Living in vans, cars, RVs, etc

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!houseless@lemmy.sdf.org

We're not homeless, we're houseless! By choice or by circumstance we are living in our vehicles. Don't worry about us -- it can be a very good life.

Anything that affects us as vehicle-dwellers is probably on topic.

external resources

emergency guide to suddenly living in a vehicle <-- start here if you don't have a choice in the matter
vanlife FAQ
introduction to power in the vehicle
gentle introduction to solar power
overview of charging by alternator
guides to hygiene and toilet

fedi resources

rules of engagement

be civil
use descriptive thread titles. Pro tip: "Help" or "Question" are not descriptive titles.
old-timers: assume people are different and have different needs, preferences, budgets, and use cases
newbies: demonstrate effort and willingness to learn; you'll need it on the road anyhow. Links have been added below to help get you started. When asking question state your "use case" (what you are trying to accomplish); we are terrible guessers.
tire-kickers: yes, we've heard that "in a van down by the river" joke. It was hi-larious in 1993.

vandwellers vandwelling vanlife urbancarliving

founded 2 years ago

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fratermus

fratermus@piefed.social

Priced out of traditional housing, more Americans are living in RVs (www.nbcnews.com)

submitted 4 months ago by fratermus to c/houseless

5 comments fedilink hide all child comments

As housing costs rise beyond what many families can afford, more people are looking for shelter outside the traditional housing market. About 486,000 people live full time in an RV, which appears to be more than twice as many as in 2021, according to survey data from the RV Industry Association. About a third have children, and a vast majority earn less than $75,000 a year. A separate survey by the Census Bureau found a similar trend: In 2023, the most recent data available, it estimated 342,000 people were living in an RV, boat or van, an increase of 41% from 2019.

It would be interesting to know what percentage consider their RV live voluntary vs involuntary (ie, no other option).

I planned my retirement this way, but I don't think I could afford traditional housing now even if I wanted to.

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[–] vacuumflower 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Ah, yes. It sucks when such bottlenecks are legally enforced.

I mean, in case of the USA it's a clear legacy of racism, not just zoning laws, but also laws made to make spontaneous (I don't mean squatting and undocumented slums by that, just populated areas growing more naturally) development hard. Also how trains are perceived, it seems, there.

Say, if I can bear 2+hr long commute (would be like 1.2hr on the train, 0.8hr on the subway, and some waiting and walking in between) in case I need something in Moscow, buying a crumbling house in a literal village (with a train station nearby) is the cheapest thing (but not cheap) one can do. It's just - with such a property you need to think, because if you run out of firewood or diesel or whatever you use, you may literally freeze (or at least crush the pipes). You also need to fix stuff yourself. And you need to get to know your neighbors and be on good terms with them.