The last thread I made was in r/almosthomeless which highlighted an ounce of what I’m going through right now and what would be good options in trying to leave home/run away. I feel like I can’t take it here much longer.

If I leave, one option is to try going to a homeless shelter. There are some links/options to places “around me” (as in they’re kinda far but hey at least they exist), but I don’t know how reliable those are right now. One organization in my state, called the Lost n Found Youth (LnF) foundation, is what I had as an option for a long while, but I reached out to them recently and they informed me that they’re basically closed/unable to assist at this time. Yes, everywhere’s website says that they’re open and can help, but like the aforementioned one, it’s probably not updated to what the current debacle is. When I leave, I wouldn’t have this phone, so I wouldn’t have the luxury of trying to find other places when I wouldn’t have any internet/data.

Another option is to get a cheap used car. I already have my eyes on it and would be able to get it. The main reason why this seems desirable is because I have a bag full of some books, binders, and laptops. They’re not mine; they’re government property. I have an internship, which I currently do fully online work for, so I can’t leave them behind. Trust and believe I’d like to leave them, but they’re the main things that have the most priority. For that reason, it makes me scared to go to a shelter or be without somewhere to be because I can’t let them get stolen. Living in the car would obviously not be as comfortable, but at least there’s security of my own stuff where I am and no one else is.

I already have an emergency set of bags of clothes in my boss’s office on-campus. I’ll still take some spare clothes, but it’d basically be what I’m wearing and then the other outfit to just swap, clean, swap, etc. Not really concerned about food because I already eat about one meal (if you could even call it that) a day, so in the outside, there’s a lot of options for that, which would easily last me until I get some kind of grounding to live like a normal person.

side notes: I have seen subreddits, like instant justice and whatnot, and they’ve scared me a little bit into feeling like even if I am in a car, I could be robbed or something. No one would be at my school, so I could always park there as a safe option. That’s just me rationalizing though, it’s still an unfortunate reality/circumstance to consider

and lastly/p.s. I’m anxious, because obviously covid and I haven’t really been anywhere at all public during it, but I’ll just continue to stay to my lonesome and covered and I could be fine. Please don’t reference the 1800 runaway hotline because it’s not a matter of whether I should or shouldn’t leave but how can I make sure I have the best odds or most preparation for when I do :\

Any help or advice is appreciated