Here's a clip from yesterday's AMA about my year at the homeless shelter. I was explaining some of the difficulties of sleeping in a room with 50 other people. It was hard to get proper rest:
www.twitch.tv/reklawcodes/...
#homelesslife
A defaced window in a restroom. The window is painted over white and has a metal mesh within it. The surrounding paint is also white. A metal bar can be seen along the bottom of the frame. There’s blue marker text reading “Fuck off Satan” and a hole scratched in the window is circled with the same marker.
There was a fight involving a weapon at the smoking section last night. In response, the man in charge of the shelter shut that area down permanently, and also the parking lot adjacent to it. It’s where I parked my car all last year.
#homelesslife
A view from Reklaw’s top bunk bed. A black metal bed frame and mattress covered with sheets is in the foreground. The background shows the bottom bunk of another bed, with mattress stripped down to a plastic covering. A couple people are standing behind the bed, with only their legs showing.
A year ago I went to sleep for the last time in a room by myself. Tonight I’ll be sleeping in the presence of about 30 other strangers, as I have for all of 2025. None of us should have to live like this. Next year I’m determined to get out of here. Then, revenge. #homelesslife
I don’t have a home, but I’m grasping onto whatever stability I can and leveraging it to move forward. I’ve retreated to an activity that seemed to serve me well throughout my life: learning. (🧵 1/5) #homelesslife
The rain has been nice lately; I’ve had a little bit of privacy sitting in my car since the streets are mostly empty. I’ve been struggling though. (1/4)
#homelesslife
A closeup of Reklaw’s face. He’s lying in bed, head against pillow. He’s a white man with long messy brown hair and blue eyes. He has black-rimmed glasses, a green t-shirt, and an N-95 respirator on his face. He’s holding up two fingers in the v-shaped “peace” sign. A white brick wall is barely visible behind him.
Bunkmate is coughing up a storm. Overheard him say he had bronchitis while we were standing in line for bed. I usually just sleep in a surgical mask but this seems like an N-95 kinda night. He’s not loud or fidgeting, so not too bad overall tbh. #homelesslife
Staying at the homeless shelter has been rough on my mental health. It was bearable when I had places to escape to during the day, but without those the last month has been hell. I’ve been absorbing the hopelessness that many people feel here. #homelesslife
Someone stole the fucking pillow off my bed again. Second time this week. Found another one on the ground in the laundry discard pile and was able to get a new case for it. It’s lumpy as hell.
I guess I need to babysit my bedding now. Gotta get up to the dorms the second they open. #homelesslife
Reklaw’s new adjustable-height telescoping camping stool, black in color with a square seat. It’s nudged against the steel wall of an awning and painted white. Reklaw’s stainless steel water jug rests on the asphalt in front of it. There is a small stick on the ground and a wet spot trailing offscreen.
Reklaw’s breakfast this morning: a bag containing a peanut butter sandwich, a bag of pretzels branded for Halloween, and a dessert cake.
I was really angry last night. Someone stole the pillow off my bed when I left to put my toothbrush back in my car. First time that’s happened in almost a year here.
#homelesslife #mutualaid
bsky.app/profile/rekl...
As a small example of being trapped in poverty: I want to use an app to search for jobs.
I can’t update my settings or resume on there, since the app seems to be malfunctioning. (1/3) #homelesslife
I’m trying to continue the daily habit of posting about my life (and my work when possible). I’ve been using Snapchat because I’ve used it in the past and the interface is simple. I’ll try to mirror the videos here for at least the near future. (1/3) #homelesslife
Been having a rough time with food lately. I have to get in line to check in for my bunk for the night at about 4PM to make sure I don’t have to sleep on the floor in the overflow section. (1/4) #homelesslife
Reklaw’s Halloween lunch tray. Clockwise starting from the nearest item to the camera (6 o’clock): a hot dog in a bun covered in a salsa so mild it passes for ketchup; a splash of hot sauce from Reklaw’s own reserve; a couple sugar cookies; a handful of mixed salad greens with creamy dressing; a handful of a mix of tortilla chips, pretzels, and popcorn; banana.
Glizzies for lunch today. I got seconds. Started walking in the mornings again, and posting a thought of the day on Snapchat. Will repost here when I refine it a bit. Happy Halloween! (1/2) #homelesslife
Reklaw’s glass-top desk at the coworking space, partially disassembled. A monitor sits on a shoebox wrapped in an old sweater. On the desk rests a power strip, pink headset, and various other peripherals. A PC tower and microphone are on the floor. A full backpack on a chair is pulled out from the desk.
