Survival of the fittest, and not in the Darwinian sense

Survival in a shelter can be complicated, the first thing you have to remember is, that NOTHING is like it seems and no one is your friend. Standard society rules do not apply; you cannot trust or confide in anyone.  If you are not careful you will get robbed, conned and swindled and nobody will see or hear anything. You cannot rely on staff to intervene, they are not your mother, and you have to look out for yourself.  Remember that people will steal your stuff whether they can use it or not, it is very sad but also a reality. I especially feel sorry for people in shelters that have cognitive issues; those poor souls get eaten alive.  Everyone is nice to them especially the first of the month, they will take them to the store and go out to eat and within a week’s time all their money and food stamps are gone and nobody wants anything to do with them.  I have seen it happen many times and actually tried to stop it and it backfired on me and I was made out to be the bad person.  I have always fought for the weak and those who cannot speak for themselves; it was a hard lesson to learn but now I walk away. Just like in animal rescue, you can never safe them all no matter how hard you try.

That being said, take everything that is important to you and carry it with you at all times. Do not keep your Driver’s license, BC, or SS card anywhere but on your body. Put it in a baggy and use masking tape if you have to.  I use a small cloth pouch with a strap attached to my bra for money and an extra set of car keys, etc.  People have actually had their car keys and their car taken by other shelter residents. Duhhh, like they would not get caught? At the same time people have thrown someone’s car keys in the dumpster just to be vile. 

I have had my locker broken into, my jacket taken of the hook on my bunk while I was asleep and my shoes stolen out from under my bed. Nothing is sacred! To be sure it’s not like that all the time, but cannot let the mellow times lull you into a false sense of security. It only takes one new person to come to upset the whole dynamics of the dorm. I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that I had a bunkmate that would hover over people and stare at them during the night. And she had this creepy laugh, she would sit up in her bed and laugh during the night, it sounded like it came right out of a horror movie, we never figured out if she was really nuts or just wanted to creep everyone out. Finally she threatened a staff member and that’s when the police was called to pick her up.

Right now we do not have any serious problems, just a few people that are out and out slobs and expect other to clean up after them, nothing unusual about that. 

The best thing to do is keep to yourself, be extremely aware of your surroundings and don't let your guard down. It is a very stressful and intense way to live and some stuff will still come up missing but at least you don't get robbed and only have to deal with acceptable pilferage.

Choose your option

Option 1 $10.00 Option 2 $25.00 Option 3 $50.00