Where can I sleep safely outdoors at night in NYC this winter?

Nowhere. It’s too cold, and the cops will wake your ass up if they find you. The subway stations would be safer and warmer, but the police patrol them and kick you out if found.

Why not seek assistance rather than wind up homeless?

Well this is a terrible situation to be in. Homeless people are attacked very often and many of them tend to stay up at night and sleep during the day for safety reasons.

Surely you have some friends or family that will take you in? You can work at a McDonald’s or something (they take almost everyone) and pay rent to whomever you’re staying with.

Other than that, I guess shelters are your best bet.

Why not stay in a homeless shelter?

Excuse me for sounding ignorant, but why is outside the option that comes before a shelter?

@starbux:What about getting a job and sharing an apt. (See Craig’s List) Or are you simply toying with the list. And stop getting coffee at Starbucks, for heaven’s sake.

During the summer we always had tons of young people come to Manhattan to squat; they’re known as ‘summer campers’. Maybe this is the winter version? It does seem a bit strange you have access to the internet, but rather than look for shelter info you’re trying to plan/prepare on how to live outside in a very cold-ass city during the winter. If you’re truly going to be homeless make your way to a warmer climate while you still can.

@starbux Some pretty big actors/singers have come out of NYC and lived to tell about their days “shacking” up with friends. I’m pretty sure you can find someone to stay with (even if it’s a sleeping bag on someone’s floor) for a couple hundred bucks a month.

A lot of people don’t want to stay at homeless shelters because sometimes, mentally ill people who are self-medicating or people who are otherwise on drugs or alcohol or who are simply frustrated will act out. There’s lot of fights, sexual and other types of assaults, and a lot of times, shelters are simply not safe. I can understand not wanting to be around that. But being outside alone in the cold makes one extremely vulnerable.

@starbux – Have you contacted any city agencies to try and help you before the situation gets too desperate? Call 311. That’s precisely what they’re there for. There are also privately-run social service agencies in the city that are set up to help people before they fall through the cracks, but you must reach out to them before it’s too late.

@All: Why am I suspicious of @starbux‘s question that needs NO editing. He’s a very good writer.

Is there a reason you need to stay in NYC? Maybe head south someplace that doesn’t get cold, until it warms up in NYC again. I’d personally rather camp in the woods somewhere than stay in a shelter.

Why NYC?

Get out of the city. Go to the country.

@gailcalled Why are you suspicious?

I don’t know what I would do in your situation, but one thing I might consider is sleeping during the day and moving about during the night. Another is trying to go as far south, southwest, or west as possible while I still could.

@gailcalled, I know what you mean. I had the same thought. The question popped to mind: writer doing research? But it would be a mistake to assume that educated people don’t wind up on the street. Also, if I were in the chute myself and didn’t know if I could stop the slide, I would be trying to look realistically at all options while I was still capable of rational thought.

If you are indeed someone who is going to be homeless for financial reasons, I would definitely move out of the city to a cheaper area of the country and work/live on a farm or something to that effect. Quality of life would be better and everything us cheaper. There are plenty of farms who would love more helpers.

@MuffinMonarch I agree. I live in the Midwest, but can attest to the fact that many people would gladly give a room in their home to a person willing to work for food/shelter.

@starbux Mind telling us what you do for a living when you are employed? What is your skill set?

@starbux: And how about a profile while you can still afford computer access?

I’m suspicious too. There are many psychology students who need research material trying to determine how online communities work. Another explanation would be trolling.

I guess questions like this become more emotional when asked in the form “Where can I sleep safely outdoors at night in NYC this winter?” instead of

“Where can homeless people sleep safely outdoors at night in NYC this winter?”

The second one would make a great Fluther question. How would I respond to the second question?

My answer would be: Once the temperature drops below a certain threshold homeless people can’t sleep safely outdoors. I’d say it gets critical at -15 C. Wind chill is an important factor too. Avoid wind by all means. If you trust other homeless people share body warmth.

Not to sound like a jerk but I knew the OP wouldn’t reply to any of our questions/suggestions. Some dude chillin at Starbucks with his laptop isn’t going to live outside during the winter in a place like NYC. It just doesn’t happen.

For what it’s worth, many of the homeless in my area use the computers at the public library to get online. That makes drawn out online conversations unpractical. Not saying that’s what’s happening here, but it does happen

@Harp – You’re absolutely right, there are so many ways to access the internet w/o paying a dime for an ISP…coffee shops, library, parks, etc.

This guy might not be for real, but this scenario could actually happen, and it seems like a legitimate question to me. And yes, it is possible for a well educated person to become homeless, continue to be a good writer, and still have internet access.

It is still very unlikely an educated person would do something so nutty as choose and actively plan to live outside in NYC during the winter. I’ve lived there. People have died inside their residences from a lack of heat (granted they lived alone and weren’t ambulatory). The police will thoroughly search out subway stations to get the homeless indoors during such extreme weather. I understand plenty of homeless people are very well educated, access the internet on a regular basis, etc., but it just seems outside the bounds of sanity to choose such a scenario. There were times during the winter where it felt like I was getting stabbed in the face it was so damn cold.
Sure it’s possible someone would choose to endure that for days or weeks on end, I just think it’s incredibly unlikely.

What if somebody wanted to write a realistic first-person narrative of the experience? What if somebody had a vision of how one unpleasant winter using the survival tools at his or her disposal (and laying some good plans in advance for what they might be) could be parlayed into book contracts, TV appearances, and public lectures? What if somebody even already had a publisher lined up and a marketing plan in place, with a photographer engaged to stop by at intervals and record his or her condition and environment? As a matter of fact, there could be a documentary film crew somewhere in this picture. Stranger things have happened.

An alternate scenario might involve a substantial wager.

Or maybe there’s going to be a screenplay about attempting such a survival experience, and there just need to be enough realistic details to make it convincing, without actually having to go through with it for a full winter.

Harris Wofford, the former president of Bryn Mawr and US senator from PA used to experiment regularly with odd jobs, such as collecting garbage anonymously (on the truck), in order to improve the services for his constituency.

Your reply Jeruba only supports my contention that he is (most likely) not homeless. Who knows, I certainly don’t have a crystal ball and the ability to read his mind. The only way to know is to ask him, I guess…which is what I did in his new question.
http://www.fluther.com/disc/57650/whats-the-biggest-threat-that-a-homeless-person-faces/

@Jeruba – Very clever. However, my expectation at this point would be that @starbux reappears, reacts to our comments and sheds some light on the matter. Where is he or she?

[mod says] Lets stick to the topic. Thanks!

Where is @starbux? I would really like to help since I know many “homeless safe” place in NYC and a lot of non-profit organizations that might be willing to help…but I would like to ge some questions answered

@starbux has left the building.

@augustlan heheheh good one!

I cant believe some of the responses here…. I’ve been homeless for 2 months and used to make close to 6 figures…. please provide solid answers and not some bourgeois dithering… I navigated here because I’m sick of sleeping hunched over in the subway and googled “best places to sleep in nyc winter homeless” and have to LOL at some of the answers… There are homeless profressionals everywhere, NYC just does its best to sweep them under the rug.

PS – Im at Starbucks, at this point i can write a guide to staying in nyc in the warm weather bt remember the OP