About The Author

Hi, I'm Carrie 33 year old female and a few years ago I spent ten weeks living in my car in California. I had moved to California for a job after being unemployed for 1.5 years and my living arrangements fell thru while I was still working a temporary job there. The cost of living and renting in Northern California is outrageous so I moved my extra belongings into the smallest storage unit I could rent and lived out of my car.

The first night in my car I was terrified. I drove my car down the block and around the corner from where I had been living and curled up in the passengers seat for the night. I spent the next few nights there as I got my bearings and tried to figure out how I was going to do this. Simple things that I took for granted like peeing as soon as I got up in the morning, finding a place to take a shower, relaxing and taking a nap, and deciding on a place to sleep at night became daily concerns that overtook my thoughts and time.

I come from a good christian home, attended private schools and college, have lots of professional christian friends, never drank, smoked, partook in recreational drugs, or consumed caffeine. I had never known a homeless person or anyone who had experienced it (that I knew of). I was embarrassed to be in the situation that I was in, but didn't want to quit my job until my contract was complete although my family urged me to quit and come home. I had bills to pay and didn't have another job lined up so I stayed, living in my car.

I found many aspects of homelessness a struggle, even though I googled it and looked for tips and advice on how to go unnoticed, access basic living necessities, and how to stay safe. I realized there are a lot of people going thru this because of the economy's struggle since 2009, I am not the only one. My heart goes out to those that are homeless and I hope to make this blog a resource forso those in this situation may live better lives thru innovative thinking, strategy, awareness, and knowledge.

Look for posts on rang of topics not limited to but including:

cooking systems
your appearance
staying warm 
how and where to sleep and why
taking a shower and body odor 
how to go unnoticed 
staying safe
avoiding the police
finding internet
finding electrical outlets to charge devices
foraging for food in the wild
free time - where to relax 
car maintenance and repairs
organizing your stuff
preventing theft
who really needs to know your situation
useful products and where to get them for cheap
emotional support 
trusting god
community resources
getting back on your feet

- Carrie

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