there are several such stories - for different audiences. For example, if you communicate with the working class, then the story that you had a big grief happened, why they began to drink. Hard workers, as a rule, sympathize with former drunks.
In stories for women, one cannot do without romance and fatal love. Just remember that women really do not like it when people talk about their gender with disdain. Always speak respectfully of the heroine of your love story.
It is very good if the theme of orphanhood and a difficult childhood with a slight touch of nostalgia for the past times will sound in history. You can add a little mystery, just don't overdo it. If you say that you are an employee of the secret services, then it may occur to your interlocutors to check your professional skills ... Be prepared to answer various tricky questions and don’t make a mistake: if you are caught lying, then the case can end very badly - most People really don't like being lied to.
Also beware of lying about a criminal or military background if you don't have one. Women will not be impressed, and male listeners can easily lead to clean water.
And another tip - do not invent anything. It is enough to read some interesting novel or watch a movie, choose a hero and project his story onto yourself, diluting it with details from your personal life. It is very good if there is a slight irony and humor - people like it more than compassionate whining.
Also, in any company, a dozen good, unhackneyed anecdotes will come in handy - perhaps they will need to be memorized in advance and practiced in an interesting way, because there is nothing worse than an anecdote, funny only for the narrator ...
Conclusion
This material does not claim to be complete and serves, rather, as information for thought. Everyone can question it or expand and add at their discretion.
It is no coincidence that in various specific manuals the word "art" is next to the word "survival". Indeed, survival is an art and must contain elements of fantasy, ingenuity and creativity. Nothing without this. And the stakes are high enough – your life. This is some kind of art!
Good luck to all! I sincerely hope that my notes will not be useful to anyone.
We quite often see the homeless, we pass by and do not even think about what pushed them to such a life as they become homeless. A certain number of such citizens living without a home and shelter exist in almost every country.
An unsatisfactory picture
So what is the reason for this set of circumstances? After all, if desired, everyone can find some kind of job and provide at least the most modest living conditions. Nevertheless, many people die on the streets, freeze in the snow in winter, or get hit by cars.
How do people become homeless, if there are so many opportunities to develop around, to benefit themselves and others in a humane society that is being built in the 21st century? Journalists have carefully researched this topic. People often prefer not to notice such phenomena because of their immorality and indifference. Much easier to go about your business.
Considering the life path of each of them, one can trace the reasons that led to such a result. There are those who ruined their own lives, there are deceived or victims of natural disasters, for example, those who lost their homes due to a fire.
Journalists who spoke with them learned information about those families who were driven out of the apartment by the heads of enterprises. Also, many suffer from the activities of black realtors. There are old people who are kicked out by children. To understand the reason, it is better to ask the beggars themselves how they become homeless. Their stories tell a lot.
Looking for shelter
When winter comes, we see these people less and less. As a rule, they are sent to the technical floors of the entrances of residential buildings. The residents don't like it and call the police, who don't have a clear idea of what to do with them. As a rule, these are citizens infected with tuberculosis and venereal diseases, so they don’t really want to take them to the station. So they are driven out into the cold - that's all.
With the onset of spring, they again appear on the streets more often and some passer-by, seeing them, will think about how they become homeless. This can partly be judged by reading the history of Vashchenko Nikolai.
This person asks not for a drink, but for the opportunity to earn money, takes on any business: cleans and sweeps the streets, just not to die of hunger. He was born in Nyurba in 1978, does not know the names of his parents, only that they were alcoholics. At the age of five, he was thrown out into the street by them. There he was picked up by a kind woman and sent to the Upper Vilyui kindergarten. At the age of 10, he ended up in a boarding school in Mohsogolloh. The boy had a sister who died from a stab. The criminal was jailed. There is also a brother, but Nikolai does not know about his fate.
belated indulgence
Reading such stories, you understand why people become homeless. When the man who killed his sister was freed, he received news that Vashchenko was wanted by a family that was quite wealthy at that time, could allow their children to study in America and China. Despite the opportunity to improve his life, the beggar refused the help of his relatives. Pride did not allow because of the vile act that they carried out in relation to him in his childhood. These are the stories about how they become homeless.
The psychology of such people is broken, it is very difficult for them to return to a normal life, if from childhood they saw only decline. Sometimes people help a man. He suffers from visual hallucinations. Tried to go to the hospital, get a referral for treatment. He was told to see a psychiatrist. Nikolai does not refuse to work, he was hired as a watchman. Since he does not have tuberculosis, this increases his chances of getting a job somewhere. He also cleans shops.
What drives beggars to crime?
Learning about how people become homeless in Moscow, you can hear many stories about how these people are not paid for their work, since they are essentially helpless, they have no one to complain to. This happened to Nicholas as well. The environment itself pushes the beggars to such a life, wiping their feet on them. And what is left for such a man, languishing from hunger? Only theft or death. And then they say how bad they are. If a spark of goodness and conscience remains in one of them, this is already a feat. “A dog only bites because of a dog’s life,” as they say.
Vashchenko saved minors from a pedophile when he molested them and tried to rape them, having previously drunk them. So there is still nobility in these people, the state should pay attention to them and help them get up from that dirty puddle where they are now.
There is an exit
A person needs great strength and support in order to change. On the 16th kilometer of the Vilyuisk tract landfill in the forest zone there are huts where beggars live. What brought them here, and how do people become homeless?
From improvised means, they create houses for themselves or dig dugouts. There are also those who have acquired vehicles and baths.
The life story of Marina Vasilyeva, who has been living here with Pavel, her son, since 2004, is interesting. The woman also has a granddaughter and a grandson who stayed with her during the holidays. At the time of the interview, Marina was in the process of restoring documents. She and her family live apart. They have a TV and radio, a battery, a potbelly stove. Firewood is taken from the forest. Her daughter lives in Yakutsk. With their son, they decided not to embarrass her. Previously, the family had a private house on the street. Safronov, but after the fire that happened there, they were left homeless.
This is a fairly common plot of stories about how they become homeless. The inconvenience of their place of residence is that bears live nearby, nature after all. Somehow one wandered to the house and devastated stocks. To drive away the beast, they started a saw and scared a little. An example of this family suggests that, if desired, a person can survive in any conditions.
Next to Vasilyeva was her son, with whom they both created for themselves at least some conditions of existence, holding on to each other.
noble pretext
Life is unpredictable and, considering individual situations, it becomes clear why they become homeless. The journalists found the following people at the Tirekh population support center in Yakutsk.
