What are some rules about life as a homeless person that would surprise you?

When dumpster diving, if you find a pair of shoes or clothes that aren't your size,

then you leave them neatly by the side of the dumpster for the next diver.

Look out for each other and be good to each other. We're all struggling,

so let's make it as good as we can for each other. When I was homeless, we paid for each other's

food, clothes, and any other essentials if one was truly in need. Honestly, I think most people

would be surprised by how much the poor take care of each other. My family was homeless for a few

months after coming to the US. Other immigrants gave us food, clothing, babysitting, informal English

lessons, job leads, and most importantly,

advice and guidance. When my mother, working as a house cleaner, got a chance to clean out

fridges, she shared with other families with small children first. My parents never ate anything

before we ate. They only ate what we didn't. There were some thieves and general bad people,

but everyone knew who they were. Shady employers were much worse and much harder to avoid. A lot of businesses just exist to scam the poor and needy. It's sickening. In happier news, I found some of the other families that helped us out on Facebook a few years ago, and everyone is doing pretty well for themselves. A kid I was friends with

and the shelter is a professor at a well-known college, and my parents own a business.

You don't beg on someone's corner if they're already there. My dad told me about the time he had

to live homeless for a week for a class. He was working toward being a Catholic deacon. He has a lot of stories from it,

but the one that stuck with me was his first night of being homeless. He woke up covered in layers of

cardboard with a rock on top to hold it in place. The other homeless took care of him on his first night

on the streets. When I was in college, my sociology professor gave us the option of being homeless in a big city for a weekend for extra credit.

I wonder if anyone ever took him up on that particular assignment.

That seems like a dangerous assignment that can result in a lawsuit.

He had probably made them sign a liability waiver.

...