How would a homeless teen survive in a big city?

Basically I am writting a character that lived in an orphanage but ran away and now lives on the streets.

My problem is that I have no idea how would a teenager living on the streets of a major modern day city survive. I only have in mind that she has lived under a bridge for a while.

Google hasn't been too much help. I am mainly concerned on hwo she would eat and work.

I have been considering that she migh have pickpocketed people, but I am still not sure. How could I make this "living in the streets" believable?

There was a book some years ago by Jim Goldberg called "Raised by Wolves", about the life of a real group of teenagers living in the streets. That might be a good place to start.

The traditional methods are stealing and prostitution. Neither generally ends well, but this is fiction. Since she's a teenage girl, I would presume she needs to find protection from somewhere, in order to avoid becoming a casualty. The obvious choice is a criminal gang. Also, living under a bridge isnt practical for a minor because social workers are constantly on the search for such people. If found, she'll end up in a homeless shelter, if not back in the orphanage. That doesnt sound like the scenario you want for her. By the way, what country is this taking place in? The skills you need to survive on the streets of Bangkok are not the same as the one's you need for New York.

That was very helpful, thanks! You actually gave me some ideas. This would happen in a city similar to new york.

Prostitution does sound a bit too much but stealing seems fine, tough.

edited 3rd Jan '15 6:16:59 PM by RPGLegend

Homeless shelters would be a no go then. It's risky but In an emergency some churches consider it an important part of their religion to offer sanctuary to anyone who needs it. Libraries generally let you duck in for an hour or two. For water a lot of cities have drinking fountains in public parks and occasionally in libraries. For food bakeries and fast food places throw out a lot of perfectly fine food in the middle of the night since two days under the heat lamp would be really pushing it. Grocery stores also throw stuff out the second it hits it's expiration date even if it's not spoiled. Depending on the city and age of the teen, begging enough to get something from the dollar menu would be doable but if you live on fast food alone you'll risk malnutrition no matter how much you eat. Some of the main sources of trouble would probably be that the police would send you back to the orphanage if you get caught so much as loitering. Also if you get robbed on the runaway you can't exactly go to the police and criminals know this. Another big one is that without money for meds and antibiotics the most minor medical problems can become life threatening. Gangs are territorial, abundant, and look real good to people when they desperately need money. On top of all this once you homeless it's incredibly hard to bounce back without government intervention. Address: under some bridge just doesn't look good on a resume.

As demarquis said, what kind of city is your character going to live in?

I have some... experience on the matter so I'll try to be as helpful as I can.

To start, one thing to note is that, when living in the streets, your character will have to make use of every little skill and trait that might give her an advantage. The most obvious ones are gender, ethnicity, race, age, and appearance.

Gender: Your character is female so that will be an advantage. Women garner more sympathy from people. If she asks for money or just asks for a piece of bread from a random person, they are more likely to give her something just because she's a girl. She will also seem less threatening (way less, depending on where she lives) to the police and parents and teachers (more on this later).

On the other side of the coin, she will be targeted by nasty people because of her gender. Nothing has to happen (I know a great deal of homeless women who were never assaulted), but you could use that fear for drama's sake. For example, she could become a little bit paranoid when meeting strangers (especially men), or she could feel that she has to be extra careful with every decision she makes, lest people take advantage of her.

Ethnicity: This one could be minor or huge, depending on where your character lives. Your character could look like any other person in the city, but if she has traits that define her as member of a different ethnic group, that could cause some serious problems for her. For example, a Caucasian Mexican who doesn't speak English fluently.

Race: This one is tied heavily with the previous, but its impact is much bigger because it's far more obvious. A lot of people will make judgements based on race. No ifs or buts. Depending on the race of your character, she could have an easier or harder time doing some things.

For example, if your character is white (in a world similar to ours), she could steal things from stores and supermarkets without having half a dozen of security guards following her from the moment she enters the store. A lot of people still associate "white people" with "decent people" and they more likely to trust someone of that race.

