More Americans are forced to "reside" in their vehicles

[left-of-center2012]

Source: CBS News

The number of people residing in campers and other vehicles surged 46 percent over the past year, a recent homeless census in Seattle's King County, Washington found. The problem is "exploding" in cities with expensive housing markets, including Los Angeles, Portland and San Francisco, according to Governing magazine.

The problem of vehicle residency is national in scope, although its impact may be more "acutely felt in urban areas where space is more limited," said Sara Rankin, an assistant professor law at Seattle University and the director of Homeless Rights Advocacy Project ...

Homelessness rose last year, marking its first increase since 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. About one-third of the homeless population was described as "unsheltered," which includes people living on the streets and in their vehicles. HUD's data doesn't provide more specific information.

A fair number of the "vehicular homeless" in Silicon Valley are employed but are unable to find affordable housing, as the Associated Press noted last year. Lines of RVs can be found near the headquarters of tech heavyweights such as Apple, Google and Hewlett-Packard. Nationwide, extremely low-income renters are facing a shortage of 7.2 million rental homes, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-americans-are-living-in-their-vehicles-amid-high-housing-prices/

[2naSalit]

1. I did...

lived in my 4Runner for ten months last year/this year, just got into housing in March. The state has been cutting the few services they provide and since tourism is ruling the state housing scene now, everything is VRBO or vacation rentals, more housing is being built just for tourists. The funny thing is, nobody wants to pay or house their help which leaves them with no workers because there's no place for them to stay and they aren't getting paid much either to clean up after trashy tourists, and feed them and put up with their verbal and "I own you" attitude found to be prevalent these days. Tourism crash is coming too.

[left-of-center2012]

2. In what area of the US do you live?

I'm guessing west coast.

[2naSalit]

7. Try western Montana

gets pretty damned cold in the winter.

[MissB]

22. Glad to hear you found housing.

I can’t imagine living in a car in Montana in the winter.

Your insight into issues with tourism and staffing is excellent.

[2naSalit]

23. I've been here a while

and have worked inside, outside and around the tourist industry for longer than I can remember, not that many are all that concerned if much of it gets developed since they don't live here... and they want it all to be like Disney Land or Six Flags, they don't understand wilderness or why it's important but I digress.

[ghostsinthemachine]

3. In Palo Alto, in front of Stanford U

on El Camino Real, the line of RVs is at least 200. Obviously all live in. In the bay area, you see this everywhere now. The ones on EL Camino real are the ones that are on a main street, No telling how many there are in less public areas.My GF lives in San Jose and they, meaning various RV's, vans, etc lining the streets are everywhere.

I, before my cancer diagnosis, lived in my van for a couple of years. But in the suburbs of Sacramento. I kind of liked it. I never just parked like those in the bay though. I moved around and spent my days being active, going to the library, the river etc....Nw my living situation is amazing, but Im not as free as I was.....

[sakabatou]

28. Housing prices are through the roof in the area

[heaven05]

4. wow

really getting bad out here.

[gtar100]

5. And behind all this are the homeowners who raise the rent every year...

simply because they can. No one forced them to. We have a problem with people not just wanting to make a living, they want to make the "easy money", and lots of it, simply by owning things (like trolls at the bridge forcing travelers to pay or they won't be allowed to cross). And then those of us who struggle at the edge get kicked out of our homes because of high rents. The symptom is homelessness, the problem is greed.

[Recursion]

18. Homeowners also fight any attempt to build more housing

Politicians always talk about doing something about the rent, but if rent goes down, home prices go down too, and nobody ever wants to piss off the homeowners in his constituency.

[dalton99a]

6. Recent LAT articles:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rv-homeless-20180317-story.html
Faced with complaints of filth and blight, L.A. cracks down on overnight RV parking. Now, the homeless are scrambling
By Emily Alpert Reyes
Mar 15, 2018 | 10:05 AM

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-ln-homeless-and-waiting-20180729-htmlstory.html
Living in a beat-up Jeep after mounting hardship, a homeless veteran and his wife cling to hope, waiting for a place to call home
By Benjamin Oreskes
Jul 29, 2018 | 5:00 AM

[turbinetree]

8. Mother Jones....................Article.............

Here’s What It’s Like to Be a Homeless Techie in Silicon Valley
Every day at America’s largest homeless camp, “a Yahoo bus goes by.”

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/12/robert-aguirre-jungle-homeless-silicon-valley/


And corporations get tax breaks and "other" incentives" to have the company in the town.......................


November 2018 cannot get here fast enough.................vote

[haele]

14. This is nothing new.

Back in the mid-80's, when I was in the military, I was living out of a conversion camper van (with a kitchenette and toilet) for three months in a co-worker's driveway while I was waiting for enough BEQ money to be able to put down just to move off-base as a room-mate in a stable rent situation. Couch surfing has always been somewhat sketchy, and because I was female, I had too much "uniform" that needed to be maintained to live out of a ditty-bag without access to a decent (clean) closet or locker space.

