I'm 23 years old with 263 dollars to my name and starting today I'm officially homeless..

I came here from your finance thread that was closed to share some things. Homelessness was by far the worst thing I ever went through, primarily because I was young, and had jack shit for resources with the exception of my car and some clothes. I don't think you fully comprehend the level of fucked up homelessness can be, it's a very scary thing that can leave you with some seriously haunting experiences if not lingering depression and anxiety for years.

I lived in a moderately expensive suburb of a major city when this period of my life happened, and it ultimately took me working two jobs while living out of my car for close to two years to finally be in a position where I could get my own place. With the exception of when I occasionally had friends' parents let me in to shower I usually had to "shower" / clean up in gas station bathroom sinks. I never felt safe sleeping during this time, and unlike CA I had to deal with the brutal summers and ice cold winters. I couldn't afford to eat more than once a day if I was lucky, and even then it was the cheapest and most unhealthiest stuff. It didn't help that homelessness is one of those issues in society much like depression / suicidal thoughts, most people don't know what to do, and most people dealing with it don't know how to reach out for help. It was pure hell, I wouldn't wish the experience upon my worst enemy, and I don't think I could ever survive going through it again.

I don't care what your issue is with Texas, or whatever else, you need to get yourself out of San Fran asap. I can't see you ever getting ahead to the point that you can land on your feed, the costs of living are ridiculously expensive. If you need to stay in California get somewhere much cheaper. Just get anywhere where it's cheaper to live. Also, if there's one thing I could have done different it would have been open up to family about the situation and see if I could even just get a floor to sleep on at an aunt or uncle's house despite the embarrassment / shame of being homeless. Swallow your pride and ask for help, just a roof and a shower for a little bit so you can save a little money so you can rent your apartment.

Either way this is going to be one of the biggest challenges of your life, and I wish you the best of luck. Find every damn resource you can for help, and work your hardest at being the best employee you can at any job you have. Work two jobs, and throw in some side stuff in as well if you have any skills that would allow for that even if it's just mowing lawns. You need to save money, so you can eventually have a place to call home again if not just put some food in your belly once in a while. Remember to drink a lot of fluids as well, and not piss away money on non-necessities.

That's all I've got for now, this is all stuff I spend my life trying to forget about as best as I can. I hope you come out of this situation faster and better than I did.

/r/Assistance Thread