As a homeless person, what is the most important thing you could tell someone who finds themselves homeless for the first time?

[Answered on Quora.com by Robert Kerr]

1. Sell everything you have right now and just keep a few clothes. Everything you have is going to be stolen. Remove yourself from your possessions RIGHT NOW. Save yourself the heartache.
2. Nobody on the street is your friend.
3. Government won't help you, so don't waste the 6 months of runaround they'll put you through before you figure it out.
4. Churches are the best place to ask for help, some even offer shelter. Go there, get a bed, and volunteer. It isn't work, but you ABSOLUTELY need meaning in your life.
5. Save every penny you get until you have enough cash for rent. It'll take several months. Just push, you'll make it.
6. Lastly, use old soup cans for containing fire. You can get a makeshift stove going with a soup can and 3 metal tent pegs. Push the pegs into the dirt, using the short ends to hold down the can. Trap it good in the ground. It will be enough to keep you warm, and boil water.

Good luck, don't give up, and DO NOT GIVE OTHER HOMELESS PEOPLE ANYTHING