We are talking about Ekaterina Ibragimova, who was 52 years old at the time of the interview. She was born in Amga in 1961. She was brought up in an orphanage in Ust-Aldan. Having reached the age of majority, she went to work as a milkmaid and got married. She has been married to her husband for 17 years. There is a son and two daughters who now have their own lives and families. The woman said that she did not want to oppress her relatives.
There are a variety of reasons why people become homeless. The reasons for Catherine's begging are that earlier her son carried out the theft, and she took the blame and spent three years in a colony. After her release, she ended up in a support center on the advice of the police. Her passport was stolen on the bus, she is recovering it. She has a disability due to a general medical condition.
He plans to get a job in a boarding school, earns money by cleaning the entrances and helping nurses. The story of this man once again proves that not all homeless people have lost their moral character. There are those who sacrifice comfort for higher purposes.
Poverty and abandonment
Many beggars are the elderly who cannot provide for themselves. How to become a homeless person without the support of heirs becomes very clear if you look at the level of pensions in the country.
One of these abandoned citizens is Zhekhov Stanislav, who is 63 years old. Someone to help him. He learned about the assistance department when he met a disabled person on the bus. Prior to that, he rented apartments that sympathetic people provided for use at a low price. He doesn't have a pension. Once there was a blood clot in the artery, and due to the lack of timely medical care, the leg had to be amputated. No one paid attention to the deteriorating condition of the man until gangrene formed. Despite his disability, Stanislav can do a lot with his hands. Previously, he lived in porches, for a long time he did not have drinking water. People often kicked him out, not wanting to take pity on the cripple.
Rough behavior
How do they become homeless? Everyone has their own reasons for this. In the same department, journalists found Sergey Astanin, who at that time was 50 years old. Prior to that, he was kept in the Kapitonovsky boarding school. There was a fight with his participation, which was the reason for his eviction.
He is an invalid of the second group, but this did not stop him from fighting. The man has no relatives, his wife died. Back in the 90s, he came here from Kyrgyzstan to the woman he loved. Now he hopes to get into a boarding school. Disabled in a car accident. The entire left side was paralyzed, legs and arms did not work.
Irreparable results of frostbite
The story of Oleg Vlasyev also deserves attention. When his marriage fell apart, his wife and daughter left for an unknown destination. The man tried to find them, but no success so far, although he does not stop hoping.
In St. Petersburg, he has a brother who knows nothing about his fate. Previously, Oleg held the position of a bulldozer operator, and together with his wife they rented a house. However, the wife had mental disorders, because of which she ended up in a madhouse. The landlady kicked the man out of the apartment. He turned out to be homeless, lived in porches and on technical floors. Drive it away over time. In December 2012, the fingers were completely frostbitten.
Their lives may never be the same again
Vlasyev was let into the entrance by one woman, and another called an ambulance, seeing his swollen limbs. He spent a month in the burn unit. The presence of a bed and food somewhat improved the state of health, the documents are in good condition. After the establishment of disability, he began to receive a pension.
An interesting detail of his life is that this man is a certified pedicure and manicure specialist. In this profession, he worked for two years, earned good money. Now, when his hands are mutilated, it will be extremely difficult to find clients. He can massage and remove ingrown nails. He also suits the profession of a car mechanic, in which there is a sufficient amount of knowledge. But due to disability, finding a job is almost impossible.
Main Factors
The main reasons why people slip into life on the street are:
antisocial behavior that does not allow a person to find his place in society;
deprivation of a roof over their heads as a result of criminal machinations applied to them;
natural disasters, after which material damage was not compensated by the state;
lack of relatives who could help in old age;
diseases, after which a person can no longer engage in activities that in the past gave him a livelihood;
alcoholism, drug addiction and other severe addictions.
Don't pass by
People treat homeless people differently. Some pity them and show compassion, some hate and despise them, some just don't care. It is indifference that is the problem of our society.
A person could slip into this way of life due to the weakness of their own character, a cruel twist of fate, or because of their own antisocial beliefs. In any case, these are the black spots that spoil the picture of the bright world that everyone aspires to. After all, any person wants to be surrounded by beauty, well-being.
Deep down, we want everyone around us to be happy. That is why the authorities need to make efforts to resolve this issue, to reduce the number of homeless people, because their number indicates trouble in the country and spoils its image, as well as the lives of ordinary people who, going to work, see their human brother rummaging through the trash . By helping them, we help ourselves.
Petr Gorr- a well-known network writer. I have been interested in the problems of survival for a very long time. In the early 1990s, he was the head of a survival school in Norilsk. At one time I received relatively good training in this profile. There is experience in leading and participating in a fairly large number of skiing and hiking trips of the highest category of complexity. I visited many parts of the former Soviet Union.
The first higher education is a teacher. At the moment he works as a director of a car service. Prior to that, he worked for 15 years in the fire department as the chief of the fire department. Even before 15 years he worked as an instructor in tourism. In between, he was a Komsomol-party functionary, a businessman, and even a taxi driver.
“- As for the homeless, there is no secret: I collected material for a story on this topic, communicated with them at every opportunity. Partially, these materials are reflected in my works. I plan to write a long story on this topic. I cannot but say that this audience is very peculiar. The vast majority undoubtedly have mental disabilities that led them to such a life. Also, in the nature of almost every homeless person is pathological laziness, and only very few are victims of circumstances .... However, this is a rather extensive topic ... Somehow I will write ... "— Peter Gorr, author.
From the author.
A well-known Russian proverb does not recommend renouncing from the bag and from prison. However, in our unpredictable country anything can happen.
The following are tips drawn from communication with professional homeless people, whom the author had to meet quite a lot. Partially used and personal experience.
So, we learn to be homeless correctly ...
1. Mental attitude
The most important thing is not to lose heart and, in no case, do not seek solace in alcohol or other antidepressants. My personal firm conviction is that you should drink only for joy. If misfortune happened, then it is necessary to mobilize all the forces, and not to intoxicate the brain with alcohol.
