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by turbostyler 2301 days ago
Coming from someone who has actually been homeless, it’s entirely possible to get back on your feet with freelance work, and probably a much better idea than taking a low paying job.

I spent a year homeless on the streets of San Francisco due to my mental health and the atrocious safety net we have in the US. Eventually, my mental health improved, and I met an extremely generous person who was also in tech and helped me tremendously by giving me an old laptop of his and introducing me to the owner of an agency he used to work at. They didn’t have any work for me right away, but eventually I got a 6 week contract that paid $12k. Since I was a contractor, all of this money was available to me immediately (I could worry about taxes later), and I was able to get back on my feet and find a job soon after.

Obviously my situation involved a bit of luck, but I do believe that as long as you have access to a computer, this is possible. The important things to remember are that your skills are valuable. Do not sell yourself short because of your current situation. And things will get better. I know you’re living through a hell very few people can understand, but if you’re fortunate enough to be intelligent and skilled, you have a very good chance of coming out of this. Most homeless people don’t have this benefit.

1 comments

What kind of work were you able to do for the $12k contract?
Web development