Of course, she can still get away with a lot of things even if she is not white. Depending on where she lives (and the situation she's in), she could easily pull the race card to guilt trip the people who were 'harassing' her. A lot of people are terrified at the idea of being seen as racists and they get very uncomfortable when someone accuses them of that.

Age: She is a teen, but does she look like one? Or better put, does she look like the stereotypical image of a teenage girl? Depending on how old she looks, she will receive different responses from the people around her, regardless of her actual age.

A character who looks more like a pre-teen (short and thin, small breasts, baby-faced), will have an easier time getting sympathy than someone who looks more like a young adult (tallish, large breasts and wide hips, etc.).

Appearance: To put it bluntly, if your character is pretty, she will fare better than someone who is not. People, generally speaking, are more willing to listen to you if you are good-looking. At least according to whatever it is considered "good-looking" in the general area.

Now, if your character is plain-looking to the point of being unremarkable, she will do even better. First off, some homeless people (the not scary ones) need to be invisible. The less attention they draw, either from 'normal' people or other homeless, the better. A second reason is a matter of looking less threatening. Ugly people are seen as disgusting and untrustworthy because people might assume they are addicts, thieves, etc.; pretty people could be seen as liars or people who do things that not everyone agrees with (i.e. prostitution).

Now, for some general tips:

Hygiene: Not looking homeless is crucial here. She could use public restrooms to clean herself: wash her face, wash her armpits and genitals (to get rid of nasty smells), etc. It doesn't matter if she's really clean, only that she looks clean.

Public places: Public libraries and small parks would be great for her. If she doesn't look threatening, she could enter a public library and spend there the whole day without being bothered by the personnel or the security guards. She could also spend her time on small parks (near schools, for example) if she doesn't look threatening at all. Bonus points if she steals a book so she can look 'normal' to the overzealous parents.

Other than that, I'd advise against having her visit many other public places, except those close to residential areas in the middle of the city (i.e. not suburbs). At her young age, she'd be an easy prey for the less than pleasant people that roam the cities.

Sleep: In my opinion, her best options would be small parks, outside catholic churches, and outside schools, all in residential areas. These are the safest areas because the residents and the police are more active in getting rid of the nasty guys who might want to go there. She will still have to look out for the police, though. That is, unless she finds a rather nice hiding place.

Food: This is both the easiest and the hardest. While stealing and pickpocketing seem like the obvious answer, it is not necessary.

People tend to throw away a lot of good food in public parks, outside malls, and near fast-food establishments. Also, if she stays in a place where there is some kind of farmers market, those places tend to be goldmines for food at the end of the day. In this case, she could either wait until everyone is gone and pick up what was left behind (e.g. fruit that fell to the floor) or she could ask the people from the market for an apple or something like that. Most people will not say 'no'.

Another option is to go to supermarkets, malls, or wholesale clubs, and take advantage of the free samples. This one is harder because she'd have to rotate between different places to not get caught, and it depends greatly on her appearance, but it's a good way to get some food.

The third option is to ask for food instead of money. People are more willing to give away food, than they are willing to give out money. Also, she might find a kind person who gives her a piece of bread or two whenever they see her.

Finally, if you don't mind introducing some rather controversial elements to your story, you could have her visiting a church once in a while. In my experience, the staff at a church are more willing to help a homeless person out... in exchange of some work, of course. For example, your character could clean the bathrooms or floors of the offices in exchange for a meal or two. She might not be able to do it daily (a lot of people ask for the church's help, after all), but it wouldn't be too weird if she'd be able to get some work once a week.

... Phew, that was longer than what I expected... sorry. :P

edited 3rd Jan '15 8:15:56 PM by Lorsty

,

Wow thank you so much, that's incredibly helpful and it gives a lot of ideas. A hundred thanks!

@ Lorsty

On the contrary, you wrote pure gold for me. I am very grateful !

edited 3rd Jan '15 9:44:03 PM by RPGLegend

She could try and get a job.

If it's a pre-modern city (or really anywhere without serious business regulation, think Industrial Revolution-era London or earlier) then she could find perfectly legal work in places where employers don't particularly care who their workers are, or what they might have done in the past. Cleaning, heavy lifting, running deliveries, being a maid, factory line work, and other roles where simple brute labour can earn a living wage could all be open to her. She could use that wage to rent a room somewhere, and feed herself, and then just keep her head down until the orphanage forgot about her.

