Stuck in San Francisco!!

[Rags2Rags]

Hi all,
    I'm Steve and was talked into moving here to San Fran from Western Massachusetts by my oldest daughter, Kasey.  I'm 58 years old and put myself in a corner and see few choices available.  I took early retirement based on physical injuries from years as a paramedic and living a rather hard life.  I get little over $1400 a month and was given a Section 8 housing voucher and transferred it from Mass. to San Francisco county. I have been living with my daughter, her boyfriend and three other roommates and they are all around 28 years old. I have been here for 2 months and I am about to go crazy, lol. 
    The prospects of finding a landlord that will accept my voucher seems to be near 0%.  I have beaten my head against a wall trying to figure out how to talk a landlord into accepting me.  I originally wanted to live out west in a van/camper, but my daughter thought it would be nice to be near each other for at least a year.  And then she would help me out in getting a van.  Instead, she had to pay a large IRS bill on a teacher's budget.  So I can't ask her for any help now. I was going to get a temporary SRO room in a crummy hotel for $800 a month, but kind of afraid of getting stuck in this place with no way out.  I'm bouncing in different clubs trying make some extra $'s but feeling like my days as that guy are kind of over.  I also sing and have tried to hookup with different bands, but it seems like the blues or country music is not so popular here.  I am an Ivy League graduate and supposedly smarter than the average bear. 
    However, my options I see are so limited. I have like no credit and no savings at hand.  I need to come up with a few thousand to get a risky van or go camp out on BLM land for like 6 months and save enough money.  I tried to get some finance company to cover a van, but it seems impossible.  I figure I can easily pay $350 a month for a payment, but how do I find such a deal?  Is it feasible to try and live on the land for 6 months and where would that be?   I was wondering if anyone wanted to rent an extra bed in their camper?  I did grow up in Alabama and was taught how to live in the wild, but that was so long ago.  My Granddaddy, mostly Cherokee  was very wise and would probably be laughing at me hesitating to live off the land. So those I believe are my main options, besides living homeless in this big city.

Hope ya'll are well,
Bama

P.S. I am a big man for shared space consideration 6'2" 285 lbs, just wanted to be honest and upfront.

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Welcome, Steve! I guess if I were in your predicament, I might go ahead and buy a very cheap vehicle and do the BLM thing for a few months to save up enough for a better vehicle! Are you able to save any amount of money living with your daughter?

 

[akrvbob]

I'd suggest any reliable vehicle you can afford and live in a tent in the Sierra NF through September when it will get too cold to stay sometime in October. Then move south to Slab City and stay there until you can afford a good van. Save every penny!!!!! Then buy a decent van and you are free.

 

[Rags2Rags]

Hi there Belinda,
Its kind of hard to save anything in this expensive city. I basically will start the month with $1500 on the 1st, so can't even buy a van yet. Was looking for Bob's email addy, almost feel after watching him for last couple of years he would know what to do. Take care.

 

[AbuelaLoca]

And just like that, he answered LOL

 

[Jahmai]

Hope it all works out for you, Steve. I am kinda in the same predicament except I have a Subaru that is starting to have head gasket issues..I am planning on moving into it and camp here in WV and hope to save enough for a reliable van before my car gives up.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome aboard Steve !
We'll help you do this !

 

[Rags2Rags]

Hi there Bob,
Where would that be in the Sierra's?? Nearby town?? Slab city sounds a bit different, but a possible.
Take Care,
Bama

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Steve to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you. highdesertranger

 

[Almost There]

Welcome Steve!

Do you have ANY vehicle at this point?

If you do then you're way ahead of the game! Get some camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, maybe a cot, a cooler, a bucket toilet etc. ) at either W/'M or a surplus store, then go do it rough for a few months saving every penny you can by camping free on National Forest or BLM land. Bob has lots of articles (go to main page of the site and look for the links at the top) on how to not have to pay for campsites.

If you can't find the articles or need some fine tuning on how to find NF and BLM land just ask!

If you've not got any vehicle then you  might have to take a look at buying on time from one of those places that advertise that they take any credit. I usually hate to recommend them because they're pay weekly and you might not have a lot of choices but it might be the fastest way out of your housing situation. Better that you're paying on a vehicle through the nose than paying exorbitant rent or living with a bunch of under 30's in what has to be crowded crazy living conditions.

 

[ZoNiE]

If you have a car already, $1,500 a month goes a long way in lots of other cities. Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe AZ can be $400-500 per month for a studio. Some of the worst neighborhoods here are better than some "normal" ones in other places. It is hot here though. Many older complexes here have utilities and Air conditioning included, so your housing costs are truly fixed. You can then start saving...

You may also find affordable housing in Kingman, Flagstaff, etc.

Southern Oregon and Idaho can be much more affordable.

Some Inland CA cities may also be affordable. Not sure.

