Living in vans, cars, RVs, etc

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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.

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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

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Have been living this lifestyle for 3 solid years and today for the first time I conquered another societal hurdle I'd been afraid of! (self.houseless)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by LemmyKnowsBest to c/[email protected]

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This month November I intentionally "moved" to the highest cost of living state for 3 reasons:

it's beautiful and I want to live here
high cost of living also means that jobs pay more here than anywhere else
which is a bonus for us homeless people because we don't have to worry about handing all that extra money to landlords/ mortgage bankers 😉 We pocket the extra money. (And before you assume I'm some drug-addled hobo, nope, I'm not. I'm saving money for new lithium leisure batteries and scheduled maintenance & so many upgrades to my already awesome van. It will take a year or two until I've saved up enough $ for that then I can commence enjoying this healthy spirited life again.)

okay now here's the societal hurdle I've been afraid of and I think I've conquered it today: This is the first time since embarking on this lifestyle I've absolutely had to get a real W-2 job that requires employees to have a permanent address in the state but I don't want my employer to know that I don't have a physical address.

I don't want my new prospective employers to know that I live in a van because they will immediately cast judgment on that because there's an unfair stigma associated with this lifestyle and they would unfairly assume all the worst things about me which would affect their decision to hire me, so How'd I get around this??

When they weren't satisfied with my out-of-state PO Box address, and they also weren't satisfied with my temporary 30-day in-state General Delivery USPS address, today in my FOURTH interview I finally admitted, "All right, I'm HOMELESS but I'm fine, I'm healthy, I'm clean, have everything I need, I show up to work everyday no problem, everything is fine. I just need a job."

She said "ok," and stepped away for a minute but it felt like forever, I was so worried that was the end of my hiring process, but apparently everything was fine! We continued on for an hour with the onboarding documents and I'm in 🎉

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I intentionally “moved” to the highest cost of living state for 3 reasons:

A smart play.

This is the first time since embarking on this lifestyle I’ve absolutely had to get a real W-2 job that requires employees to have a permanent address in the state but I don’t want my employer to know that I don’t have a physical address.

Depending on the state there may be RV parks like escapees that have can offer residential address after a stay of some length. Examples: 30 days in TX, 1 day in south dakota!

If one were going to stay in a given state for a few years it might be worth it to rent a house or apt for month to get utils and such in one's name, DL. All mail would go to a remailer and never to that address.

domicile, residency, and mail forwarding

I don’t want my new prospective employers to know that I live in a van

I know those feels. OTOH, at my last job before retirement I told everyone freely. There were zero issues, other than people constantly asking where I was boondocking on my days off so they could have a bit of adventure by proxy. A co-worker and my boss actually ended up buying Class C RVs and started traveling a bit during my tenture.

I tried to pick up some seasonal work last winter with the USPS; I gave my legal residence (family member's house in another state) but put unhoused in the appropriate areas. They offered me the gig but the process was so slow the season was over before training would have begun.

Why they need so much information from their employees

Much of the egregiousness is fallout from the so-called Patriot Act, but federal paperwork and background checks typically require addresses. Example: the addresses help the background check ID the correct person, and tell the investigator which counties to sniff around in.