What if I started a squat in my hometown just for the summer?

[SiCK cada]

So I've kinda given up on making plans. Since I've started traveling, over half of the plans I've made to go certain places and do certain things ended up not happening because of something else that came up. But I still like to idly wonder "what if I did this?". So here's my latest "what if?"...

Right now, I have a vague desire to go back to my hometown in (southern) Illinois for the summer. My dad said he could get me a job working in construction with him if I did. So if I am able to get a construction job for the summer, I'll be staying there for a while to build up my funds while its warm.

I have people I can stay with there, but I'm starting to worry I've been a freeloader so I'm gonna try to figure out my own housing. I was thinking I'd try to rent, but I don't think I can afford that, honestly. and at that point there wouldn't even be a reason to get a job there. I've done a little math, and I could just go and break my back doing some more carny shit for a while and save up the same amount of money in a shorter amount of time.

SO... What if... I started a squat while I was home? I've been looking around at squatting information. and it seems simple enough. if I'm only planning on being in town for a couple of months (from about April at the earliest until September at the latest?), it would probably be ideal.

I know there's certainly houses around town that I could squat in. abandoned and run down. I just need to find them. I could even fix them up a little bit. maybe put some of that construction knowledge I'd be learning to good use!

So I've been looking at Zillow, specifically, to look at some pre-foreclosure and foreclosed homes. they're all listed as "Judicial", though, which I have heard is not what you want. I get the feeling I'm actually gonna have to walk around town and find some homes that 1.) clearly no one is living in and 2.) clearly no one has lived in for a while.

I already have some ideas of some neighborhoods I would check out.

I kinda have this idealistic vision of like... having a little garden... cookouts with dumpstered food and firepits... filling it with furniture from off the side of the road... I know that's a lot to ask for from a squat. all you should really ask for is a place to sleep, and that's not even guaranteed. one well placed phone call and you're out, pretty much. But if there's one thing kids like me are good at, it's dreaming! 😁

if anyone has any tips for me, they are absolutely welcome! or if you just wanna slap some reality into me with comments like "you absolutely should not have cookouts or firepits outside at your squat" and such, those are also welcome! There's almost definitely a lot of things I'm failing to consider. And even more things that I am considering but just don't know enough about.

I'm gonna keep reading online about squatting. I know that I'll want to be able to show a cop some proof of residency if one does show up. I'd like to figure out how to turn utilities on, if possible, but I don't think that would be absolutely necessary. It'll for sure be something I'll have to feel out as I go.

I'll try to update here if this idle dreaming goes anywhere 😁

 

[ERSK]

Cool idea man and I'm no expert on the matter. In my squatting experiences I've only ever stayed a night or two to a week at most or the squat had already been established but I have some friends that have gone the try to make it legal route and getting it tied up in the courts type thing.

I think for one I would, if it were me of course scope out the neighborhood. That might go without saying but you know kinda get a feel for the neighbors and weather they might be cop callers or not. ( like for bbqs and firepits.) Next once you've gotten your place I think getting some mail there like some sort of electronic typed address mail. maybe a bill or a bank statement so you can change your address on you ID to having the address of the squat. Now your gonna have to be evicted if you get caught or the cops called because you've established that you live there.

Laws may very from state to state but I think this would be first steps and also this sounds like a really cool idea. looking forward to update and if any of this stated above goes against STP rules admins just lemme know, thanks

 

[Matt Derrick]

It's certainly possible, depending on what you find around your area. Also keep in mind that you could possibly also just rough camp for the summer while working a job as well.

For example, one of the times I came back to Austin, Texas (because there's always good jobs here) I arrived on a greyhound bus; after a quick trip to walmart, I had a fairly large tent for $35, and I knew roughly where a good section of woods was where it was unlikely anyone would find me. I built a bike at the local bike coop, and fortunately for me while I was away, the city built a new bike path right by where I had planned to camp, so I had an easy way into town. I biked to work each day (a low-level tech job that i had to dress up for) and showered at planet fitness every day (cause I was biking about 10 miles a day and austin is hot) and it was a pretty chill way to spend six months saving up money. of course it wasn't all 40oz's and rainbows, there was good days and bad days, but so is life.

so anything is possible really, it just depends on your attitude and how you approach it.

 

[ERSK]

That's pretty cool @Matt Derrick, I enjoy Austin. Got some buds been living there like the past 8 years so I like to visit. Really good swimming spots all around and I like that it's a good city for cycle deliveries meaning you can actually make a living there delivering and I new it was a big tech hub. Houston too if I'm not mistakin..

