The ‘Almost Homeless’ Subreddit Is a Stark Glimpse at Soaring Wealth Inequality
One Reddit user writes about living in their car and running out of money for gas. Another says they’re going to be evicted in 48
One Reddit user writes about living in their car and running out of money for gas. Another says they’re going to be evicted in 48 hours and will have to give up their dog. Many are waiting on federal disability insurance payments that seem as if they will never come. Somebody asks if Richmond, Virginia, has any decent homeless shelters. And everyone agrees that social welfare services have been stretched to the limit—where they still exist at all. These are the posts you’ll read on Reddit’s r/almosthomeless, where people trade tips and moral support as they face the prospect of living on the street. With a subscriber base that has swelled from 69,000 to 85,000 in the past year, according to third-party analytics tools, it’s one of various online communities for those pushed to the brink by financial struggles, whether due to a poor job market, illness, injury, addiction, or the need to escape domestic violence.
Here, they can share their experiences without judgment and come away knowing how many others are in the same boat. “The ground can give way beneath any of us,” reads the subreddit’s description. “Here, we build bridges, share maps, and steady each other’s steps.” At a moment when economic inequality is skyrocketing in the US (as Elon Musk, the richest man in history, at least temporarily became a trillionaire), it seems that such distressing and dangerous situations are more common than ever. As of 2025, the wealthiest 1 percent in the US control $55 trillion in assets, roughly equivalent to the net worth of the bottom 90 percent of Americans combined—with those households continuing to fall further behind. Shaun, 41, tells WIRED that he’s currently “cowboy camping,” or sleeping in the open, in Payson, Arizona. He says that he completed a detox program there but was involuntarily discharged from a sober residency.
He visits r/almosthomeless because it helps to put his difficulties in perspective. “Seeing there are people that have it harder than me allows me to be grateful for the help I do receive,” he says. “I can’t believe the amount of people in similar circumstances. It breaks my heart.” (Shaun, like everyone interviewed for this article, agreed to be identified by their first name while withholding their last name so as not to preclude future employment prospects.) While users of the subreddit are not permitted to make financial requests or share crowdfunding links, moderators encourage them to share actionable solutions and focus on what they can do to survive. Based on where an individual is, they may be pointed toward local resources or warned to avoid certain areas. Scotty, 39, lives in a decommissioned ambulance he got from a friend who was formerly homeless.
The BriefWire