I am soon approaching the end of my second semester at community college. As of today, I work full time and attend school 4 nights a week. When I get out of class at night, I take the bus back to work, and hop in my camper in the parking lot, and look for somewhere to go. Somewhere to waste some time until it's late enough that no one will notice me parking in their neighborhood. Somewhere to sleep without getting hassled by police, or somewhere safe from drug addicts.
I chose to give up my nice low income studio so that I could attend school full time starting fall 2009. This way I can take the classes I need as prerequisites to my major that are only offered during the day, and be that much closer to transferring.
I've been looking for scholarships - most don't apply to a single, white, 22 year old female - especially one who lacked direction in high school, and fell somewhere in the lower-middle income range. And FAFSA seems to think that my family would support me in times of need.
Maybe I'm preaching to the choir. I'm mostly preaching to myself. I'm trying not to get discouraged by the rich people telling me to leave their neighborhoods because I am homeless. I'm trying to focus on maintaining my 4.0 GPA. I'm trying not to get discouraged from the fact that that the only scholarships offered to someone like me are the same ones that don't have any specific qualifications.
Next fall (2010), I will be 24. Maybe I will finally qualify for aid. I will be taking any and all suggestions until then.
I'm really sorry to hear about this, and if you're really struggling for money and not receiving parental support, it doesn't make any sense to me that you don't qualify for financial aid. If this is true, there are many things significantly wrong with the college financial aid system.
You probably already know this, but all I can think to suggest is make sure that you have an updated FAFSA every year. And whatever you do, don't give up. :)
you're not dead yet so live like you could be.
In a lot of places across the country Walmart allows people to camp in the far edges of their vast parking lots. I think it depends on the local store. There might be local ordinances prohibiting it too. I doubt they would appreciate seeing the same vehicle every night. You might give that a try.
I don't know where you live but generally you are allowed to camp on BLM land for free. You need to move something like 20 miles every 14 days or something. You can research the rules.
It is ridiculous and disgusting that skin color plays a role in the availability of financial aid. Private organizations can do what they please with their money (but distributing it on the basis of race is still disgusting) but if it is public money that seems blatently unconstitutional.
I have lived in automotives before, but never a camper! In California there are actually parking lots in parks and community centers where homeless people are allowed to park their cars overnight. this came about because of the drastic foreclosure and unemployment situation. i don't know where you live, or if there is anything like that in your area, but you might try researching online. try your county or city homepage and look around for assistance available to the unemployed and homeless.
I don't mean to be insensitive to your situation, and I don't minimize its difficulty, but I think it says something about you, that you are tough as shit, and its awesome that you are investing yourself despite your circumstances. In some ways I am a little envious. I have thought several times this past year that I would prefer homelessness to the life I see my parents living, busting their asses everyday to hang on to all of their worldly possessions, while hating each other and their daily existence. Makes no sense to me whatsoever.
A guy I have been reading, Steve Pavlina, @ stevepavlina.com, has said that he would rather be homeless than work for someone else. he doesn't have to because he currently makes $41000/ month from his blog, but he has been homeless before. he said that working for someone else makes your mind a slave, and all of your creative energies are for the betterment of someone else. At least one who is "self-employed," or unemployed gets to use their time to create things for themselves. i like this idea a lot, which is one reason I have not been actively pursuing a new full time job after I lost the one I had. Just something to think about, you are not unemployed, but your life is your own, and you aren't slaving away for someone else. At least you own yourself!
"O, I'm sorry you took that, -I meant that for the Devil, and you have stepped in and taken the blow. Don't get between me and the Devil, brother, and the you won't get hurt." --Billy Hibbard
Thanks for the comment!
Actually, I was pretty stoked about it. But I keep my car near work during the week, which happens to be a pretty nice/affluent area. All the people who have talked to me have had sympathy, but most people don't even try to talk, they just call the cops. I get nervous whenever I'm driving through neighborhoods and people mean mug me. But I figure it's worth it - once I leave my current job, I plan on starting a side biz, and I have also registered a domain and paid for hosting several months ago. Maybe I can relay information and stories there (when I get it up to par).
The FAFSA part doesn't really bother me too much. I know I am completely capable of earning a living income, even if it is low, if I want to put my dreams on hold. Fortunately, I don't usually look before I leap, and I've been working at dead-ends for four years. I feel like I'm running out of time. I look forward to going to school after work; pretty different from when I was in high school. I am very excited to have no idea what is going to happen, and just waiting to see how everything works out. I have a destination, but I'm not following any map. However, it does seem pretty messed up that no one is willing to help me and or people in similar situations. There is really nothing that can be done about it. We just sort of slip through the cracks.
At the end of this month when I leave my job, I'll be able to park where friends gave me permission (in Seattle), and I know it won't be as difficult there. And the whole 'busting my ass' to live up to societal standards is mostly why I chose to do this. There is a lot of freedom. I am totally fine living in a confined space. The stress comes from people opposed to the lifestyle, which is a lot of people. This gave me the idea to get a 26'-28' sailboat, since mooring is pretty affordable, and it would be more space than I have now. I wouldn't have to worry about parking so much, and I would be free to go sailing on the weekends!
Anyway, I am rambling. It just feels like I have to take so many more risks because I don't fit into so many categories, even though I've been responsible and made it this far without ending up in the gutter. There is no recognition, and that makes it really hard at times.
Blah.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/carrot?page=28
she's in some community house in Portland, I think, unless she moved, which she does a lot. She used to sleep in the forest. She's cool peeps!
Also, Suze Orman was exactly in your shoes. She lived in a bus in San Francisco when she started. Geniuses often don't have normal lives. Think about Whitman and Thoreau! Enjoy this time, you won't get it back.
"O, I'm sorry you took that, -I meant that for the Devil, and you have stepped in and taken the blow. Don't get between me and the Devil, brother, and the you won't get hurt." --Billy Hibbard
Talk to your professors and your college's financial aid office, if you haven't already. You seem bright and very "together" with your 4.0 so they want to help you, and might have some ideas. At my college you can be Resident Advisor in a dorm and get free housing plus some pay, maybe yours has something similar?
Wow! You are a better person than I. I wouldn't be able to handle those circumstances. I am too in community college but under under conditions on the other end of the spectrum. I have a decent car that my grandma helped me pay for, my parents are all too happy to pay my tuition in its entirety, and I have a decent middles class home to live in and a good computer to do my homework. It doesn't seem fair to me that you should have to go through that to get a college education. You seem like a good motivated person and I really hope you get the help that you deserve. I admire you for your persistence and endurance of such harsh living conditions but it is not right that you have to live like this now. I'm very, very sorry and I will honestly always think about your story when I want to complain about ANYTHING. You have helped me realize that perhaps there many more reasons for my success in college than me myself. I really hope things will go better for you in the near future and I'm sorry I can't do anything to help. Good luck with your future and any wealth or happiness you may accumulate is well-deserved.