First, accept the fact that life has changed drastically. It is necessary to leave old habits and without looking back to adapt to a new life. A miracle will not happen - no one except ourselves will help in anything. We will learn to survive and hope that this black streak will end. Let's get out somehow... Let's start with:
2. Homeless equipment
CLOTH
The question is difficult. As a rule, what you get is what you have to wear. However, if there is a choice, then preference should be given to soft and dark colors. Ideal outerwear is a leather jacket or windbreaker, knitted hat, jeans. Shoes - durable boots such as tourist or military. Such an outfit is “all-weather” and will allow you to endure both heat and cold tolerably. The main task is not to stand out from the crowd and try to maintain a more or less decent appearance. This, at times, is not easy - after spending the night in the attic or in the sewer, it is very difficult to look like that. But, it is necessary to strive for this - a fairly decent appearance will help to avoid many troubles.
Sometimes it is useful to mimic some image - a tourist, a fisherman-hunter, a handyman, etc. One of my acquaintances very successfully exploited the image of a monk-wanderer and was very successful in this matter.
The ability to look like an intelligent person is considered aerobatics among the homeless - but for this, with a homeless life, a lot of effort and work is needed.
The smell is one of the most unpleasant and vile companions of all homeless people. It is sometimes impossible to get rid of it, but it is necessary to strive for this. It would be superfluous to say that whenever possible, you should regularly wash your underwear and wash your body. The easiest way to do this is in public toilets. Do not spare even the last money for hygiene. If this is not possible, regularly wipe the body with a damp cloth slightly moistened with warm soapy water. Then, wipe dry with another cloth. With some skill, this can be done without even taking off your clothes. Such a hygienic procedure, although it will not replace a full wash, will help keep the body relatively clean. In winter, change your underwear regularly and, if it is not possible to wash it, hang it out for several days in the cold. Thus, the underwear is slightly weathered from an unpleasant smell. I must say that the smell appears when the particles of sweat, absorbed into the fibers of the fabric, begin to decompose and rot. Therefore, another effective remedy is to fry clothes in thick smoke, simultaneously killing putrefactive bacteria by smoking. The smell of wood smoke is much more pleasant than the "aroma" of mustiness and decay coming from dirty clothes. And if you disguise yourself as a fisherman or a hunter, then it will be quite natural for you.
Another source of bad breath is, so to speak, your environment. Therefore, avoid staying for a long time in basements where there is a specific spirit, in landfills or garbage dumps, near dirty public toilets, etc.
If, nevertheless, your clothes are saturated with these odors, then use every opportunity to be in the fresh air, air your clothes and warm them up in the sun (ultraviolet light kills bacteria that cause unpleasant odors). It is recommended to use various fragrances and masking odors - toilet fresheners or strong-smelling chemicals. Believe me, people around are much more tolerant of the smell of gasoline, acetone and kerosene than the specific smell of dirty clothes. A friend of mine successfully used instead of perfume a special liquid for watering floors in stables and pigsties, fragrant with camphor and turpentine.
STUFF BAG
The best option is an urban backpack. Try to get it by any means and you will appreciate the convenience of this piece of equipment. You can easily carry loads up to 10-15 kg and your hands remain free. A shoulder bag is more inconvenient, but if there is nothing suitable, then it will do. And if you are going to pretend to be an intellectual, then the best thing here is a bag from under a laptop. The worst option is a plastic bag. However, in any case, a container where you can put something useful and in which to carry your modest belongings should be a must. Don't rely on pockets alone.
CANE
I strongly recommend getting hold of this item even if you are not disabled, do not limp and do not need it. Best of all, the usual, so-called invalid cane without any frills, carved handles and other bells and whistles. The easiest way is to buy a cane at a pharmacy from among the cheapest or steal (beg) in any hospital.
This is an indispensable item for long standing in one place and in long-distance transitions. It is very good as a weapon against two-legged beasts and is great at fighting off a pack of dogs. And sometimes it is useful to pretend to be a lame invalid and here, without a classic invalid wand, there is no way ...
In general, the entire huge range of applications of this subject of application is unusually wide and you can think of it yourself.
Just never hide knives and sharpeners in them. The very first place where they start looking for weapons is in a cane. And, if they find him there, then you will not do well ....
CUTTING TOOL
It is best if it is the cheapest Chinese fold. Only in this case will you have a guarantee that this knife will not be taken away from you or stolen. The quality of steel, the length and shape of the blade are unprincipled. As for sharpness, get hold of a piece of a bar or sandpaper and always keep the blade in a razor-like state. Mild steel has its advantages - you can restore the sharpness of the blade in ten seconds, and if you do not chop nails with this knife, then razor sharpening will last long enough. By the way, a well-sharpened knife is a much more terrible weapon than, say, a blunt bayonet-knife ...
Ordinary scissors can also serve as a good replacement for a knife. The range of their application is quite wide, and they will cause less suspicion among others.
DISHES
Best of all, a stainless steel mug with a capacity of 300-500 ml. In sports and hardware stores, it costs less than a hundred rubles. As soon as the money appears, be sure to splurge on this purchase. An irreplaceable thing in order to brew noodles, cook soup or just warm water for hygiene procedures. And if you are cooking on an open flame, then before that, rub the dish with soapy water, and you will not have to suffer, wiping off the soot.
As a container for water, use a simple plastic bottle of one and a half liters. Never miss an opportunity to fill it with clean water.
NEWSPAPERS
Always have them with you. More universal thing I do not know. This is a tablecloth, and a napkin, and a sheet, and a handkerchief .... A wet lump of newspaper, instead of a kitchen sponge, can perfectly wash the dishes.
Need to clean the inside of a plastic or glass bottle? Finely tear the newspaper, put it through the neck, shake it vigorously with water. Several such procedures and the bottle will glow like crystal. If we want to indulge in hot tea, then we roll small paper balls from the newspaper, kindle a tiny fire from them, and after ten minutes a mug of boiling water is ready. To speed up the process, you need to cover the mug with a piece of the same newspaper.
Well, to kindle a normal fire, a newspaper is also useful ...
In some specialized literature, it is recommended to wrap your legs in newspaper in severe frosts. I tried. It turns out nonsense - the newspaper is torn, crumpled and practically does not create an air gap that would warm: feet in the newspaper freeze just like without it. But if you put newspapers under clothes, with one layer under a shirt, another under a sweater, the third under a jacket, it becomes much warmer. A more versatile and easily accessible insulation is hard to imagine!
MEDICATIONS
First of all, have a dressing material. Remember that with wounds and injuries it is very important to stop the bleeding. To restore each lost drop, additional energy will be required, and for a sick and exhausted organism, this can be an overwhelming task. It is quite possible to use cleanly washed and sun-dried used bandages. For better disinfection, they can be boiled. By the way, they did this in the Great Patriotic War ... . But, nevertheless, it is much better to get hold of a full-fledged sterile dressing bag. which will literally save a life. In addition to their direct purpose, bandages perfectly replace the rope and go to all kinds of garters. It does not hurt to have a bottle of iodine and some pills in an individual first-aid kit. However. this is already a luxury for a homeless tramp ...
