Las Vegas VanLife Edition.
Van Life is the housing option sweeping the nation right now. With the cost of living and rent goes up every year while wages stay the same. Some people take to the lifestyle from necessity others like me are by choice. Some people are part time others are full time living in a vehicle. What other option is there? Shelters are overfilled and understaffed not to mention underfunded.
I have been homeless at the start of the pandemic. No car just had to figure it out. I figured out quickly that the best way to survive was to stay from others. Mental illness and chemical dependency make it hard to call an option. Plus, with having to be in line for a bed by 4pm and out again at 6 am its almost impossible to get a job. Stealth camping and Van life are a better option already due to the fact you can get to work and you have shelter. Yes, it cost more but its still a cheaper option than $2,100 a month in rent.
The problem is not making rent but more making triple the rent. I have been working two jobs and still do not make enough money. And even when I do then credit score is a factor. Its almost as if the system is set up for us to fail. It makes sense to me that living in a van, suv or and rv is so much cheaper. At some point we as people have find our own solutions. When there are people who make to much to be low income but not enough to make ends meet, something needs to be done.
I am going to put this blog out there to help people on their van life journey here in Las Vegas. I have tried stealth camping in different places here for the sake of research. I have some interesting feedback. I drive a 2005 Honda CR-V with 5% tint all the way around minus the front window. For the sake of this social experiment, I put a folding sunshade in the front window. As you can see from the pictures my windows are dark even on extremely sunny days.
Safe places to sleep here might actually surprise you and others are the obvious choice. Before we get into these places I want to start by saying a helpful app that works with both android and iphone is called iOutlander. It tell you where you can use like hook ups, sleep, where there are bathrooms etc. It helped me in Los Angeles.
Safe places to sleep outside the city;
For starters, lets talk about BLM. BLM means the Bureau of Land Management. Blm is government land that you can stay on for up to 2 weeks before having to leave the area. There is always Mount Charleston. Its about 30 minutes to an hour depending on the area of Vegas you are in. You can stay there for quite awhile. Same with Red Rock Canyon. I have seen vans and RVs in the canyon and no one seems to bother them.
Staying in the City part of Las Vegas;
Walmart- I find that is crazy simple to sleep places here. The biggest difference between here and Los Angeles is that Las Vegas has big parking lots. I tried couple different Walmarts. The stores are not open 24 hours anymore, but I parked where employees who restock park. I put my sunshade in the front window crawled in the back seat covered up and went to sleep.
Grocery store- To be more specific Smiths is open 24 hours a day so not a bad spot. Very few places have no trespassing or no overnight parking. I even used the same Smiths parking lot for a week. No one had a problem with it. As long as your not bothering there customers they are very chill.
Residential streets- It is perfectly legal to live in your car here. You are not supposed to park on residential streets but I have seen it here. I even did it where I parked on main streets. I parked next to empty lots. No one bothered me. I parked in my neighborhood at a couple random places after dark by brick walls. I watched cars go by but no one ever came over to me. It also helps my car type. I do not cover my windows at night.
Common "homeless problem" Solutions
Mail- One of the hardest problems for vanlifers and homeless people alike is where do you get mail or register a vehicle. When they issued the second rounds of stimulus checks I bought a BMW. Do not get to excited it was a base model lol. Anyway, there was a problem with the title and I couldn't reach the guy on the phone. I went to the address on the title. To my surprise it was a Smith's. The box inside the store appeared as an apartment number. Also, packages from amazon can be sent to these or there is also the option of Amazon lockers all through the city.
Showers- Of course most know this but not everyone. Gym memberships give you access to bathrooms and showers 24-7. Also you can sleep in there parking lots. Even if they said anything you can just that you got to tired from work out and needed to rest before you drive home or work etc. I have seen people check into the shelters just to get a shower then leave again.
Clarity cards- So here in Las Vegas to get homeless services like food shelter etc you need a one of these cards. You just go to one of the shelters and they will issue you one. It helps you with getting housing services etc. Keep in mind Las Vegas is a desert. It gets above 100 daily in summer months. Then at night its cold here.
Food- I am going to break this down between people food and pet food. If you go to Catholic charities here, you can tell them you live in your car and they will ask do you have abilities to cook your food. Then you get lots of food. The reasons I mentioned pet food is there are places that give you pet food on Wednesday and Sunday. I would call 2-1-1 for locations.
HOWA- HOWA means the Homes On Wheels Alliance. They are an excellence source of information. You can find out more about them on Facebook at Homes On Wheels Alliance Group | Facebook. I found out about them on my journey in California.
Panhandling- Surprisingly if you go to Fremont they have areas for performers. You are allowed to sell your goods and even just ask for money cause your homeless. I am thinking of doing it to raise money for an online business I am starting. I think it might cool to write about my experience.
Other stealth camping spots- Rest areas and truck stops not a bad option for showers and sleeping. Good luck finding free parking downtown or on the strip but... You can pay for monthly parking passes. I also have a storage unit. I have used the unit to change clothes. I also have accidently been locked inside the gate. I slept in the car and when the gates again opened, I just left. If you are in an RV find a place that sells RVs and park in or next to the lot. Same applies to cars. I bought my car from a small dealership, and I parked there overnight couple times and then I just slide out in the morning. I have also parked st the police station before. Not sure if thats works in RV but it did in my CRV.
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