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[edit] Free Housing

[edit] Free Sleep

In most parts of the US sleeping of any kind outside an approved shelter is illegal for the homeless so we do what the drug users do, we grab a fix when nobody is looking, never knowing when the next fix will be available, all the while fearing withdrawal. Could you live like that and act normal?

[edit] Hospital

If you need a place to sleep for a night, try crashing at the Waiting Room of the local hospital. Tell the nurses that you're waiting for your sister/friend/whoever to have a baby, then lay down on the floor and catch some Zzzs. Might not be too comfy, but definitely safer than sleeping under a bridge. Eventually, the hospital staff will get wise to you but hopefully by then you'll have gotten some rest.

[edit] Dry Reading

If you need some sleep find a book or newspaper to hold, which is quite easy at the library or in the trash, and doze off, since it appears you were legit and just reading they will likely not throw you out unless it is a security guard or cop and your skin is the wrong hue of brown. This dozed off reading trick works well at bus and train stations, on buses and light rail but often is just a fitful nap not the peaceful sleep you really needed, expect to be awoken by a librarian or transit inspector after a time.

Here are some mid to longer term options for a place to stay Low Impact Crashing How to crash in almost any building or room without needing traditional appliances

tree sitting Live rent free supported by brothers and sisters while fighting corpgov

Homeless-Camp_Home When there is no home

Alternative Shelter All kinds of places to build or modify for your low budget unconventional home

Squatting Seth Tobacmans 1987 pamphlet edited and updated by the Steal This Wiki team

[edit] External links

http://www.couchsurfing.com - resource for sharing short term, free living space. Just keep in mind that couchsurfing is largely about community and forging friendships, so someone who just wants a crash pad and nothing else might have a tough time. Every couchsurfer has an online ID and people who you stay by will rate you, this is to weed out the creepy types so be somebody who people would enjoy to have over, token gifts and good stories are a nice touch. For the greatest success, contact a number of people weeks before you're planning to visit and aim to stay in less popular cities and/or travel during less popular times.

http://www.coophousing.org/finding_co-ops.shtml Housing Co-ops Not free but different

http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/shelters.html Shelters, Homeless and Otherwise Doesn't list every shelter, but it's a good resource.

http://www.hostels.com/en/index.html Find a Hostel This one isn't free, but split the costs with some friends and it could be pretty cheap.

http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Shopping_and_Services/Travel_and_Transportation/Lodging/Homestays/ Homestay Directory The homestay directory on yahoo. go stay with a family, rent a room, share an apartment, stay on a farm....

http://www.covenanthouse.org/about_locations.html Covenant House Listings if you need a place to stay or want to stop being a drifter/homeless, this is the place to go.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/youthdivision/programs/locate.htm Find A Place To Go in Your Area Find a place to go in your area. these places are especially for runaway and homeless youth and children.

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/ - The Budget Traveller's Guide to Sleeping in Airports

If you're in a college town, simply go figure out where the frat party is, make friends there and find a couch to stay (or pass out late at the frat house).

[edit] Original Free Housing

If you are in a city without a place to stay, ask the first group of hip-looking folks where you can crash. You might try the office of the local underground newspaper. In any hip community, the underground newspaper is generally the source of the best up-to-the-moment information. But remember that they are very busy, and don't impose on them. Many churches now have runaway houses. If you are under sixteen and can hack some bullshit jive about "adjusting," "opening a dialogue," and "things aren't that bad," then these are the best deals for free room and board. Check out the ground rules first, i.e., length of stay allowed, if they inform your parents or police, facilities and services available. Almost always they can be accepted at their word, which is something very sacred to missionaries. If they became known as double-crossers, the programs would be finished.

Some hip communities have crash pads set up, but these rarely last more than a few months. To give out the addresses we have would be quite impractical. We have never run across a crash pad that lasted more than a month or so. If in a city, try hustling a room at a college dorm. This is especially good in summer or on week-ends. If you have a sleeping bag, the parks are always good, as is "tar jungle" or sleeping on the roofs of tall buildings. Local folks will give you some good advice on what to watch out for and information on vagrancy laws which might help you avoid getting busted.

For more permanent needs, squatting is not only free, it's a revolutionary act. If you stay quiet you can stay indefinitely. If you have community support you may last forever.