The list of homeless equipment can be continued indefinitely. These are matches, and salt, and a change of clothes, and much, much more. I have indicated only some public and necessary things.
The question is: where can I get all this? Here I am not an adviser .... It all depends on your capabilities, imagination, courage and a certain amount of luck. However, with confidence I undertake to assert that a big city can provide everything you need. It is only necessary not to be lazy, to discard false shame and learn to adapt to circumstances.
Almost everything that can be found and acquired (stealed), one way or another, will fit in a difficult wandering life. Carrying all these small valuables is not necessary - arrange secret caches and studs. Maybe life will change for the better and your supplies will never be needed. Let them disappear then. Or the opposite can happen...
3. How to get food
It's actually not that big of a problem. It is only necessary once and for all to abandon false modesty and scrupulousness. It is enough to approach any person on the street and, honestly looking into their eyes, ask them to buy you bread. Please note: you do not need to ask for money, namely food! This should be emphasized in your requests. You may be sent away, but be persistent and at least one in ten will respond to the request.
Traditionally, in urban areas, food is obtained from garbage cans and urns. Actually, this is an extreme option, but, in the trash you can find a lot of things useful for the homeless - plastic bags, clothes, shoes, dishes, etc. Food waste also comes across.
Here you should follow a few rules:
1. Throw away bread and other moldy products without pity or cut them off carefully. If you feel a specific taste of mold while eating, spit it out. It is better to stay hungry than get food poisoning - the body will spend much more precious calories to fight it than it will receive from dubious food. Remember this! Death from diarrhea is one of the most real dangers for a homeless person.
2. Try to cook vegetables and fruits. Moreover, everything is suitable for brew: rotten cucumbers and tomatoes, watermelon peels, chicken and fish bones, etc. It is advisable to add salt and pepper, if of course you have them. The taste of such a "soup" can turn out to be very peculiar, but it will have nutritional value.
3. It is highly undesirable to use cans as cooking utensils. But, if you already had to cook in them, then do not forget to thoroughly rinse these “dishes” and in no case leave food there even for a short time. The metal from which the jars are made can react chemically with fats and food acids to form toxic substances.
Speaking of bones. If the small bones of cooking are ground between two stones, then you can get a fairly nutritious food product.
But the skin of fish with small scales, such as char species (chum salmon, pink salmon, salmon, trout, etc.), being well fried at the stake, will become a real delicacy! In exceptional cases, you can fry in small pieces on the flame of a lighter or match.
HUNTING
Feathered and, first of all, urban (wild) pigeons are the most accessible. You can catch with the simplest loops of a strong thread, I wait until the pigeons step into the loop. More effective fishing on a regular fishing hook baited in the form of a piece of bread. Only, doing such a "hunt" in crowded places, be prepared for the fact that you can incur the "righteous" wrath of others. For some reason, people always feel more sorry for a bird than a living person .... Therefore, I recommend another way of hunting: usually pigeons, after dark, spend the night in the attics on the roof rafters. It is enough to get there with a flashlight and a hearty dinner is provided to you. Pigeons blinded by light are not at all afraid of humans. Take the bird by the head with your fingers, shake it sharply, and you're done! Without noise and dust, the immobilized carcass is in your knapsack.
I do not advise catching sparrows, tits, wagtails and similar small game. They are more agile than pigeons, there is practically no meat in them, and you will spend disproportionately more energy to catch them. I don’t advise you to mess with crows either - these birds are very smart and it’s quite difficult to get them without weapons or ingenious traps. Gulls and cormorants are easier to catch, but not everyone will be able to eat their foul-smelling meat. By the way, if the seagulls living on the banks of reservoirs smell of rotten fish, then those living in a landfill smell disgustingly of carrion. This is the specifics...
CATS AND DOGS
For some reason, among the vagrant people, it is widely believed that cats are zapadlo. Why dont know. But, I personally have never eaten cats and I can’t say anything about it. But as for dogs, here all prejudices that this is a “man’s friend” should be discarded and these friends should not be eaten.
Without going into controversy, I note that dog meat is no less healthy and tasty than the meat of any other domestic animals.
Attention! Here I must warn - be afraid of people if they find you in the process of hunting, butchering or eating dog meat! They will deprive them of life without blinking an eye, and they will consider themselves right, hiding behind arguments about the humane attitude towards animals, about animal life and about the notorious "friends of man." Such a contradictory human nature - hundreds of times I had to watch people shed tears of pity and tenderness, lisping with dogs, and, without the slightest pity, cracking down on their own kind .... In our society, killing a hungry person, just because he ate a puppy, can easily!
By the way, getting a dog is not difficult. Lure her with a piece of mass or sausage. Put a rope around your neck and lead to a secluded place. Dogs, contrary to popular belief, have absolutely no foreboding of death. Throw the rope over the branch, and pull sharply up. Some dogs wheeze for a long time and howl in the noose, filling the neighborhood with eerie sounds. Be ready for this and, in order to quickly end the suffering of the animal, press on the head from above or pull on the legs .... Unpleasant? Yes, sure! But somehow you have to survive...
When butchering the carcass, make sure that none of the food raw materials is lost. Drain and fry the blood, do not throw away the liver, if possible try to save all the meat. But it's not worth messing with the skin. It is impossible to isolate it in the conditions of a wandering life, but there is always a danger that they will recognize who this fur belonged to. In such cases, even stray dogs immediately find owners. The consequences for you can be the most terrible .... Therefore, the easiest way is to immediately bury the skin deep into the ground along with other waste or throw it somewhere far away so that you are not calculated and punished for the “crime”. Some, not doing it in time, paid with their lives ...
4. Shelter (dwelling)
Based on personal experience, I can say with confidence that the most convenient and safe place is housing in nature. Any hut, in the summer, is preferable to the most comfortable entrance (attic, basement, collector).
Firstly, there are not so many such places that are relatively convenient for an overnight stay in urban conditions. Most of them are already occupied by other homeless people who will have to fight for shelter.
Secondly, remember: any struggle directly related to survival (namely, this is what happens among the homeless) can be extremely cruel and insidious. You don't have many chances to win it if you are a beginner. Even if health, youth and strength are on your side...
