Have you ever had to stay at a shelter before?

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Right now I don't have anywhere to live, so I'm staying at a domestic violence/womens' and childrens' shelter. It looks like a house, with a living room, kitchen, and bedrooms. The rooms have bunkbeds and sometimes you have 3 other people with you in a room. 2 rooms share one bathroom, which has 2 doors with locks on each side. A staff member is always in the office part 24/7. It can be really loud b/c there's alot of single moms who have little babies running around. I don't like sharing a room because I don't go to sleep until 5 or 6 am, so I have to go downstairs so the other person doesn't complain about the light being on. Also the next door people lock the bathroom alot so for awhile I would walk downstairs or to the other hallway's bathroom. They also get mad when they overhear certain conversations I might have on my laptop via gmail talk plugin. People make messes and don't clean them up, I get annoyed when there's no clean cups because the dishwasher will take at least 20 minutes to wash them. People went through my stuff and conviscated a racy drawing I made , claiming that I left it out ( in actuality it was under 3 books, which they went through) and said that there's kids around and that I had it lying out in the open. I really like some of the staff here but really I don't trust any of the residents. I always take my laptop, camera, music players and favorite clothes with me whenever I leave. I hope that soon a state program will get funding to get me an apartment. I just really want to live with my bf because when I live with a bunch of shady strangers I feel so alone and uncared about.

Whenever I tried to get into a shelter, I was told that they were all full. I was to learn later that the real reason was that I am a white, able-bodied male of sound mind with no criminal record or addictions.

It's easier if you are a woman (with or without kids), or disabled, or Non Compos Mentis, or an ex-con, or an addict seeking rehab.

I suppose that I could say that you can consider yourself fortunate to have been let in; I could also say that your current situation is better than living on the streets; but what I am going to state is that I am jealous for your situation, as I wish that I could have had it as good as you when I was homeless.

I wish there was something more encouraging for me to offer, but "It can get better" is about it.

Best wishes.

*hugs*

I was 'lucky' to avoid a shelter when I was homeless - I stayed with family, then when the beatings started getting life-threatening I went to my local authority. They tried to put me in a shelter but I pointed out that I'd not be able to manage being around other women and that their argument against my being given a place to live (they argued as the person beating me wasn't a boyfriend or husband they could do nothing) was not acceptable so if I was killed I'd make sure the media informed it was their fault. I got the place I'm in now as a result.

It's far from nice being in a place where you have no freedom to come and go as you please, do as you please, and people underestimate how big a difference little things like a shower in your own bathroom can make to your mental and emotional well-being. I've known people who have lived in shelters, they seem to me more like prisons than anything else, so I hope you're not stuck there for long.

I was just thinking about you a while back, Jessi, I wondered if you were still alive because I knew that you were homeless in the Michigan winter and you hadn't posted in a while. Shelters are no fun, but they're better than being out on the streets. Hopefully you can get SSI soon and get a place. When I was "homeless" my grandfather let me stay in a travel trailer on his property, so I wasn't REALLY homeless in the eyes of the state, even though my living arrangements were technically illegal. It was better than being in a shelter, but it was still tough.

Bloodheart, if the beatings had killed you, how would the media be notified? I'm curious.