I was curious as to the tech work you had done, I too work in tech mostly freelancing on upwork. Preferably back end like scraping and blockchain dev but I was also teaching coding too and like Shopify / Wordpress maintenance but yeah, I try to enjoy the freedom of this type of work if you feel like sharing

 

[coyote mogollon]

So I've kinda given up on making plans. Since I've started traveling, over half of the plans I've made to go certain places and do certain things ended up not happening because of something else that came up. But I still like to idly wonder "what if I did this?". So here's my latest "what if?"...

Right now, I have a vague desire to go back to my hometown in (southern) Illinois for the summer. My dad said he could get me a job working in construction with him if I did. So if I am able to get a construction job for the summer, I'll be staying there for a while to build up my funds while its warm.

I have people I can stay with there, but I'm starting to worry I've been a freeloader so I'm gonna try to figure out my own housing. I was thinking I'd try to rent, but I don't think I can afford that, honestly. and at that point there wouldn't even be a reason to get a job there. I've done a little math, and I could just go and break my back doing some more carny shit for a while and save up the same amount of money in a shorter amount of time.

SO... What if... I started a squat while I was home? I've been looking around at squatting information. and it seems simple enough. if I'm only planning on being in town for a couple of months (from about April at the earliest until September at the latest?), it would probably be ideal.

I know there's certainly houses around town that I could squat in. abandoned and run down. I just need to find them. I could even fix them up a little bit. maybe put some of that construction knowledge I'd be learning to good use!

So I've been looking at Zillow, specifically, to look at some pre-foreclosure and foreclosed homes. they're all listed as "Judicial", though, which I have heard is not what you want. I get the feeling I'm actually gonna have to walk around town and find some homes that 1.) clearly no one is living in and 2.) clearly no one has lived in for a while.

I already have some ideas of some neighborhoods I would check out.

I kinda have this idealistic vision of like... having a little garden... cookouts with dumpstered food and firepits... filling it with furniture from off the side of the road... I know that's a lot to ask for from a squat. all you should really ask for is a place to sleep, and that's not even guaranteed. one well placed phone call and you're out, pretty much. But if there's one thing kids like me are good at, it's dreaming! 😁

if anyone has any tips for me, they are absolutely welcome! or if you just wanna slap some reality into me with comments like "you absolutely should not have cookouts or firepits outside at your squat" and such, those are also welcome! There's almost definitely a lot of things I'm failing to consider. And even more things that I am considering but just don't know enough about.

I'm gonna keep reading online about squatting. I know that I'll want to be able to show a cop some proof of residency if one does show up. I'd like to figure out how to turn utilities on, if possible, but I don't think that would be absolutely necessary. It'll for sure be something I'll have to feel out as I go.

I'll try to update here if this idle dreaming goes anywhere 😁

Most long term squats generally are middle to larger cities as, #1, small towns folks have eyes on EVERYTHING, and #2 cops in smaller cities/ towns aren’t used to and can be real ducks with squatting. I’d look for a structure that has obvious signs of long term abandonment, and an ingress egress that’s hidden from view. You might get by a few ms in that sitchiation . Also doesn’t this site have a basic how to of squatting? If not lemme know I’ll locate an old HOMES NOT JAILS how to on squatting online

 

[SiCK cada]

UPDATE: I have found a condemned house. the side of the house is basically missing, but has been covered with plywood. I'm gonna go back later with my dad and see if he would want to work on it with me. If he says yes, I'll start looking into my local laws and see if I could get legal ownership somehow. if he says no, I'm still gonna look at the laws and such but I'll try to be a bit more stealthy.

 

[Matt Derrick]

nice keep us updated, id like to see how that pans out.

 

[clockwise5000]