Thirdly, the danger in the city awaits from all sides: it is the police, and drunken teenagers, and vigilant citizens, and their own homeless colleagues. All of them took up arms against you and are ready to kill. Yes, yes, not just to beat, but to kill! For, in our country, for the murder of a homeless person in 99 cases out of a hundred, nothing happens. If you are a homeless person, then no one will look for you. And when your corpse is found with traces of violent death, they will try in every possible way to either hide it or write it off as death from natural causes. Either way, it won't make it any easier for you...
In short, back to nature. In winter, you can also live in central Russia. In principle, there is nothing impossible in building a heated dwelling from improvised means. On the other hand, you are guaranteed safety - it is rare for anyone to poke their nose into the woods just to oppress and offend a homeless person. Even rather the opposite. If you are hospitable and friendly, you will soon acquire familiar summer residents, mushroom pickers and hunters who seek to help the unfortunate homeless.
Housing should be taken care of in advance, preferably in the warm summer months. It's hard enough to choose a place. It should be close to the city, since only there it is easiest to find food, clothing and temporary work. A source of drinking water (stream or reservoir) is desirable near your parking lot. An abundance of fuel for a fire is highly desirable. This could be a dead wood, a sawmill located nearby, or even construction waste illegally dumped outside the city.
Sometimes such housing is not necessary to build. Teenagers, having seen enough films about Indians, scouts and partisans, very often build various dugouts, houses, huts and caches. Even hunters-fishermen build solid huts so that there is a place to drink vodka with relative comfort. The villagers often build huts, put residential trailers on distant mowing or forest plots. Often, this “distant housing”, in fact, turns out to be very close to the city limits.
It is enough to rummage around the neighborhood for a week and, not far from the outskirts of any settlement, you will definitely find something acceptable for housing. Household items left there will tell you who the owners are and how you can negotiate with them about settling .... As a rule, children quickly lose interest in such toys and will even be happy if an adult uncle uses their house .... The hunting and fishing brethren will not mind either. Just always have at the ready a couple of pitiful stories about how you got to such a life ...
Some homeless people find shelter in numerous public organizations and monasteries. The latter are not the best option - they make you work hard, pray and feed meagerly.
It is difficult to find shelter in all kinds of charitable bunkhouses - usually, the number of applicants exceeds their capabilities. By the way, one-time assistance can be easily obtained if you manage to get an appointment with some deputy and public figure. Practice has shown that in one form or another this audience always helps. It’s just that it’s not always possible to overcome the numerous barriers of assistants and secretaries .... Here you can not tell compassionate stories - confess frankly. Lying is not recommended - they can break through the databases.
The other best option is to go to the hospital. It is impossible to give specific advice on how to “mow down”: it all depends on age, the presence of chronic diseases, the state of the body, etc. only if you deliberately make yourself sore, remember that you can easily overdo it and, instead of the desired shelter, you will actually have a serious illness. Don't know which is better...
The rules for staying in the hospital are not complicated: be clean, friendly with the staff and do not drink pills - after all, your task is to stay in the hospital as long as possible. Very well helps to slip obviously bad tests. For example, the urine of a sick person. But again, be careful - if they notice, they will kick you out for such “jokes”.
From the first day of treatment, start making supplies: dry crackers in a secluded place (bread, as a rule, is given without restrictions). One of my acquaintances, after a month's stay in the hospital, came out with a solid supply of crackers, which helped him survive in the future. Along the way, he prepared another powder from dried orange peels - they made excellent tea.
In a large hospital, you can get hold of decent clothes. Some patients admitted in a serious condition refuse, subsequently, to take dirty and bloody clothes. You just have to clean or wash it.
5. Legend
I already mentioned above that any homeless person must have a beautiful story about how he came to such a life. It is best if there are several such stories - for different audiences. For example, if you communicate with the working class, then the story that you had a big grief happened, why they began to drink. Hard workers, as a rule, sympathize with former drunks.
In stories for women, one cannot do without romance and fatal love. Just remember that women really do not like it when people talk about their gender with disdain. Always speak respectfully of the heroine of your love story.
It is very good if the theme of orphanhood and a difficult childhood with a slight touch of nostalgia for the past times will sound in history. You can add a little mystery, just don't overdo it. If you say that you are an employee of secret special services, then it may occur to your interlocutors to check whether you have professional skills ... . Be ready to answer various tricky questions and do not make a mistake on trifles: if you are caught in a lie, then the matter can end very badly - most people really do not like to be deceived.
Also beware of lying about a criminal or military background if you don't have one. Women will not be impressed, and male listeners can easily lead to clean water.
And another tip - do not invent anything. It is enough to read some interesting novel or watch a movie, choose a hero and project his story onto yourself, diluting it with details from your personal life. It is very good if there is a slight irony and humor - people like it more than compassionate whining.
Also, in any company, a dozen good, unhackneyed anecdotes will come in handy - perhaps they will need to be memorized in advance and practiced in an interesting way, because there is nothing worse than an anecdote, funny only for the narrator ...
Conclusion
This material does not claim to be complete and serves, rather, as information for thought. Everyone can question it or expand and add at their discretion.
It is no coincidence that in various specific manuals the word "art" is next to the word "survival". Indeed, survival is an art and must contain elements of fantasy, ingenuity and creativity. Nothing without this. And the stake is high enough - your life. This is some kind of art!
Good luck to all! I sincerely hope that my notes will not be useful to anyone.
Petr Gorr is a fairly well-known online writer. I have been interested in the problems of survival for a very long time. In the early 1990s, he was the head of a survival school in Norilsk. At one time I received relatively good training in this profile. There is experience in leading and participating in a fairly large number of skiing and hiking trips of the highest category of complexity. I visited many parts of the former Soviet Union.
The first higher education is a teacher. At the moment he works as a director of a car service. Prior to that, he worked for 15 years in the fire department as the chief of the fire department. Even before 15 years he worked as an instructor in tourism. In between, he was a Komsomol-party functionary, a businessman, and even a taxi driver.
“- As for the homeless, there is no secret: I collected material for a story on this topic, communicated with them at every opportunity. Partially, these materials are reflected in my works. I plan to write a long story on this topic. I cannot but say that this audience is very peculiar. The vast majority undoubtedly have mental disabilities that led them to such a life. Also, in the nature of almost every homeless person is pathological laziness, and only very few are victims of circumstances .... However, this is quite an extensive topic… Somehow I’ll write…” — Pyotr Gorr, author.
