Ask HN: How do I escape homelessness after rebuilding my mental health?

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Immediate stabilization & basic needs

  • Many argue the first priority is stable housing and routine, not chasing ambitious tech/AI goals.
  • Suggestions include: stop spending on motels, sleep in car or camp; use cheap gym memberships for showers; prioritize food, hygiene, and safety.
  • Several recommend homeless shelters, coordinated entry systems, Section 8 waitlists, food stamps/SNAP, Medicaid, and county social services; libraries are highlighted as information hubs and daytime workspaces.

Work and income strategies

  • Strong consensus: get any reliable W‑2 job first (restaurant, retail, warehouse, temp agency, construction, agency dev, helpdesk) to qualify for leases and rebuild stability.
  • Many think rideshare is a “poverty trap” given car costs and volatility; others see it as acceptable short-term income but not a foundation.
  • Some describe stepwise plans: low-skill job → room/cheap housing → savings → transition to better-paying work or freelancing.

Tech career vs trades and retraining

  • Thread splits here:
    • One side: with 10+ years of PHP/JS/Laravel experience, OP should pursue dev roles or agency work; skills are still marketable, just competitive.
    • Other side: tech market is saturated and unstable; recommend switching to trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, welding) or CDL trucking, social work, nursing, etc., with licenses and clearer demand.
  • A niche suggestion is specializing in Salesforce/ERP/CRM as a faster path to high-paying remote roles.

Equipment: desktop vs laptop

  • Broad agreement that a desktop is a liability without fixed housing.
  • Repeated advice: sell or trade the desktop for a cheap ThinkPad/MacBook, or accept one of the offered donated laptops; combine with library/coffee shop/coworking access and phone hotspot or public Wi‑Fi.

Local & community resources

  • Multiple commenters surface specific Utah resources (Switchpoint, 211, LDS bishops, Catholic charities, youth safe houses, co‑working spaces in St. George).
  • Emphasis on talking to social workers and religious/community organizations that routinely help with housing, food, and case management.

Family, child support, and social attitudes

  • Long subthread debates child support, fairness of imputed income, and how aggressive enforcement can trap low-income parents.
  • Another debate centers on whether to narrow one’s job radius to stay close to kids vs. relocating for better work and visiting later.
  • Some argue maintaining any positive social ties (including to children) is crucial; one harsh minority view suggests cutting ties to focus solely on self-recovery, which others strongly dispute.

Meta: homelessness, policy, and skepticism

  • Some see homelessness as structurally solvable via housing-first policies, but blocked by political/economic interests.
  • A late subthread accuses OP of running repeated online donation appeals; others push back, noting that people in crisis often need help more than moral judgment.