Yeah, such a life would be tough (blue-collar jobs were, and in some places in the world still are, notoriously shitty), but she'd be living free and self-sufficiently, and with a bit of hard work, perseverance, and a huge dollop of luck, she could slowly claw her way towards a better life.

edited 4th Jan '15 4:57:14 AM by Tungsten74

Sounds like a good Shout-Out to Charles Dickens right there.

@Lorsty: I am going to copy your post in case I ever end up homeless. That was awesome.

Folks, here is what I found on a trip to Melbourne and Sydney.

I found quite a few homeless people who would be begging for change. However some of these are professionals making a living from this to the point in Chappel Street I overheard discussion akin to rosters and timetables, with a few who saw this as work or a means of survival working different locations at different times. The locals appear to be very much aware and on guard and ignore them on the basis that they are professionals making a living from it rather than genuinely needing help. Myself, being cynical doesn't help me sleep at night, whether professional or not of course they need help if they are reduced to this whether they spend the money on food or smokes and alcohol. Offering a smoke and them not liking the particular brand I have on me at the time however, c'mon. They're homeless, meant to be anyway, and they're being picky at what's donated.

In Melbourne central there were maybe fifteen homeless sleeping under the Yarra bridge, and a few empty beds with murals of those who had sadly passed on. Speaking of Melbourne when in Port Melbourne I was warned of a girl who was aggressively seeking money, so someone who is more proactive would seemingly be quickly spotted and moved on.

Now as far as prostitution goes have a look on Craigslist or Locanto some time. It would not be outside the realm of possibility that some who post ads here are looking for a reward (money for sex) and they tend to either be in a No-Tell Motel or ask if you could host or even the back seat of a car. Before you ask no I didn't go to one of them but I did read up on it out of boredom.

A place like Sydney, you have five million people there making it one of the largest populations in the world. Even if you put yourself out there you have five million others you are competing with.

Anyway that's my insight from what I have experienced.

Not really. It's just simple problem-solving. "I need food and shelter. For that, I need money. For that, I need a job. I don't want to be a criminal, so I'll see if there's anything legal I can do to make some money." Easy.

Yeah, it might seem unlikely that an orphanage-raised teenager would be quite that sensible in their thinking, but it's not impossible.

EDIT: And really, I just wanted to suggest an alternative to "she immediately becomes a beggar-whore".

edited 4th Jan '15 2:51:52 PM by Tungsten74

There are soup kitchens, food banks and churches that feed homeless children, and a lot of times homeless kids seeking work will lie about being homeless. They will wash themselves in public restrooms with sample soaps they find at hotel-rooms, or sneak into gyms to use the showers. On their days off they might pick up money dropped by kiosks and drive-thrus when customers drop quarters and the like. Many will salvage things they find on sites like Craigslist, turning them in for other people, turning a profit and stuff. Many of them will volunteer at Salvation Army or other places, and use the washing utilities for their own clothing.

Not only that, many of them tend to meet very kind people willing to lend them a dollar or a shower if the need arises.

Ref: myself.

When it comes to crime and weather, there are places that are abandoned, condemned apt. complexes, abandoned cars and forgotten garages many people convert into temporary stealth residencies.

One reason runaway teens often end up in prostitution is that legit jobs require identification, and even if they have identification, identifying themselves would often mean they'd get hauled back to whatever situation they ran away from. Our society is so invested in Parents Know Best that the authorities regularly return teenagers to abusive parents, for instance.

I've seen several people (who should know) suggest that the best way of cutting down underage prostitution is to give runaway teens help that doesn't send them back to their parents.

Begging can always make some money, that depending on the person and their talent for it, where they are, and the competition. Young women tend to tug on peoples' heartstrings more and thus she might be able to make more money than many. There are lots of homeless beggars in Seattle, for instance.

edited 5th Jan '15 5:21:34 PM by Morven