A well-known Russian proverb does not recommend renouncing from the bag and from prison. However, in our unpredictable country anything can happen.
The following are tips drawn from communication with professional homeless people, whom the author had to meet quite a lot. Partially used and personal experience.
So, we learn to be homeless correctly ...
1. Mental attitude
The most important thing is not to lose heart and, in no case, do not seek solace in alcohol or other antidepressants. My personal firm conviction is that you should drink only for joy. If misfortune happened, then it is necessary to mobilize all the forces, and not to intoxicate the brain with alcohol.
First, accept the fact that life has changed drastically. It is necessary to leave old habits and without looking back to adapt to a new life. A miracle will not happen - no one except ourselves will help in anything. We will learn to survive and hope that this black streak will end. Let's get out somehow... Let's start with:
2. Homeless equipment
The question is difficult. As a rule, what you get is what you have to wear. However, if there is a choice, then preference should be given to soft and dark colors. Ideal outerwear is a leather jacket or windbreaker, knitted hat, jeans. Shoes - durable boots such as tourist or military. Such an outfit is “all-weather” and will allow you to endure both heat and cold tolerably. The main task is not to stand out from the crowd and try to maintain a more or less decent appearance. This, at times, is not easy - after spending the night in the attic or in the sewer, it is very difficult to look like that. But, it is necessary to strive for this - a fairly decent appearance will help to avoid many troubles.
Sometimes it is useful to mimic some image - a tourist, a fisherman-hunter, a handyman, etc. One of my acquaintances very successfully exploited the image of a monk-wanderer and was very successful in this matter.
The ability to look like an intelligent person is considered aerobatics among the homeless - but for this, with a homeless life, a lot of effort and work is needed.
The smell is one of the most unpleasant and vile companions of all homeless people. It is sometimes impossible to get rid of it, but it is necessary to strive for this. It would be superfluous to say that whenever possible, you should regularly wash your underwear and wash your body. The easiest way to do this is in public toilets. Do not spare even the last money for hygiene. If this is not possible, regularly wipe the body with a damp cloth slightly moistened with warm soapy water. Then, wipe dry with another cloth.
With some skill, this can be done without even taking off your clothes. Such a hygienic procedure, although it will not replace a full wash, will help keep the body relatively clean. In winter, change your underwear regularly and, if it is not possible to wash it, hang it out for several days in the cold.
Thus, the underwear is slightly weathered from an unpleasant smell. I must say that the smell appears when the particles of sweat, absorbed into the fibers of the fabric, begin to decompose and rot. Therefore, another effective remedy is to fry clothes in thick smoke, simultaneously killing putrefactive bacteria by smoking. The smell of wood smoke is much more pleasant than the "aroma" of mustiness and decay coming from dirty clothes. And if you disguise yourself as a fisherman or a hunter, then it will be quite natural for you.
Another source of bad breath is, so to speak, your environment. Therefore, avoid staying for a long time in basements where there is a specific spirit, in landfills or garbage dumps, near dirty public toilets, etc.
If, nevertheless, your clothes are saturated with these odors, then use every opportunity to be in the fresh air, air your clothes and warm them up in the sun (ultraviolet light kills bacteria that cause unpleasant odors). It is recommended to use various fragrances and masking odors - toilet fresheners or strong-smelling chemicals. Believe me, people around are much more tolerant of the smell of gasoline, acetone and kerosene than the specific smell of dirty clothes. A friend of mine successfully used instead of perfume a special liquid for watering floors in stables and pigsties, fragrant with camphor and turpentine.
STUFF BAG
The best option is an urban backpack. Try to get it by any means and you will appreciate the convenience of this piece of equipment. You can easily carry loads up to 10-15 kg and your hands remain free. A shoulder bag is more inconvenient, but if there is nothing suitable, then it will do. And if you are going to play like an intellectual, then the best thing here is a laptop bag. The worst option is a plastic bag. However, in any case, a container where you can put something useful and in which to carry your modest belongings should be a must. Don't rely on pockets alone.
I strongly recommend getting hold of this item even if you are not disabled, do not limp and do not need it. Best of all, the usual, so-called invalid cane without any frills, carved handles and other bells and whistles. The easiest way is to buy a cane at a pharmacy from among the cheapest or steal (beg) in any hospital.
This is an indispensable item for long standing in one place and in long-distance transitions. It is very good as a weapon against two-legged beasts and is great at fighting off a pack of dogs. And sometimes it’s useful to pretend to be a lame invalid, and here, without a classic invalid wand, there’s no way ...
In general, the entire huge range of applications of this subject of application is unusually wide and you can think of it yourself.
Just never hide knives and sharpeners in them. The very first place where they start looking for weapons is in a cane. And, if they find him there, then you will not do well ....
CUTTING TOOL
It is best if it is the cheapest Chinese fold. Only in this case will you have a guarantee that this knife will not be taken away from you or stolen. The quality of steel, the length and shape of the blade are unprincipled. As for sharpness, get hold of a piece of a bar or sandpaper and always keep the blade in a razor-like state. Mild steel has its advantages - you can restore the sharpness of the blade in ten seconds, and if you do not chop nails with this knife, then razor sharpening will last long enough. By the way, a well-sharpened knife is a much more terrible weapon than, say, a blunt bayonet-knife ...
Ordinary scissors can also serve as a good replacement for a knife. The range of their application is quite wide, and they will cause less suspicion among others.
Best of all, a stainless steel mug with a capacity of 300-500 ml. In sports and hardware stores, it costs less than a hundred rubles. As soon as the money appears, be sure to splurge on this purchase. An irreplaceable thing in order to brew noodles, cook soup or just warm water for hygiene procedures. And if you are cooking on an open flame, then before that, rub the dish with soapy water, and you will not have to suffer, wiping off the soot.
As a container for water, use a simple plastic bottle of one and a half liters. Never miss an opportunity to fill it with clean water.
Always have them with you. More universal thing I do not know. This is a tablecloth, and a napkin, and a sheet, and a handkerchief .... A wet lump of newspaper, instead of a kitchen sponge, can perfectly wash the dishes.
Need to clean the inside of a plastic or glass bottle? Finely tear the newspaper, put it through the neck, shake it vigorously with water. Several such procedures and the bottle will glow like crystal. If we want to indulge in hot tea, then we roll small paper balls from the newspaper, kindle a tiny fire from them, and after ten minutes a mug of boiling water is ready. To speed up the process, you need to cover the mug with a piece of the same newspaper.
