Homelessness and Van Life: It's better than Living in a Tent
California has a homeless crisis, and it's getting worse. It's growing bigger with inflation and the climbing cost of rent.
Facts of homelessness in America
I was visiting in San Diego last May and was in shock at the homeless people sleeping on the streets in mid-day while tourists just walked around them and stared. Most were sleeping or resting and had no shame about laying their body out on the public street. Some were young, some middle aged and some senior citizens.
I’m a senior citizen myself and I know what challenges we face as we grow older and wiser hopefully. Our bodies ache from stiffness, we slow down, some of us have memory loss and other major health impairments.
Imagine being 70 something, living off a small social security check and stressing over being evicted from your apartment of 20 years. And to top it all off, you can’t work anymore to increase your income. Then inflation hits like a ton of bricks. You ‘ve cut back on all that you can cut back on, so now suddenly your rent rises above your monthly income, and you can’t pay the rent. So, you get evicted.
What Does Eviction Feel Like?
I’ve never been evicted and hope I never will, but I can imagine the overwhelming feeling of being without a home. What will you do with your belongings, where will you go, and how are you going to handle all your medical issues while being homeless?
Well, all across the U.S. people are being evicted and the fastest growing population of eviction are folks over 55 or those on a fixed income. Some will live in their car and some will join others and pitch a tent out on the street.
There are no bathroom facilities, no safety or protection from the street and a host of other problems. How would you deal with this life-threatening challenge?
I Would Buy a Van and Make a Home Out of it.
I know everyone can’t live in a van, but if you’re blessed with good health and you can make choices, then living in a van on a fixed income will serve you well. You will have your home on wheels and can pick up and move whenever you feel the need.
You will not be threatened with rising rents and eviction. And you won’t be tied down to one place. You have many choices.
While living in a van on a fixed income, you can manage all your personal business with just your cell phone. Walmart provides all the services you may need except your medical visits.
I live and travel in my gray camper van that I built myself with the help of a carpenter back in 2020. I knew very little about van life when I started, but now after four years I would encourage anyone to find a vehicle to live in over living in tents on the street.
Homelessness is a Shame on America
With all the noise going on between Trump and Harris, I don’t see anyone talking about homelessness. But I talk about it, because I care. So many folks that I do talk to believe that homeless people like being homeless, and they are either on drugs or alcohol or mentally ill. That’s not 100% true. And it doesn’t like much forethought to realize if you live on a fixed income and the rents continue to rise, eventually you can’t pay the rent and you have to go.
No one seems to know how to solve the homeless problem in America, but it’s estimated we need to build 6 million new homes to solve the problem. And I see on YouTube that some individuals are taking matters in their own hands and building small, tiny homes and giving them to the homeless. I think these organizations should be compensated with the government to cover the cost and expense.
New York has the largest homeless population, and Mississippi has the smallest homeless population. All states have the homeless problem, but some are bigger than others and California is hard hit.
Please comment below if you have a solution for stopping home evictions, especially for the elderly. Everyone deserves a home and to be treated with respect.
Thanks for reading,
Carol
I visited America last year and was shocked with homelessness in big prosperous cities like San Francisco and Los Angelas. That was not the picture I was expecting to see in first world country. Your article is spot on. Expensive places need to look at other ways of providing roof over the head of those who are struggling.