# Writing a Homeless Character



## Crying

The MC of my current novel is a black teenager named Malcolm living on the streets of a rough area of Detroit. I live in a college town, with not too many rough areas, and it's sort of hard for me to write him. Does anyone have any ideas where a kid like this would sleep, where he would get money to eat, what he would do all day, what sort of relationships he would have, etc.? 
Any tips on writing a homeless and underage character in a rough area would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## midnightpoet

My first suggestion is to volunteer to a soup kitchen and get to know them first hand.  Otherwise, the internet may have articles on, for example, the plight of homeless veterans. I worked across the street from one for several years, and in fact incorporated the homeless scene in one of my novels.  Read all you can on the subject.


----------



## Santa

There should be a lot of articles on the internet on this subject. Just use the keywords of your character (i.e. homeless, teenager, Detroit, shelters, etc.) and see what come up. I do a lot of charity work [hey, I'm Santa] and I will tell you each situation has its own unique culture, so if you are writing about the homeless in Detroit, don't assume they live the same as the homeless in L.A. And each culture is different based upon the geography. I know I have lied in numerous states. Good luck with this.


----------



## escorial

he would probably have no friends but plenty of acquaintances in the same position as him.After sleeping in homeless shelters he will probably decide the violence and thieving that is ever present , he would be better sleeping rough..doorways,derelict buildings...he will have access to soup kitchens and in general cities have so many good organisations that will provide eating opportunities.Money..beg..sit  in the busy streets around and just wait for offers of help..sometimes financial others items of food.ect...Hardest thing is staying clean, finding a place to wash regulary.


----------



## hvysmker

I assume you won't want to actually live on the streets in Detroit before writing your novel, Crying.  That would be the most accurate research.

Research it instead. Research is  an extremely valuable tool for a fiction writer, also an interesting one. In one case, I've got so wrapped up in researching for a story that I never got around to writing it.  

Research is never wasted.  That research I just mentioned was on the War of 1812 in the US, and I used the information on several later stories.

In your case, I've just finished Googling "homeless street life Detroit", with over two million hits.  I can already see some that are promising.

All you need would be research and imagination, maybe tempered by a little logic.

For instance, Detroit is a cold city.  Where would I sleep if I were homeless in Detroit?  Well, with all those boarded up houses, I think I'd find one.  Maybe there's an open  basement window?  Heat?  Some will have heating in the winter, if only to avoid frozen pipes or other such reasons.  Not all such homes belong to insurance companies. Many would belong to families who simply have to move for some reason, such as work in another city.  They might leave the electric on and use electric space heaters turned on very low to avoid damage from the weather.  You could maybe tell  by fogged up basement windows.

Food?  Easy. Dumpsters behind restaurants, begging, shoplifting, even stray animals.

Since there are street gangs in certain areas, some younger homeless might join them and live that way.  Others would  band together for protection and mutual aid.

Don't think all homeless are penniless.  Many have incomes, only not enough money to afford the relatively expensive housing in a large city. Cheap housing would  be available but hard to find.  Those people would have money for food.  Banding together would d be a key to mutual survival.

Certainly, there are a large number of, let's say, mentally challenged in the homeless ranks.  They may also have an income but prefer the homeless lifestyle.  When living in Waikiki, I met some of them.  There was a court case about the rights of mental inmates, resulting in all those not deemed a threat to themselves or others were shoved out onto the streets.  Many hadn't the facilities to take care of themselves.

Briefly, for a couple of months, I had a girlfriend named Maggie. Although a pretty young girl, she had no conception of money.  She was one of those let out onto the street by that court order.  She'd go to some office once a month to collect a cash allotment. Usually, by that night she'd be broke.  Maggie had a habit of giving the money away. 

When the state authorities realized Maggie did that, they rented a one-room apartment for her in a small residential hotel, taking the cost from her allotment.  She didn't like the room and rarely used it, preferring to drift from one man to another, like with me.  Like others, I soon tired of her and kicked her out.  Maggie was one of the two most depressing people to be around that I've known. Though adept in bed and a pretty girl, she was depressed all the time.  She was issued pills along with her money but would throw them away on leaving the building.  I'd get up in the morning, feeling good. An hour after Maggie rose, her depression would get to me or force me out of the apartment.  She was that bad.  I took it for a couple of months but finally gave up.  It was affecting both my work and home life.  During one of her crying spells, I got the ass, picking her up and carrying her outside, I told her to hit the road, or words to that effect.  When her suitcase and loose clothing hit the ground, I shut the door.  That wasn't the last I saw of Maggie.  A few months later, she visited along with her current boyfriend.  He looked kinda  worn out.

I  hope this helped, Crying.  Hit that research trail and you'll find what you need.
Charlie


----------



## dither

Man that's heavy.


----------



## tabasco5

Your location says Chapel Hill, NC.  If you do live there, I can assure you there is a decent homeless population there for you to research.  My wife went to the Aveda Institute in CH in 2009, and the school is located near a homeless shelter.  There are also other organizations in the tri-city area that deal with homeless issues.  

My recommendation would be to 1. do the internet/library research (books, websites, academic journals, documentaries) and 2. do some volunteer work with one of the homeless organizations.  By doing this, you will learn your subject inside and out, and also gain valuable experience and possibly friendships.