Well, to kindle a normal fire, a newspaper is also useful ...
In some specialized literature, it is recommended to wrap your legs in newspaper in severe frosts. I tried. It turns out nonsense - the newspaper is torn, crumpled and practically does not create an air gap that would warm: feet in the newspaper freeze just like without it. But if you put newspapers under clothes, with one layer under a shirt, another under a sweater, the third under a jacket, it becomes much warmer. A more versatile and easily accessible insulation is hard to imagine!
MEDICATIONS
First of all, have a dressing material. Remember that with wounds and injuries it is very important to stop the bleeding. To restore each lost drop, additional energy will be required, and for a sick and exhausted organism, this can be an overwhelming task. It is quite possible to use cleanly washed and sun-dried used bandages.
For better disinfection, they can be boiled. By the way, they did this in the Great Patriotic War ... . But, nevertheless, it is much better to get hold of a full-fledged sterile dressing bag. which will literally save a life. In addition to their direct purpose, bandages perfectly replace the rope and go to all kinds of garters. It does not hurt to have a bottle of iodine and some pills in an individual first-aid kit. However. this is already a luxury for a homeless tramp ...
The list of homeless equipment can be continued indefinitely. These are matches, and salt, and a change of clothes, and much, much more. I have indicated only some public and necessary things.
The question is: where can I get all this? Here I am not an adviser .... It all depends on your capabilities, imagination, courage and a certain amount of luck. However, with confidence I undertake to assert that a big city can provide everything you need. It is only necessary not to be lazy, to discard false shame and learn to adapt to circumstances.
Almost everything that can be found and acquired (stealed), one way or another, will fit in a difficult wandering life. It is not necessary to carry all these small valuables on yourself - arrange secret caches and hideouts. Maybe life will change for the better and your supplies will never be needed. Let them disappear then. Or the opposite can happen...
3. How to get food
It's actually not that big of a problem. It is only necessary once and for all to abandon false modesty and scrupulousness. It is enough to approach any person on the street and, honestly looking into their eyes, ask them to buy you bread. Please note: you do not need to ask for money, namely food! This should be emphasized in your requests. You may be sent away, but be persistent and at least one in ten will respond to the request.
Traditionally, in urban areas, food is obtained from garbage cans and urns. Actually, this is an extreme option, but, in the trash you can find a lot of things useful for the homeless - plastic bags, clothes, shoes, dishes, etc. Food waste also comes across.
Here you should follow a few rules:
1. Throw away bread and other moldy products without pity or cut them off carefully. If you feel a specific taste of mold while eating, spit it out. It is better to stay hungry than get food poisoning - the body will spend much more precious calories to fight it than it will receive from dubious food. Remember this! Death from diarrhea is one of the most real dangers for a homeless person.
2. Try to cook vegetables and fruits. Moreover, everything is suitable for brew: rotten cucumbers and tomatoes, watermelon peels, chicken and fish bones, etc. It is advisable to add salt and pepper, if of course you have them. The taste of such a "soup" can turn out to be very peculiar, but it will have nutritional value.
3. It is highly undesirable to use cans as cooking utensils. But, if you already had to cook in them, then do not forget to thoroughly rinse these “dishes” and in no case leave food there even for a short time. The metal from which the jars are made can react chemically with fats and food acids to form toxic substances.
Speaking of bones. If the small bones of cooking are ground between two stones, then you can get a fairly nutritious food product.
But the skin of fish with small scales, such as char species (chum salmon, pink salmon, salmon, trout, etc.), being well fried at the stake, will become a real delicacy! In exceptional cases, you can fry in small pieces on the flame of a lighter or match.
Feathered and, first of all, urban (wild) pigeons are the most accessible. You can catch with the simplest loops of a strong thread, I wait until the pigeons step into the loop. More effective fishing on a regular fishing hook baited in the form of a piece of bread. Only, doing such a "hunt" in crowded places, be prepared for the fact that you can incur the "righteous" wrath of others.
For some reason, people always feel more sorry for a bird than a living person .... Therefore, I recommend another way of hunting: usually pigeons, after dark, spend the night in the attics on the roof rafters. It is enough to get there with a flashlight and a hearty dinner is provided to you. Pigeons blinded by light are not at all afraid of humans. Take the bird by the head with your fingers, shake it sharply, and you're done! Without noise and dust, the immobilized carcass is in your knapsack.
I do not advise catching sparrows, tits, wagtails and similar small game. They are more agile than pigeons, there is practically no meat in them, and you will spend disproportionately more energy to catch them. I don’t advise you to mess with crows either - these birds are very smart and it’s quite difficult to get them without weapons or ingenious traps. Gulls and cormorants are easier to catch, but not everyone will be able to eat their foul-smelling meat. By the way, if the seagulls living on the banks of reservoirs smell of rotten fish, then those living in a landfill smell disgustingly of carrion. This is the specifics...
CATS AND DOGS
For some reason, among the vagrant people, it is widely believed that cats are zapadlo. Why dont know. But, I personally have never eaten cats and I can’t say anything about it. But as for dogs, here all prejudices that this is a “man’s friend” should be discarded and these friends should not be eaten.
Without going into controversy, I note that dog meat is no less healthy and tasty than the meat of any other domestic animals.
Attention! Here I must warn - be afraid of people if they find you in the process of hunting, butchering or eating dog meat! They will deprive them of life without blinking an eye, and they will consider themselves right, hiding behind arguments about the humane attitude towards animals, about animal life and about the notorious "friends of man." Such a contradictory human nature - hundreds of times I had to watch people shed tears of pity and tenderness, lisping with dogs, and, without the slightest pity, cracking down on their own kind .... In our society, killing a hungry person, just because he ate a puppy, can easily!
By the way, getting a dog is not difficult. Lure her with a piece of mass or sausage. Put a rope around your neck and lead to a secluded place. Dogs, contrary to popular belief, have absolutely no foreboding of death. Throw the rope over the branch, and pull sharply up. Some dogs wheeze for a long time and howl in the noose, filling the neighborhood with eerie sounds. Be ready for this and, in order to quickly end the suffering of the animal, press on the head from above or pull on the legs .... Unpleasant? Yes, sure! But somehow you have to survive...
