Emergency nurses at Stanford Hospital are choosing to sleep in vans between shifts. These nurses need to be on call and within a 30-minute drive of the hospital, but many can't afford to live nearby.

“I personally know at least 15 people sleeping in their vehicles," said TJ Carella, an emergency nurse. "But there are definitely more than that."

The cities surrounding Stanford Hospital are some of the most expensive in the state. Average home prices are over $3 million.

"No, absolutely not," Carella said, when asked if he could afford that.

He lives in Pleasanton, which is about an hour away. When he needs to be on-call, he sleeps in a retrofitted Sprinter van that has a bed, mini-fridge, a solar-powered generator and a composting toilet.

"I tried to make it as homey as possible," he said. "But it does feel weird. I have a master's degree. I work hard, but this is the reality."

Stanford does offer spare rooms for nurses, but Carella says it is not always guaranteed. He says sleeping in a van became the only reliable way he could do his job.

"We get woken up out of nowhere, and we half to be here in 30 minutes," he said. "We are often texting each other, trying to figure out where to park. Some of us have been ticketed a few times."

His union is currently negotiating a new contract with the hospital. Not only are they asking for an increase in wages, they want a change to their schedule so nurses like Carella can better plan when he is on call.

“We do have nurses who fly in from out of state, work their straight days and fly home," said Colleen Borges, the president of CRONA, Stanford's nurses' union. "It is virtually impossible for a new nurse to purchase a new home here in the Bay Area.”

In a statement, Stanford Medicine said:

“We deeply value our nurses and are committed to reaching an agreement on a contract that recognizes their vital contributions to our health care system.”

They also mentioned Stanford has a nurse retention rate that exceeds national standards. However, Carella says that retention rate won't last.

“In order for us to keep doing what we need to do, then there are some things that need to change," he said.