 

[Dgorila1]

You're in one of the most expensive places to live in the US. You can easily live off that income if you simply move to a cheaper area. Plenty of choices as others have mentioned. Also, you mentioned being Ivy League trained. Why not look into teaching jobs for more income.

 

[Rags2Rags]

Hi ya'll,
I really appreciate all the advice and ideas. My only reason I came here was because of my daughter, wanted to be closer to her in location. But I have been telling her a van would make it possible for me to come see her every 2 months or so. I need a car for the time being, so I can at least get to the mountains to camp out. If anyone knows a great free place to camp in California, LMK..
Be Good,
Bama

 

[Txjaybird]

 Hello Bama and Welcome!  I live near Ft Rucker AL my ownself.  There are some sites with info on free camping.  I'm not in top form today so I hope some others will tell you what they are. 

 If you have proof of being disabled, like your awards letter for one thing, you can get a free Federal Access pass that will give you free access to federal lands that charge a gate fee and also sometimes a discount on sites with hookups if  you need them at some point.  

If you google You Tube Slab City there are quite a few videos about it's history and about people living there.  Also a lot of videos about living in vehicles.  My recent favorite is by Bob Wells " A woman living on $800 a month in her car" or something like that. 

 At your income level your are probably eligible for public housing  where your rent is based on your income and if you have medical/health care cost those are taken in consideration in figuring your rent.  They are usually safer and cheaper in small towns.  Some apt. complexes have a % of lower rent  apts. because of receiving federal building loans at reduced interest rates.  Those are not Pub. Housing.  So I've been told.  I have lived in a small town in Pub. Housing  for 7yrs,  mainly because my Mom, in her mid 80s is in the next building.  I am however planning my "escape" in a 20yr old van and a 13yr old Aliner pop up TT as soon as I finish what I need to do here.

I agree that the best thing is maybe any kind of vehicle in reasonable shape that will keep you from paying rent while you save for a better ride.

Jewellann

 

[Bud Smiley]

You can buy a decent car around SF for $1500 or less. I'd try to find something around $1000 and keep the $500 for emergency repairs. That will get you mobile. You might have to spend a hundred bucks on camping gear but then you'll be independent.

There is a lot of BLM land to camp on throughout the state and it's easy to find a good climate. Save all the money you can. Your main expenses will be fuel and food.

 

[XFILE36]

What are you willing to pay for rent and still be able to save? Would 2 months be enough to save? Reason I am asking is, MAYBE I might have a place, and I do mean maybe, for a couple of months only, in L.A., for low rent, on the floor in a sleeping bag.

 

[BigT]

Lots of people sleep/live in their cars and vans on the streets in the Bay Area. No need to drive all the way out to the Sierra to find a place to camp.
Staying in or near SF would also allow you to use your daughters place for mail, regular showers, and visiting family.

SF has some of the best homeless programs in the state. My sister was homeless for a while, but has been living in a SRO in the Tenderloin now for years.

 

[Rags2Rags]

Thanks ya'll for the suggestions!! I really don't envision living in a car in San Francisco. I grew up on a ranch in Alabama and was taught in the woods by my elders on how to live. As far as living with you in L.A., you don't even know me. I am a good guy, but don't want to see you start with bad habits. I need to live somewhere at very low cost though....

 

[akrvbob]

Why pay any rent? You can camp for free in the National Forest and pay yourself as the landlord and then you can be the LORD of your life. California has a virtually unlimted amount of dispersed camping and all of it is amazing. I'd suggest getting above 6500 feet so it'll be cool. For you I'd suggest around Tahoe NF so you can be close enough to go and see your daughter. But I was a campground host for 3 years above Fresno CA around Shaver Lake in the Sierra NF and I know it well so I would go there.

Get a cheap but reliable car and go car camping until you can save enough for a good van to live in long term. I think you could easily save $700 by living in the NF. Then go down to the desert and camp on BLM land. In a year you should be able to save $7000 pretty easily. It won't be fun or pleasant living out of a car and a tent but watching your savings grow should make it bearable until you can get into a good van.

 

[Moonfreed]

Rags2Rags,

You may want to look into the East Bay area if you *must* rent. Should be able to find a $1K per month (or less, if lucky) studio. (Craigslist -> Martinez, Bay Point, Pittsburgh, Antioch, Oakley, etc.)
Cost would of course go down if you were a roommate. Then you could always BART to S.F. to see your daughter (or go to work, etc.) until you saved enough $.

For wheels, you can also find deals if you can get along without having 'new/mostly-new'. :idea: I just picked up a 1991 E250 (140K miles) from a business that collects donated vehicles and re-sells them. The benefit of working with them was they had no real emotional investment in haggling and want to move the inventory. There is a good bit of risk though, as you'll need to have some general idea of what mechanicals may be trouble down the line. (DMV included, I took a $1050 gamble)

With $1400/mo coming in, you definitely have options...