I've been looking into the idea of being homeless for the past day or two. The idea of rotating between and within national parks with what I can carry on my back has great appeal. Medicaid in some states covers preventative, and some restorative medicine along with basic dental coverage. Together these seems sufficient, and they lack work requirements. Even if you die earlier or have your health compromised as you age, you would at least have your youth to have lived.
You'd probably need to have a small amount saved up to buy toiletries and to repair damaged equipment every once in a while. This doesn't seem to be a major issue; by contrast, food seems rather significant. Food Stamps and Welfare both have a work requirement, and I'm not sure I could justify taking from a food bank when I was capable of earning food another way. We always hear how they are in such limited supply after all.
The options then are hunting, foraging, or scavenging dumpsters? Is there anyway to garden reliably without a place to live, and preferably at scale? I have a book on growing local weeds for food, are there places I could grow these without them being disturbed? How much of your daily intake can be reliably gained from foraging and hunting? Is dumpster food tolerable, and how nutritious a diet can be had from it (are fruits and vegetables available)? How much of this is illegal and enforced. I'd prefer to not be routinely harassed by law enforcement. I know this is a lot of questions, so of course don't feel obligated to respond to them all.
Thanks in advance!