From Being Homeless in L.A. to Being Homeless in the Arizona Desert
Los Angeles, Ca. has 88,000 homeless people, and the number is growing.
Homelessness is getting out of hand on the west coast. It seems little is being done to help people who land on the streets because of losing their income and being evicted from their homes. It must be tough.
The Housing Crisis
With inflation, comes high prices for rent and other basic needs of life. My heart goes out to people who lose their homes or rentals because greedy landlords are taking advantage of inflated prices. When is the government going to step in and put a ceiling on how much rental increase is too much?
If I were in a crisis losing my home, I would opt to buy a van and convert it into my temporary home, until I could do better. I see lots of people converting mini vans into campers and living out of them. Mini vans can house a comfortable bed for one person and still have enough room for food storage and clothes, along with other essentials. And you can choose a safe place to park your minivan, but I favor the desert for a variety of reasons.
You can camp free on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) for 14 days.
Even though it’s extremely hot during the daylight hours, nights are bearable.
While having your home on wheels, it easier to find work or travel to where you find work and not worry about where you’re going to sleep.
You can have your privacy in the desert with so many wide-open places.
I have a cargo van and love it. It’s easy to drive and I have room to stand up in it and live more comfortably over living in a minivan. The cargo van has its pros and cons.
Even if you can’t afford a camper van and need to live out of your car or truck; that’s doable. Lots of people are making it happen. I would too if I were in a housing crisis.
What would you do all day while living in a camper van and unemployed?
Here’s what I would do.
Most everyone has a cell phone, and you can do almost as much with it as you can on a computer. There’s social media to keep you entertained, blog posts to read, games to play and research capabilities. I would take advantage of the cell phone to help me find employment or network with others who may be in my same situation.
Living in your car or van has to be a better option than living on the streets.
I realize not everyone will have the means to leave L.A. and will live in tents until change comes. I’m happy to learn that someone cares enough to help get the homeless off the street and into housing.
I don’t know what the homeless do about getting food to eat. Maybe some of them have food stamps or ask churches for help. Hopefully, some of the homeless have a savings account to help them out of this crisis.
Writing Tips
Lately, I’ve met several people who want to write a book about their life history. I sometimes wonder why. But I never ask. I suppose they’ve lead an interesting life and want to share it with others.
I’m writing a book or fiction novel to entertain myself and also to see if I can create a book that readers enjoy.
It’s not easy!
There is so much material available and courses to teach you how to write, but the hardest part of it all is managing yourself and being self-disciplined. Most writers will tell you that “consistency is the key”. I agree.
I started my book over a year ago and I’m still in the plotting stage. I prefer to outline my plot over pansing or writing by the seat of the pants as it’s called. I write from an outline to give me a roadmap, otherwise I would get lost in what I’m trying to say.
Plottr is a great tool for outlining your novel. It has so many useful tools to keep you on track as you’re creating the plot points of your novel.
No two writers work the same way. It’s best to find your writing path and stick to it. What works for me may not work for you and vise versa.
Until the next article, happy reading!
Carol
This post was written 3 years ago. It's gotten much worse in 2026. More people are being priced out of their rentals and have no choice but to live in their cars. Some hold down 40 hour a week jobs while hiding their new residence. Even families with children are surviving inside their vehicles waiting for a solution to their housing crisis.