Especially in the last few years
When I was 7 I got kicked out of my parents house, lived with a friend for about a year. Didn’t want to be a bother so I mostly stayed out as late as I could at parties getting drunk or high so I had an excuse to stay the night and not drive “home” until the next morning.
At 13 I decided to get an apartment of my own, but with limited income I could only afford a place in the slums. I regularly had people breaking in to the apartment complex and even had my next-door neighbor get his life-threatened at gunpoint. So I knew I had to get out of there too.
From 21-26 I lived mainly out of my car, failing to save up money and basically living check-to-check and getting a $10/month Planet Fitness membership just to have a safe spot to relax/take a shower.
A week after my 27th birthday I lost my job, which led to my car, my only shelter, being repossessed. I had no choice but to turn to begging for money at the corners of streets and Denny’s parking lots, sheltering under the overpass when it rained.
