Steps to Homelessness
This morning I realized that I am three steps away from sleeping on the street.
Currently I rent a room in shared housing. I share bathroom and kitchen space. I do not have serious fears about having my stuff stolen or vandalized. The rent is okay but is moving out my price range.
One step down from this would be to live in a rooming house, where I would be sharing a bathroom with seven other people and possibly have no access to a kitchen, so I would cook out of a rice cooker and/or microwave in my room. Many of my housemates would bring Drama, and several of them would regularly self-medicate with alcohol or other drugs. I would have to keep my room locked and actively worry about losing my stuff.
One step down from this would be to live in a hostel like the House of Friendship. The people there would also be full of Drama, but there would be a little more staff supervision. But there would be lots of rules to follow, and people would not be clean, and I would likely not be able to cook at all.
One step down from this would be living on the street. I would have to find shelter from the rain and the cold. I would regularly be harassed and beaten up by the cops and by other street people. If I was lucky I would form a group bond with others who would protect me, but there would be costs to this.
There are ways to move further away from homelessness as well. One step up would be having my own apartment to myself. A step up from that might be renting a townhouse or small house, and a step up from that might be home ownership (aka bank ownership for 25 years). I do not think any of these goals are realistic. At best I will continue to live in shared housing, but depending on how badly I screw up future employment I could sink much lower.