That part torwards the ending describing your ideal. I'd say i'ts possible! I'm not too familiar with US's squats, but i lived in a squated hotel in spain for about 2 years and was living your idealist imagery! It was the most content, motivated, creative, empowered, communal environment and was everything I ever wanted from a squat but never seen in the couple squats i stayed the night at in the states,.. I personaly enjoyed how, in that hotel, were many morrocquis and spanish folk that were just living - most gathering "junk" to either sell at the weekly flea market a mile away, or to take as scrap to scrap yards. there was a crazier morrocan woman.. a drunk english lady named mary (god bless her).. the couple polish guys that drank rubbing alcohol stayed in a seperate abandoned hotel.. all to say these weren't the people that i imagined to be squatting.. the folks that took me in were bulgarian and i couldn't think higher of the late nights eattting soo much food that were made in candle lights.. besides a morrocan guy who liked to freestyle raps, i was the only one who played music there.. that was how i (was learning to) earned money.. The bulgarians had our hallway contructed with a couple doors since the original ones were scrapped as these hotels were already guttted. the doors, probably kickable, but we' 'were the only hallway with that seperator (others might slide doors to block off their areas,, you can imagine..) and we had a key to come and go. and sometimes the police would come looking for someone.. they knock on our hallway door, the bulgarian woman would answer (or perhaps her husband first), and briefly explain to them they are family they have like me and a czech kid staying and the police would continue on and leave us be.,. there were some more hippie types down the beach some, that would blow bubbles for kids and make sand sculptures for tips.. they were punk hippies in a sense and we got a long great too. in that area, we might all wait for the supermarket to throw out their food at 8pm... but the bulgarians had their dumpster in a nother part of town and sometimes i'd still be hanging out with the party and bring back all the good, oh man so much good food.. but man the bulgarians 'had their dumpster tghat was consistent more than anything.. steak bites... bread... fruit.. when it was the morrocon and i only after bulgarians had left we'd even grab the fish if it was still on ice, he cooked us up some squid and something else, tuna i think. Tons of good food. only thing missing was the garden beacause didn't have time for that but i always looked out the balcony where we wouild cook our food and do our dishes... there was an empt y pool, lots of grass around it.. overgrown of course.. couldvemade a good garden ther for sure.. an older english guy had began staying there like the last month i was there before i left.. and he was starting seeds of various things.. me and my morrocan friend had developed a system for drying out the meat that we would get from the supermarket, as it'd be too uch for us to eat for dinner/breakfast.. and we would rehydrate the meat and cook iwith it another day.. was awesome.. and furniture... omg.. i brought back shit ... i have to laugh.. for example.. i brought back probably balancing on the rear rack of my bicycle, a shelf /cabinet and stocked it with dvds that ihad also found.. Why? we had no electricity... i just thought it'd feel.. more like home.. aand you know what>? that family room that i added shit to.. was my home. i loved every morning., stretches, coffee.. cleaning up, overlooking out the balcony.. shit i was playing solataire some mornings.. was a nice thing to do so i didn't feel awkward with other folks there.. i couldve stayed forever..my cat sure wanted me to.. but i flew back to the states to help mom cuz that's what u do u know.. Now i'm not getting sidetracked it'll make sense shortly.. said eh.. lets take on another adventure (only after' battling some drinking problems and taming them with kratom first) and took a class for hvac.. trade work.. did that for 2 years, kinda hated it.. got fired for reasons.. had just moved into my own place for the first time (trailer i got for practically free), and been here a year and two months.. was working machine shop inspecting engine blocks but got layed off a couple months back. the park where i have my trailer hasn't liked my trash collection and scrap services.. and i found out today that they filed for eviction.. i was actually supposed to be out by april 7th, so 9days ago.. (i don't get my mail often..)
Im not sure what to do i Have a lott of stuff (doublke car garage pretty full and storage outside.. and 2 jeep liberties.. )
but thats why i'm looking up squatting info as well, in the midwest no doubt. but i mostly wanted to just say if you can imagine it, it can be done . the neighbors can be the chillest. the cops can be busy and nonexistent. the stews can be plentiful. 'dream it, cuz we need these dreams to stay alive , hope it 's been going for ya! i've had my eye on a place for like 8 years really.. i guess is bank owned but idk its never touched.. and well.. i have 3 mailboxes.. i need to go put one in the ground there... and then get the utilitites turned on.. ugh.. i have dog and cat.. and i'm unsure if the reality of eviction has really cemented yet.. cuz i don't know.. but i've been eyeing the place, again, for yeears.. neighbor, closer than i'd like but maybe is 500 ft. away idk.. i actually broke down there a coupple days ago, and the dude across the street is cool AF, brought me over some coolant and just made sure i was ok.. quite contrary to a few nights before that when i broke down around waited until almost 8am, and my llihghts died before it got light and i almost got hit cuz no one could see me.... ugh it's the only option i see i just hope i can keep the comforts such as my computer haha.. and i hope i only need to replace the alternator on my jeep cuz rn i don't have a driving vehicle.. okay we wen full circle and then some there's my life story hope you enjoyd i'll try and find a picture from that living room from spain!~

 

[clockwise5000]

