yes I was. I was only homeless for about a month. I just lived in my car mostly, otherwise I rode my bike a lot (like 70+ miles a day) I would go to the city park to charge my phone. then i would call friends and see if they could bring me any food from their works when they got off. sometimes i would stay at there houses on the stormy nights. otherwise it really came down to being my choice to be homeless, because it was my choice to not work. and hounestly I had a great time and found out who really cared about me. my real friends and family don't think any less of me now. because they know that it was my choice. and to get back on my feet I used the library computer, found a job as an Engineer and went back to finish my Mechanical Engineering and marketing degrees. In short, I was homeless, I enjoyed the adventure of not really knowing where my next meal was going to come from. or where i would stay that night. but then summer was over and it was time to get my life back on track again.

I was when I was real young. I was married to a man who used all our money on drugs, and we were in a new state and didn't know anyone. We lived in the car for 2 weeks. He thought it was fun. *shudders* We would go to rest areas to take showers, and drive to churches to beg for food. It was horrible. My parents knew what he was doing, and they refused to accept our phone calls. Finally they did, and my dad came down and got us an apartment and helped us get back on our feet until at least I had a job. After 3 years, I finally left the guy-he never changed either, that I know of.

i did when i had to stay overseas for longer than expected(if that counts)

I have been homeless a few times. The first time was when I was really young. My father died of a heart-attack and noone was able to take me in. I slept rough for months until I was able to find a job in a bar, where I slept on the counter of the bar (without the manager knowing about it) until I could save up enough to get a place of my own. Another time was when I returned to the UK after travelling for a few years. I had nowhere to stay and noone to stay with, so I slept rough, at the side of the street, until the local council offered me a place to stay of my own. The last time I became homeless, was because I had agreed to look after my mother's house while she was abroad. She returned in the middle of the night one night and asked me to leave there and then. When I objected, due to the time of night and lack of warning (in order to pack my things up), she called my brother and they both preceeded to attempt to kill me (literally), dumping my body in the woods in the middle of the night. I was discovered and taken to hospital, but by the time I got out again, they had sold everything I owned and moved back abroad, leaving me homeless and possessionless. With respect to "did family and friends treat you differently?" People tend to shy away from you if you are homeless, because they assume tht you are only speaking to them in order to beg them for food or shelter and are often halfway through their excuses as to why they can't help you by the time you have finished saying "hello". I got off the streets through the help of a homeless charity, but having seen the problems that they face in terms of bureaucracy and government imposed rules that meant that they faced great difficulty in getting to actually help the people they were set up to help, I decided to found my own charity called HISH (Homeless Is Still Human) in order to attempt to change the public and media view of the homeless and let people know that not all homeless people are drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill, or lazy drop outs, and that it can happen to literally anyone at any time in their life. It only takes a couple of instances of bad luck to occur in close proximity for it to happen to even the wealthiest or apaprantly least likely of people. While I was on the streets, I met a Lord of the realm, a former MP, several former millionaires, numerous ex-military people, and any number of people that were "safe, middle class" people until they found themselves homeless. The problems of alcoholism, drug addiction and mental illness ARE prevalent among the homeless, but in many cases, these problems only occured AFTER they became homeless, and were caused by the need to try to block out the problems the people were facing in being homeless.

I was a bad alcoholic,I lived on the streets in Florida. I got sober and have a beautiful life,home family. Beyond my wildest dreams. That was 23 years ago. If I had continued to drink I would be dead,insane or in prison. By the grace of God I am Sober, Happy Joyous and Free!!

Several times.. I was a kid first times and just wanted to see the country so I hitch hiked all over the place coast to coast, but always had a home back with my parents. Later it happened a few years ago (about 6). I left my home to get in drug treatment because none was available back where I lived plus the police were lookin for me:X..drug charges..I left my whole family behind, but it was for the best. My kids are grown and my ex and i had grown apart anyway. We still talk though. It was OK when i was young because I was strong and bullet proof, but I'm 50 now, drug free, don't drink to stay warm or drink at all and my legs are shot so I run like an old lady. The time a few years back I had been staying with my sister, but I had become a burden to her so I left and it got tough out there. I spent one night where I nearly froze to death. Now I'm a caregiver for an elderly woman (also my best friend in this whole world) and I have a little shed/building I live in with electric, internet connection, my dog and all my goldfish outside. I got on my feet the lucky way, by running into good hearted people who helped me here and there. I could very easily go right back on the streets if anything ever happens to her though... Her greedy kids would throw me out the minute she dies just to be spiteful.