Having done homeless work myself, it is a fascinating subject full of tragedy and despair, but also ironic inconsistencies.  Many of the homeless people I met are so by choice.  One guy, a once successful Texas lawyer rambling from town to town, asked why would he want to go back to the life of 60 hour work weeks, taxes, insurances, cheating wives, sleezy clients, mortgages, bills, debt, etc. - when he can live for free and move around as he pleases?  Now not all of them see life like this, but there are indeed some interesting characters, and all of them have interesting lives.

Also, keep in mind that many homeless are highly mobile.  They will hitchhike, ride trains, take buses, or walk to the next destination, or even across the country on a whim.  Many of them are skillful at getting money by begging, stealing, or conning unsuspecting people.  Some will do manual labor for money, some will make friends at churches and ask for money, most all beg, some gather money from public water fountains, some sell drugs or sex.

Relationships depend on the geographic location.  If they stay within a single city, they will likely meet many or most of the homeless population there and use them as a support group.  There are also monogamous relationships, open sexual relationships, etc.  They are all on the "same side" and most are friends, but many of them wouldn't think twice to hurt or kill another to gain something.

As for where to sleep: anywhere.  The next time you drive or ride around town, just look for where you would sleep.  Parks, woods, under bridges, abandoned buildings, dark alleyways, etc.

What to do all day.  Now that's a good question.  Some beg, some travel, some sleep, some get high, some fight, some play cards or chess or read, some waste time at libraries...


Really the world is wide open for you to build.  With a little research and experience, you should have no trouble writing it accurately or believably.


----------



## hvysmker

When I lived in Waikiki, it was only about two blocks from the  beach.  That section was primarily used by Japanese tourists.  Sometimes, on my days off work, I'd go down there, grab a bottle of  booze and a six-pack of coke from an ABC store across the road, and go over to look at the girls.  Inevitably, when homeless in the area saw my bottle, they'd come over to talk.

As Tabasco5, says, many had interesting backgrounds.  The ones hung out with were mainly ex-GIs, out on medical discharges with varying degrees of military pay coming in.  Quite a few were ex-convicts that couldn't get steady work.  Some were former visitors who decided to stay. Although those received some money from home, it wasn't enough to pay the high rents asked in the area.  By law, they were allowed to sleep on the beach (Note: Alcohol and smoking was also allowed way back then. I don't know about now.) Also, a good many did have mental problems or were your typical drunks, but not all by any means.  Also, like Tabasco5, mentioned, not all cities  have the same makeup in the homeless ranks.

Charlie


----------



## EmmaSohan

My understanding is that Detroit is rich in abandoned houses and places with no service at all. The economic center of the Detroit area is the suburbs. You probably could not pick a more interesting place to write about. Or more challenging.


----------



## sailorguitar

In this case, I think you need to go to the place you are writing about Crying.  If Detroit isn't your cup of tea, find a black homeless kid in Chapel Hill. Start there.  Shouldn't be hard to find.... and if you can't find a black kid, find a white one and begin with what the experience of street life is like.  Start with street life, then get to culture, race culture.  Whatever it is you are after, but begin with something then chase it down as the chips start to fall.


----------



## Sam

You don't need to go anywhere. This can be done through a lot of research and good imagination. 

*Where would he sleep? *

Wherever he can find a place to put his head down. Might be beneath an overpass, in a back alley, or even a jail cell. 

*Where would he get money to eat? *

Unless someone gave it to him as a donation, or he busked on the streets, he probably wouldn't get money. He would go to a soup kitchen to find something to eat. 

*What would he do all day? *

Survive. Any way he can. He wouldn't do too much walking, because walking expends energy and speeds up metabolism. The last thing you want as a homeless person who doesn't know when their next meal is coming, is to go hungry because you decided to take a stroll. He might find a local pool hall and try to hustle some money, or go to the park and play chess, but most of all he will find a way to survive. 

*What sort of relationships would he have? *

What I think you'll find with homeless people is that many of them are ex-military veterans living on the street because they found it difficult to re-integrate into society and, as a result, are estranged from their families; or people with addictions who couldn't afford medical help or any form of detox; or someone who lost their job and couldn't face the shame or their family. A lot of them were abandoned, or at least feel that way, and so trust is not something they would freely give. They wouldn't have many people who they could call a true friend, but may have acquaintances that they see every day, or fellow homeless men and women that they share the same shelter with, etcetera. Your character might have an older man or woman who looked after him when he first became homeless. He might have a strong relationship with one of the servers at the soup kitchen. It's really down to what relationships you want him to have. 

Above all else, though, survival is key. Imagine, for a moment, well-to-do people queuing outside a supermarket on Black Friday. They have money, a good home, loving family, yet they will resort to trampling someone to death in order to buy presents for their children. Now imagine a homeless person in dire need of food. What lengths do you think that person would go to in order to procure that food? 

Put yourself in the person's shoes and you'll have the answers you need.


----------



## midnightpoet

Several years ago, there was a real story (in Dallas) about homeless being evicted from a cardboard city they had built under a freeway bridge (the city then put up a fence to keep them out).  How would they feel about something like that?  Like others have said, do research.


----------