That part torwards the ending describing your ideal. I'd say i'ts possible! I'm not too familiar with US's squats, but i lived in a squated hotel in spain for about 2 years and was living your idealist imagery! It was the most content, motivated, creative, empowered, communal environment and was everything I ever wanted from a squat but never seen in the couple squats i stayed the night at in the states,.. I personaly enjoyed how, in that hotel, were many morrocquis and spanish folk that were just living - most gathering "junk" to either sell at the weekly flea market a mile away, or to take as scrap to scrap yards. there was a crazier morrocan woman.. a drunk english lady named mary (god bless her).. the couple polish guys that drank rubbing alcohol stayed in a seperate abandoned hotel.. all to say these weren't the people that i imagined to be squatting.. the folks that took me in were bulgarian and i couldn't think higher of the late nights eattting soo much food that were made in candle lights.. besides a morrocan guy who liked to freestyle raps, i was the only one who played music there.. that was how i (was learning to) earned money.. The bulgarians had our hallway contructed with a couple doors since the original ones were scrapped as these hotels were already guttted. the doors, probably kickable, but we' 'were the only hallway with that seperator (others might slide doors to block off their areas,, you can imagine..) and we had a key to come and go. and sometimes the police would come looking for someone.. they knock on our hallway door, the bulgarian woman would answer (or perhaps her husband first), and briefly explain to them they are family they have like me and a czech kid staying and the police would continue on and leave us be.,. there were some more hippie types down the beach some, that would blow bubbles for kids and make sand sculptures for tips.. they were punk hippies in a sense and we got a long great too. in that area, we might all wait for the supermarket to throw out their food at 8pm... but the bulgarians had their dumpster in a nother part of town and sometimes i'd still be hanging out with the party and bring back all the good, oh man so much good food.. but man the bulgarians 'had their dumpster tghat was consistent more than anything.. steak bites... bread... fruit.. when it was the morrocon and i only after bulgarians had left we'd even grab the fish if it was still on ice, he cooked us up some squid and something else, tuna i think. Tons of good food. only thing missing was the garden beacause didn't have time for that but i always looked out the balcony where we wouild cook our food and do our dishes... there was an empt y pool, lots of grass around it.. overgrown of course.. couldvemade a good garden ther for sure.. an older english guy had began staying there like the last month i was there before i left.. and he was starting seeds of various things.. me and my morrocan friend had developed a system for drying out the meat that we would get from the supermarket, as it'd be too uch for us to eat for dinner/breakfast.. and we would rehydrate the meat and cook iwith it another day.. was awesome.. and furniture... omg.. i brought back shit ... i have to laugh.. for example.. i brought back probably balancing on the rear rack of my bicycle, a shelf /cabinet and stocked it with dvds that ihad also found.. Why? we had no electricity... i just thought it'd feel.. more like home.. aand you know what>? that family room that i added shit to.. was my home. i loved every morning., stretches, coffee.. cleaning up, overlooking out the balcony.. shit i was playing solataire some mornings.. was a nice thing to do so i didn't feel awkward with other folks there.. i couldve stayed forever..my cat sure wanted me to.. but i flew back to the states to help mom cuz that's what u do u know.. Now i'm not getting sidetracked it'll make sense shortly.. said eh.. lets take on another adventure (only after' battling some drinking problems and taming them with kratom first) and took a class for hvac.. trade work.. did that for 2 years, kinda hated it.. got fired for reasons.. had just moved into my own place for the first time (trailer i got for practically free), and been here a year and two months.. was working machine shop inspecting engine blocks but got layed off a couple months back. the park where i have my trailer hasn't liked my trash collection and scrap services.. and i found out today that they filed for eviction.. i was actually supposed to be out by april 7th, so 9days ago.. (i don't get my mail often..)
Im not sure what to do i Have a lott of stuff (doublke car garage pretty full and storage outside.. and 2 jeep liberties.. )
but thats why i'm looking up squatting info as well, in the midwest no doubt. but i mostly wanted to just say if you can imagine it, it can be done . the neighbors can be the chillest. the cops can be busy and nonexistent. the stews can be plentiful. 'dream it, cuz we need these dreams to stay alive , hope it 's been going for ya! i've had my eye on a place for like 8 years really.. i guess is bank owned but idk its never touched.. and well.. i have 3 mailboxes.. i need to go put one in the ground there... and then get the utilitites turned on.. ugh.. i have dog and cat.. and i'm unsure if the reality of eviction has really cemented yet.. cuz i don't know.. but i've been eyeing the place, again, for yeears.. neighbor, closer than i'd like but maybe is 500 ft. away idk.. i actually broke down there a coupple days ago, and the dude across the street is cool AF, brought me over some coolant and just made sure i was ok.. quite contrary to a few nights before that when i broke down around waited until almost 8am, and my llihghts died before it got light and i almost got hit cuz no one could see me.... ugh it's the only option i see i just hope i can keep the comforts such as my computer haha.. and i hope i only need to replace the alternator on my jeep cuz rn i don't have a driving vehicle.. okay we wen full circle and then some there's my life story hope you enjoyd i'll try and find a picture from that living room from spain!~

ok sweet here's a few photos.. first is of the doors to our hallway. second my first room, not much lol.. but a safe place to sleep and keep belongings during the day.. third is coffee with probably water for more coffee or dishes in the background.. fourth, our kitchen and then i can't see previews, should be my cat micho and i in bed on a rainy morning, micho in the dvd cabinet, and something else lol wild card