Over the years, I've personally known several homeless situations where the people living out of tents or vehicles had decent above minimum wage jobs - but couldn't find safe, affordable housing for themselves or their families because they had experienced simple bad luck - a bankruptcy/poor credit, or student loans, or huge outstanding medical bills, or were actually being responsible parents paying the court-ordered child support/alimony and couldn't support a second household.
Affordable housing is becoming a rarity more and more.
And yes, the big tech, R&D, and service provision companies that move in and push up the cost of rental properties just because they can should make some attempt - some investment - to ensure there is still affordable housing for their support contractors and the community at large around their facilities - just for the community goodwill and safety sake, if nothing else.

Haele

[turbinetree]

17. When I and four others moved out to Palmdale to work..............in the mid 80's

we could not afford to live on our own we had to share a house ............and then when the project wound down moved up to the bay area, Mountain View, and the rent was not bad but not good, this is prior to the explosion in tech.................three later I was back in California and living on the Hayward side...................there was no stability because you could not afford rent let alone a home, unless you bought in the 50, 60 and 70 time frame....................this is a serious issue,............

[roamer65]

21. Sounds like Mexico or a Central American country.

[2naSalit]

9. I had to

go to southern California last month and when I was out near the area near the beaches where the jetties and dog parks are, there were wall to wall RVs lined up on the shoreline. My sister told me that they get rousted regularly but it isn't like there's anyplace for them to go, especially those who need services and food.

There are several homeless RV camps in the desert in all the desert states. Most folks who lose their housing head for a place where the weather is more suitable for outdoor living.

[SammyWinstonJack]

29. I, my husband, three dogs and a cat live full time in a 34 ft class A motorhome with 3 slide outs.

We are not homeless. Those RV camps in the desert are RVers boondocking or dry camping on BLM land to escape the winter months. Arizona around Quartzsite and Yuma is popular with snowbird RVers. We prefer to stay in Army COE campgrounds. Inexpensive, well maintained with water and electric hook ups. Not everyone who lives in their vehicles is down on their luck. I realise that is the way society views it. Some of us actually chose this lifestyle. And believe it or not, many work at jobs remotely so they can travel. Not a bad thing.

[C Moon]

10. A lot of this where I live in Southern California. Many seem to have drug problems;

but some are couples in their 60's. It's very sad.

[KPN]

11. "Trump America Great Again!"

[Hotler]

19. It's not just the Red Don.

There are a whole bunch of repugs before him that help to create the mess this country is in. I'm pissed also.

[AllaN01Bear]

12. this is america

hem . not. i keep telling a friend who voted you know who, that most of us will be living on the street , except the super rich. where i live the landlords and aparpments are kicking out long term tenants in favour of tree felling people .( getting rid of bug infested trees in our forests here in california)

[Aristus]

13. We have two or three 'vehicular homeless' families parked in our clinic parking lot right now.

There's another, more accurate, term for the vehicular homeless: it's just 'homeless'.

Yeah, but if we pay a living wage to working people, Western civilization will collapse...

[marble falls]

15. Reside? Just so long as they have no other option but to live in them....

Reside. Trump resides at the White House. I reside at my home in Marble Falls. These homeless are living in their cars because they can't reside in a home.

We reside where we want. NOBODY wants to reside in a car/truck/van/camper.

Puts another, twisted spin on the expression 'residential street', doesn't it?

[sarcasmo]

16. That's why I own a Honda Odyssey mini van. Own a car you can live in.

[YOHABLO]

20. I own an Odyssey as well. 311,000 miles on it. Air still works. Car runs fine. Crossing my fingers.

[ansible]

24. This actually wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for cops harassing you all the time

Had to live in my car for a month once, it was a nightmare trying to find someplace to park where I could just be left alone. Even in the middle of nowhere cops would suddenly come up and demand my insurance and registration. And here in California if you have neither they'll fuck you over and tow your car away.

[flibbitygiblets]

26. In Portland it's just about an epidemic. People are actually traveling here because

the cops won't do anything to keep them from living in public spaces. Even though the stats say a hugely disproportionate # of arrests are homeless people, in my neighborhood, there are makeshift campsites, barely-running RV's and cars with tarps on them. These, from my observation are not "working homeless". The guy and his two "service dogs" as he put it, who parked across the street from my house two weeks ago and hasn't left, can be seen at various hours of the day and night. His belongings are piling up around the car. His dogs bark at all hours. I asked him to move on, and he said he's waiting for a new starter. For two weeks now.

There's no shortage of jobs in this city, although definitely a shortage of affordable housing.

But many of these people are simply taking advantage of a lenient city policy.

[bluestarone]

25. Wondering how this will work out come

Election time?? No address no vote?

[KT2000]

27. first and last month rent

and addition security deposit, usually equal to a month's rent is a huge obstacle. Average $1500 for a one bedroom and this is a low wage area. To get there though, one must have good credit rating, an income that is at least three times the rent, and a good rental history. Where I live, that is how one has to compete for high priced rentals.
Our homeless shelter closed a couple weeks ago - no money to run it. Many stay at Walmart parking lo.t