There is definitely a lot of van life/stealth campers going on here in Seattle, it isn’t hard to notice. But judging by their social media videos, is it fair to call them homeless? It seems like they chose that lifestyle rather than having it forced on them (or maybe it’s a mixture of both?).
Van life is a huge difference from the RVs, who don’t really care about stealth, they just come in, deflate their tires, and call some curb+sidewalk their home, pile up random possessions on the sidewalk to make it impassable. This category is usually drug related, so not hard to notice.
There is also the working poor who become homeless unrelated to drugs, who are living out of their cars. We really should prioritize those cases, which is easy enough to handle with just housing. They don’t need drug addiction treatment, they aren’t going to burn down the home you give them in a few weeks. But all our money is going to the former and not much is prioritized for the latter, which is a huge shame. I think we should hugely prioritize sober shelters and housing that have strict rules, it would really help the working homeless (none of them want to bunk with drug addicts for good reason, which also keeps them from getting help).
By that definition me not living in a mansion overlooking the ocean is also a lifestyle choice. I doubt that many people in cities would live in vans if housing wasn't so unaffordable.
The social media van life trend is one thing. People choosing to live in their cars for financial reasons is another thing. Occasionally the two groups intersect, but there are plenty of cases where someone is living in their van/car so they can afford to stay in or near a location they can’t otherwise afford.
Some people have major debt, medical expenses, family situations etc that drove the original decision. Some people decide to start posting about their car life because why not? But don’t confuse the glitzy social media version of van life for the average experience.
Yes, but you can’t really tell who is one category or the other. We also have no idea what the average experience is. For non-stealth campers, it’s much easier to tell.
Having spent quite a bit of time on the road, it’s usually pretty easy to spot the difference.
That is if you even notice the stealth campers (to your point). But that’s really the original point - most people don’t notice the car dwelling locals, who spend a lot of their time making sure they aren’t noticed.
We have an RV problem so we’ve also gotten good at picking out stealth campers, not that it matter much since I really don’t mind someone who is just sleeping in our neighborhood if they aren’t doing anything crazy.
People sleeping in cars are also common, and pretty easy to spot since unlike a van, it isn’t common to block out all windows in a car. I’m guessing those are all economic cases.
by this logic everyone in Hollywood is a rich movie star because that’s who visible in the media, not the various set designers food workers and all the many others.
Looking at social media influencers and assuming they’re a good representation of the average van liver is like looking at a celebrity and assuming everyone in Hollywood is like them.
I know at least 3 people who spent the last few years living in a van while making over $200k a year. Mostly to travel, but some just enjoy the lifestyle.
> There is definitely a lot of van life/stealth campers going on here in Seattle, it isn’t hard to notice. But judging by their social media videos, is it fair to call them homeless? It seems like they chose that lifestyle rather than having it forced on them (or maybe it’s a mixture of both?).
This isn't referring to the ones who make social media videos about their lifestyle choices. This is people living in a van because while they've lost housing, they still have a vehicle. The people sleeping in a car at the back of a Walmart parking lot, with a laundry basket beside them on the passenger seat.
My city has many trust funds kids living like the poors in a fantasy world (and in >$100k built out vans), but I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about with these stats.
Van life is a huge difference from the RVs, who don’t really care about stealth, they just come in, deflate their tires, and call some curb+sidewalk their home, pile up random possessions on the sidewalk to make it impassable. This category is usually drug related, so not hard to notice.
There is also the working poor who become homeless unrelated to drugs, who are living out of their cars. We really should prioritize those cases, which is easy enough to handle with just housing. They don’t need drug addiction treatment, they aren’t going to burn down the home you give them in a few weeks. But all our money is going to the former and not much is prioritized for the latter, which is a huge shame. I think we should hugely prioritize sober shelters and housing that have strict rules, it would really help the working homeless (none of them want to bunk with drug addicts for good reason, which also keeps them from getting help).