Free Housing Available Now
I've been following the growing phenomenon of people who leave houses and apartments to live in cars, vans and recreational vehicles. The number is now estimated at one million. Evidence shows it is growing rapidly. It is driven by the economics of our country as well as its phobias, fears and myths.
No one has done a census of those living on wheels but there are endless Face Book, web sites and videos to learn about them. I have two books written by van dwellers. My guess is the majority of those on wheels have either some college or college degrees. I find them to have "middle class values."
There have always been prosperous people who lived full time in large motor homes or pricey trailers like Air Streams. The new people live in cars, vans and panel trucks. To accomplish this and to be comfortable requires solar collectors to run refrigerators, cell phones and laptops. Most try to live without paying fees for campsites, a practice called "boondocking." Websites discuss endlessly how to get rid of human waste.
While there is free Federal land a huge proportion of people are still working and park free in cities. This is possible because the public always wants more free parking. There are thousands of acres of asphalt were van dwellers can park and not be noticed.
Safety requirements of buildings, competition for land and property taxes have raised rents. This has made living on free asphalt even more attractive. Car/van dwellers often have fitness club memberships and use showers there.
The growth of this population comes from two unintended consequences. One is society's love of automobiles and the parking areas that resulted. There is so much space devoted to parking it cannot all be monitored and van dwellers move in.
Parking requirements for apartments raised rents. Then, there is the fear of dying in a fire. Building codes have made this unlikely but also raised the cost of housing. Just outside expensive apartments are urban parking acres where one can live for free.
No one has done a census of those living on wheels but there are endless Face Book, web sites and videos to learn about them. I have two books written by van dwellers. My guess is the majority of those on wheels have either some college or college degrees. I find them to have "middle class values."
There have always been prosperous people who lived full time in large motor homes or pricey trailers like Air Streams. The new people live in cars, vans and panel trucks. To accomplish this and to be comfortable requires solar collectors to run refrigerators, cell phones and laptops. Most try to live without paying fees for campsites, a practice called "boondocking." Websites discuss endlessly how to get rid of human waste.
While there is free Federal land a huge proportion of people are still working and park free in cities. This is possible because the public always wants more free parking. There are thousands of acres of asphalt were van dwellers can park and not be noticed.
Safety requirements of buildings, competition for land and property taxes have raised rents. This has made living on free asphalt even more attractive. Car/van dwellers often have fitness club memberships and use showers there.
The growth of this population comes from two unintended consequences. One is society's love of automobiles and the parking areas that resulted. There is so much space devoted to parking it cannot all be monitored and van dwellers move in.
Parking requirements for apartments raised rents. Then, there is the fear of dying in a fire. Building codes have made this unlikely but also raised the cost of housing. Just outside expensive apartments are urban parking acres where one can live for free.
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