When butchering the carcass, make sure that none of the food raw materials is lost. Drain and fry the blood, do not throw away the liver, if possible try to save all the meat. But it's not worth messing with the skin. It is impossible to isolate it in the conditions of a wandering life, but there is always a danger that they will recognize who this fur belonged to. In such cases, even stray dogs immediately find owners. The consequences for you can be the most terrible .... Therefore, the easiest way is to immediately bury the skin deep into the ground along with other waste or throw it somewhere far away so that you are not calculated and punished for the “crime”. Some, not doing it in time, paid with their lives ...
4. Shelter (dwelling)
Based on personal experience, I can say with confidence that the most convenient and safe place is housing in nature. Any hut, in the summer, is preferable to the most comfortable entrance (attic, basement, collector).
Firstly, there are not so many such places that are relatively convenient for an overnight stay in urban conditions. Most of them are already occupied by other homeless people who will have to fight for shelter.
Secondly, remember: any struggle directly related to survival (namely, this is what happens among the homeless) can be extremely cruel and insidious. You don't have many chances to win it if you are a beginner. Even if health, youth and strength are on your side ...
Thirdly, the danger in the city awaits from all sides: it is the police, and drunken teenagers, and vigilant citizens, and their own homeless colleagues. All of them took up arms against you and are ready to kill. Yes, yes, not just to beat, but to kill! For, in our country, for the murder of a homeless person in 99 cases out of a hundred, nothing happens. If you are a homeless person, then no one will look for you. And when your corpse is found with traces of violent death, they will try in every possible way to either hide it or write it off as death from natural causes. Either way, it won't make it any easier for you...
In short, back to nature. In winter, you can also live in central Russia. In principle, there is nothing impossible in building a heated dwelling from improvised means. On the other hand, you are guaranteed safety - it is rare for anyone to poke their nose into the woods just to oppress and offend a homeless person. Even rather the opposite. If you are hospitable and friendly, you will soon acquire familiar summer residents, mushroom pickers and hunters who seek to help the unfortunate homeless.
Housing should be taken care of in advance, preferably in the warm summer months. It's hard enough to choose a place. It should be close to the city, since only there it is easiest to find food, clothing and temporary work. A source of drinking water (stream or reservoir) is desirable near your parking lot. An abundance of fuel for a fire is highly desirable. This could be a dead wood, a sawmill located nearby, or even construction waste illegally dumped outside the city.
Sometimes such housing is not necessary to build. Teenagers, having seen enough films about Indians, scouts and partisans, very often build various dugouts, houses, huts and caches. Even hunters-fishermen build solid huts so that there is a place to drink vodka with relative comfort. The villagers often build huts, put residential trailers on distant mowing or forest plots. Often, this “distant housing”, in fact, turns out to be very close to the city limits.
It is enough to rummage around the neighborhood for a week and, not far from the outskirts of any settlement, you will definitely find something acceptable for housing. Household items left there will tell you who the owners are and how you can negotiate with them about settling .... As a rule, children quickly lose interest in such toys and will even be happy if an adult uncle uses their house .... The hunting and fishing brethren will not mind either. Just always have at the ready a couple of pitiful stories about how you got to such a life ...
Some homeless people find shelter in numerous public organizations and monasteries. The latter are not the best option - they make you work hard, pray and feed meagerly.
It is difficult to find shelter in all kinds of charitable bunkhouses - usually, the number of applicants exceeds their capabilities. By the way, one-time assistance can be easily obtained if you manage to get an appointment with some deputy and public figure. Practice has shown that in one form or another this audience always helps. It’s just that it’s not always possible to overcome the numerous barriers of assistants and secretaries .... Here you can not tell compassionate stories - confess frankly. Lying is not recommended - they can break through the databases.
The other best option is to go to the hospital. It is impossible to give specific advice on how to “mow down”: it all depends on age, the presence of chronic diseases, the state of the body, etc. only if you deliberately make yourself sore, remember that you can easily overdo it and, instead of the desired shelter, you will actually have a serious illness. Don't know which is better...
The rules for staying in the hospital are not complicated: be clean, friendly with the staff and do not drink pills - after all, your task is to stay in the hospital as long as possible. Very well helps to slip obviously bad tests. For example, the urine of a sick person. But again, be careful - if they notice, they will kick you out for such “jokes”.
From the first day of treatment, start making supplies: dry crackers in a secluded place (bread, as a rule, is given without restrictions). One of my acquaintances, after a month's stay in the hospital, came out with a solid supply of crackers, which helped him survive in the future. Along the way, he prepared another powder from dried orange peels - they made excellent tea.
In a large hospital, you can get hold of decent clothes. Some patients admitted in a serious condition refuse, subsequently, to take dirty and bloody clothes. You just have to clean or wash it.
5. Legend
I already mentioned above that any homeless person must have a beautiful story about how he came to such a life. It is best if there are several such stories - for different audiences. For example, if you communicate with the working class, then the story that you had a big grief happened, why they began to drink. Hard workers, as a rule, sympathize with former drunks.
In stories for women, one cannot do without romance and fatal love. Just remember that women really do not like it when people talk about their gender with disdain. Always speak respectfully of the heroine of your love story.
It is very good if the theme of orphanhood and a difficult childhood with a slight touch of nostalgia for the past times will sound in history. You can add a little mystery, just don't overdo it. If you say that you are an employee of secret special services, then it may occur to your interlocutors to check whether you have professional skills ... . Be ready to answer various tricky questions and do not make a mistake on trifles: if you are caught in a lie, then the matter can end very badly - most people really do not like to be deceived.
Also beware of lying about a criminal or military background if you don't have one. Women will not be impressed, and male listeners can easily lead to clean water.
And another tip - do not invent anything. It is enough to read some interesting novel or watch a movie, choose a hero and project his story onto yourself, diluting it with details from your personal life. It is very good if there is a slight irony and humor - people like it more than compassionate whining.
Also, in any company, a dozen good, unhackneyed anecdotes will come in handy - perhaps they will need to be memorized in advance and practiced in an interesting way, because there is nothing worse than an anecdote, funny only for the narrator ...
Conclusion
This material does not claim to be complete and serves, rather, as information for thought. Everyone can question it or expand and add at their discretion.
It is no coincidence that in various specific manuals the word "art" is next to the word "survival". Indeed, survival is an art and must contain elements of fantasy, ingenuity and creativity. Nothing without this. And the stake is high enough - your life. This is some kind of art!
Good luck to all! I sincerely hope that my notes will not be useful to anyone.