A closeup of a couple stickers on the monitor stand: one says “Free Gaza. Free Palestine” with a clenched fist painted in red, green, and black. The other is a hand making the v-shape “peace sign” in the same colors.
The workspace reverted to its default: the glass-top desk is cleared off. It has a black metal frame with a lattice structure under the glass. An office chair with wheels is pushed into the desk. They both rest on a concrete floor. The wall is painted white. A large lightbulb hangs off a wall fixture. A high window is barely visible in the corner.
It was hard to move out of the space. It took the longest to disassemble my car’s contents and rearrange them to fit my computer, monitor, etc. If they won’t let me come back I really need to rent storage space; I want to avoid further damage to my PC from sitting in the car. #homelesslife
One distinct memory I have of my dad was how much he hated flies. I’m currently sitting on the curb outside of my shelter swatting at them with junk mail I folded up. It’s a nice reminder. (1/3) #homelesslife
A grayscale image shows a plastic crate with a metallic water bottle next to it. They sit on a concrete floor stained by unknown fluids, and against a concrete brick wall. Some paint is stripped from the wall in a horizontal line shape. A window is barely visible on the wall.
My throne and chalice. #homelesslife
The guy sitting next to me at the coworking space is coughing, sneezing, having another extended phone call with his partner about his cold getting worse. He's considering going and getting tested for COVID, he says. No facemask, just blasting his shit out into our open office. #homelesslife (1/7)
White text on a black background. A listing of Reklaw’s usual food for the day, with prices. The items: $3 juice for breakfast, $1.50 burrito for lunch, $1.50 oat bar snack, $6 salad for dinner. This sums to $12, a bit over Reklaw’s food assistance budget of about $10 per day.
I’m spending too much money on food. I only get $10 a day. This is supplemented with breakfast at the shelter (and lunch on weekends). The weekends have been harder because of the heat outside and lack of running water at the shelter. (1/3) #homelesslife
I was awoken at 1:30 AM by the man next to me making grunting noises. He’d been loud all night before I passed out, coughing in my face, but he seemed to come unhinged in the early morning. He dropped some slurs, threatened to kill me. I didn’t sleep again. I told staff. Nothing. #homelesslife (1/2)
One of the worst parts of the homeless shelter are the fucking cigarette smokers. People think they’re entitled to just blow that noxious shit wherever they want. Just had to move from my favorite spot to wait for dorms to open. Asshole in his car hust puffing. Not enough staff. #homelesslife
Woke up at 1:30 AM to someone setting the fire alarm off because they wanted to smoke in the bathroom. Hardly slept since then. I really needed energy today. Need to turn in my application so I can LOAN money from the government to survive the summer. #homelesslife
I just found out the library is closing next week, for 2 months. They don't tell us anything; I heard randomly from a security guard. I'm trying to stop myself from spiraling into despair. I come here 7 days a week. It's one of the only breaks I get from the chaos of the shelter. #homelesslife
4:44
I keep smelling something acrid, then I realize, it's me.
#homelesslife #lexington
remember when the US of Forced Birth thought of itself as a great country? Bahahaha. It can't take care of its citizens & treats its veterans like shit, because Timothy Mellon hates paying taxes.
#mentalillness #splitselves #PTSD #trauma #failedgovernment #dysfunctionalfamily #nohealthcare #alone #pain #hipreplacements #homelesslife #misery #wastingtime #noincome #nohope
6:24 a.m. 20/7/2568 w all over body #pain after a🌙 of no 😴 on the flr of the #homeless shelter. This happens when you have a dysfunctional family 👪, who can't accept that you changed the game of abuse, neglect, & ignoring. #InternalFamilySystems #childabuse #cptsd #coptrauma #homelesslife #penury
While we impatiently wait to go outside our & 🚬
youtu.be/9lmPtD0KoME?...
#homelesslife #energy #highlysensitiveperson
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"Be yourself, everyone else is taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
#homelesslife #mentalillness #splitselves #complexPTSD #transgendered #trauma #violentwhitestateterrorists #coptrauma #brokeandbroken #ptsdwithsomaticresponse
#MedicaidinthebloodyKaintucksucksgiantdonkeydicks #growling #pain surrounded by babbling mentally ill crazies who need help just like me.
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#HomelessLife #LibraryHaven #FloridaHeat #PublicSpace #DrakeHotlineBling #trending #meme
