How do homeless people pay for phones and internet services?

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ziplock said:
What is that?
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Scoolie Palooza. A RTR offshoot for people making campers out of old school buses to see other conversions and get ideas and help with theirs. A similar event called Van Paloosa is for van converters.

ziplock said:
Where do the people go to camp?
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Until a couple of years ago Bob Wells held the Rubber Tramp Rendevous on BLM land outside of Quartzsite, like depicted in the movie Nomadland. But it grew too large and BLM refused to let it continue. So now he rents the Parker fairgrounds for daytime seminars, etc. but people have to stay elsewhere overnight.
 
DonTom said:
-Don- Brunswick, GA (probably the heart of the Bible Belt!)
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Waving at you!

Do you see alot of drivers with cell phones in their hands down there?

In Maryland, every other driver has a phone in their hand and that is gospel!
 
ziplock said:
I see many posts on several different forums these days where the people are homeless and tenting it, rving it.

Where do they get these phones? How do they pay for the service?

They can't afford to live somewhere.

My question is:

If you can't afford to live somewhere, how do you pay for a phone and internet?

Ya never know if that information could be handy someday, especially these days.
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Some cities have free internet for all. Some in only the poorer areas. I remember when Tom & I were in Kamloops, BC Canada, the free wireless had a nice wide range. That was the first time I saw it for free for all, and I did use it. San Francisco and many other cities have it for free in some areas as well.

-Don- Burnswick, GA (rest stop)
 
PJ Stough said:
There is fraud in virtually all government programs, however, the SNAP program has very little fraud. Also as an aside, remember the primary reason for these programs was to raise farm prices, but few people talk about farm welfare programs.
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I just had another thought on this statement about fraud and SNAP, I will agree with you that there is little fraud on the part of merchants when it comes to SNAP, as the government is big on cracking down on merchants that do things like charge non-food items to SNAP cards, or that blatantly convert SNAP card benefits to cash for a "processing" fee through use of systems like "cash back". Where the rampant abuse that I saw comes from is on the recipient's end of things either in their spending habits, or in getting their benefits while maintaining a lifestyle level not conducive with what one would expect of those that should be entitled to such benefits, ie driving new Mercedes and BMW's
 
ziplock said:
In Maryland, every other driver has a phone in their hand and that is gospel!
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I didn't notice. In Maryland, is it legal to drive and use a cell phone? It is NOT legal in CA & NV, I don't know about other states. But I think handsfree is legal.

I don't know about other states, but in CA, driving is defined as your key being in the ignition. People have been busted for drunk driving with no intent to start the car (listening to the radio or whatever). Likewise, cell phone users have been busted at red lights and such. You don't have to actually be driving to be busted in CA.

-Don- Brunswick, GA
 
Isaac-1 said:
Where the rampant abuse that I saw comes from is on the recipient's end of things either in their spending habits, or in getting their benefits while maintaining a lifestyle level not conducive with what one would expect of those that should be entitled to such benefits, ie driving new Mercedes and BMW's
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I think people are starting to call those people: CLEVER

Do you know any clever people?
 
DonTom said:
In Maryland, is it legal to drive and use a cell phone
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You may not use a handheld phone here, but that is another law that is never enforced here.

Oh, they do those California stops here at stop signs too! hahahha They used to get tickets for that, not so much anymore.
 
Isaac-1 said:
Where the rampant abuse that I saw comes from is on the recipient's end of things either in their spending habits, or in getting their benefits while maintaining a lifestyle level not conducive with what one would expect of those that should be entitled to such benefits, ie driving new Mercedes and BMW's
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You never know, those people could have bought those cars while they were employed and could afford them, then they got laid off or their business folded during the pandemic forcing them to seek government assistance. Maybe like someone who bought a new RV on credit, they'd be underwater on the loan if they gave them up or they've not yet been repo'd.
 
Lou Schneider said:
You never know, those people could have bought those cars while they were employed and could afford them, then they got laid off or their business folded during the pandemic forcing them to seek government assistance. Maybe like someone who bought an RV on credit, they'd be underwater on the loan if they gave them up or they've not yet been repo'd.
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Story time! I had to get my CDL for another job I was doing, and our state requires completing a training program. One of the instructors was driving a "newer", very clean, Volvo XC90. Nice cars. On one of the training drives after we had all gotten to know each other, the instructor's Volvo came up in discussion with another student, something to the effect of, "You must be doing pretty well here to be driving something that nice!"

We weren't ready for what was next. The XC90 was 16 years old and had 190,000 miles. The instructor bought it for $3500, and he only makes $18.50/hour teaching people how to drive trucks. He could make more as a truck driver but was still looking for something local that would allow him enough time to attend to his kids' needs, as this outfit did. He does the maintenance himself, and anything big, he's gone with used parts. Why an XC90? It was the safest and nicest car he could find to drive his kids around in at that price point. 😭 The next words out of my mouth were "Right on, brother!!"
 
ziplock said:
Did ya buy it?
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No, it's not something I need. Just illustrating it's not a crazy deal and can be found fairly easily with 2 seconds of searching online. Also, sometimes when people drive "nice" cars, the image may not fit the preconceived notion of that person's finances.

I assume you now have the answer to your original question, something you could have used your internet connection to easily google (or whatever SE of your choice) the cost of lower-cost cell phone/data pricing, or even available assistance programs for the same. I'll just assume you weren't trying to start controversy, and/or didn't know you could easily find the answer to your questions.
 
yup. pre-pay for the phone or don't use one save for 9-1-1 (Free call by federal law)
Library for internet or other public internet.

And then there is one "Homeless" man I know who hangs (or hung) out near Wayne State University.. To look at him you would swear he's homeless.

When I knew him he was an ISP and his company's warehouse has well over a million dollars of stock in it. Nice guy.. Had my daughter remained in Detroit I'd have shopped his store. But alas. She moved and I have no personal need of what he sells (Pianos, reconditioned, many vintage, and some of them worth several thousands of dollars).
 
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