This is a place to...

There is a gap in the system that most people never see until they try to use it. If you live in your vehicle and go looking for basic support, food, a shower, a safe place to sleep, you quickly find that the system is not really built for you. It is built to move people into housing.

When I went to the doctor for a rash, I wasn’t expecting the diagnosis. Scabies. What I really wasn’t expecting was what my doctor said next. After looking at the rash and hearing that I live in my car, he asked: “You sleep in the dirt, right?” I’ll be honest—I was a little offended. My immediate reaction was, No I don’t. But then I sat with it for a second and realized… Yeah. I actually do.

Lighting becomes a problem quickly when you’re living and working out of a car. Once the sun drops, most setups stop working. You either can’t see well enough to continue what you’re doing, or you rely on lighting that creates new problems: harsh glare, limited battery, or too much visibility from outside.

There’s a phase almost everyone goes through at the beginning of car life, and it’s not talked about enough. It’s the phase where your car isn’t a home yet, it’s a storage unit on wheels.

If you’re living in your car or even just traveling, you might find yourself sleeping in a vehicle in the cold. And unlike heat, cold can become dangerous fast. I’ll be honest: I haven’t personally slept in my car in anything less than 32 degrees. But I’ve spent enough time in this lifestyle, and enough time learning from others who do this in winter, to understand one thing clearly: You don’t heat the car. You keep your body warm.

Rodents chewing on vehicle wiring and components is a surprisingly common problem for people who camp or live out of their vehicles. Mice, rats, and other small animals often crawl into engine compartments or underneath parked cars looking for warmth, shelter, or nesting material.

When people picture “work camping,” they usually imagine a big RV parked under the trees somewhere while someone checks guests into a campground office. My version looked a little different. I was living out of my SUV.

When people hear that someone lives in their vehicle, they often picture a stereotype. Maybe it’s someone who has completely given up on stability, someone drifting without direction, or someone living recklessly for the sake of adventure. The reality is far more complicated - and far more human.