I found THIS article earlier today, about a man living in his truck. He works, he has a 12 year old son. They tried homeless shelters and found them scary and full of drug addicts. It just got to me how many people we have living in their cars. It upset me. I went and looked up living in cars and found websites devoted to "how to's" and one HERE where the woman in the picture lost her place and lives in her car, but, she parks in a special parking lot in Santa Barbara that allows homeless women to park their cars there. It's supposedly safer than on the streets, which is also illegal, but, it has no running water. The whole thing depresses me and I can't stop thinking about it. Families with children..living in cars. It's just wrong. Have you ever lived in a car?
Monday, February 15, 2010
Living in cars
I found THIS article earlier today, about a man living in his truck. He works, he has a 12 year old son. They tried homeless shelters and found them scary and full of drug addicts. It just got to me how many people we have living in their cars. It upset me. I went and looked up living in cars and found websites devoted to "how to's" and one HERE where the woman in the picture lost her place and lives in her car, but, she parks in a special parking lot in Santa Barbara that allows homeless women to park their cars there. It's supposedly safer than on the streets, which is also illegal, but, it has no running water. The whole thing depresses me and I can't stop thinking about it. Families with children..living in cars. It's just wrong. Have you ever lived in a car?
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31 comments:
it just sickens me....we have working people, good people, who end up living in their vehicles and yet we send $100 million to haiti?????? where is the help for these people???
I'm so thankful that if I needed someone I have extended family that I could turn to. I can't imagine being in the world totally alone with no one to help me.
No, but I have had family members that have. I threw out my husband for over a year and he lived in his van for 18 mos. I didn't feel bad for him tho. I felt bad for my sister & her kids that did it. She got her kids taken away after that. That was very late 80's. I couldn't help her cuz she had gone to Fla & was in trouble on the way back. She had other family members with her. I had no means to help her except to call some organizations that dealt with that. They lived in a Salvation Army shelter when they got back up here. Her kids had the mandatory physicals and they were found to have been sexually molested. My sister has asberger's and she isn't really aware of sh**. One of the femily members traveling with them was probably the culprit. No charges were ever filed. But she lost her 3 little kids forever to her ex's family. It was hell just to know about it. I can't even imagine the hell of living it. Sadly, when she did get help, it cost her, her kids. They were much better off away from her tho.
rox
I just have a hard time feeling sorry for some of these people. Some bring it on themselves.
Miss Tia...I have so much to say about that sh** that you have no idea!!! The millionaire insurance companies & bankers will never be homeless, thanks to us taxpayers. Haiti is a destitute country way before this earthquake, I feel bad for them. BUT, we have such high unemployment and hungry Americans, and they have to fight just to get a few Food Stamps. I am seriously probably 2 paychecks away from being homeless myself. Like many others, I survive week to week. I woulnd't even have a car to live in tho. It would get taken away! I would be living in a cardboard box. I have no family, none that could/would help me. I wouldn't ask. I'd rather live in the damn box. Miss Tia I am with you 110% on that!!!!
rox
1:56...heartless much? Dayum. Nobody chooses to live their car, trust me. Gawd!!! GFY
1:56:00 what a humanitarian you are. At least your life's perfect.
I bet she feeds those dogs before she eats. Thats the saddest thing. They are her family, maybe all she has. It almost makes me cry. I hope she got some help. Sadly, if she gets help it prob won't include the dogs, so she may be choosing to live this way instead w/o her beloved dogs. I get it.
Disgraceful. We can't take care of our own people but we fork over millions to other countries. Don't get me wrong, I sent money to Haiti but I'm an American first and to me that means helping our own country men first. If that makes me an asshole then so be it.
Back in the eighties, I was young and stupid and thought I could start a new life in California. I know, what kid HASN'T thought that? Anyway, I picked up and drove myself, my boyfriend and my 18 month old son and went to LA on the promise of a place to live and a job for my boyfriend. Turns out the job was helping run drugs across the border, so we freaked and left with no place to stay. We tried to find the nicest areas to park the car, but with a small child in diapers, living in the car isn't easily done. Especially when said car is a Chevette.
I did find a job, but my worthless boyfriend did not, so I could never get beyond living in a motel. I was in the car for about two weeks and it felt like two years. The lowest point was sitting in the parking lot of a grocery store and having some man who probably wasn't all that much better off than I was, come to the car and give me a jug of apple juice and granola bars "for the baby".
I lasted two months. I called my dad and asked him to send money so I could come home. I found out later that he had sent the money order through the regular mail general delivery and found out from his mailman buddy that there was a faster way (overnight). They went to the post office that night and sifted through the mail carts until they found his envelope and he overnighted it to me.
Thank god for my dad. Although I got one HELL of a lecture when I got home. I never told him how bad it was, I think it would have killed him...
We were poor but that never happened we
did live with my grandparents when we had
no home which was until I was 14. A guy I
went to school with ( also from a poor family)
he was worse off somedays I shared my lunch
with him & or his sister. Jimmy dad worked odd
jobs at one point he was the cleaner at our school.
Jimmy even helped his dad clean the floors after
all the classrooms were empty. I didnot know
their secret that they all would go home to the
family station wagon and slept in it. I lost touch
with Jimmy and his sister when they moved Into
an apt in scarboro suburbs. Jims dad got a better
paying job and they left Toronto. But the memories of
my school pal Jimmy have me feeling vekelmpt as
I ( &@ the dire risk of revealing my age :-0 lol )
must let you know the very happy ending if you have
not already recognized who Jimmy grew up to be
a very funny comedian and actor now known
worldwide as funnyman - Jim Carrey :) Kiki
Womens hockey - Can VS Swiss
By all accounts, this is the worst economic crisis this nation has been in since the Great Depression. Unfortunately, in the 30s people banded together and helped each other. Nowadays people like the anonymous poster at 1:56 think people deserve whatever hardships life hands out to them.
My grandfather tells me stories sometimes about the Depression and the one thing that always stands out is the sense of community that they had. We may not have that same community, but we can certainly try to avoid being a dick, 1:56.
Tonya I'm with you on that great point.
The good olde days weren't always good but
if anyone was in need or just hungry u would
never let them go without. It's just human
decency. I've seen my grandma share some of her
veggies with her neighbours and bring over a
many a casserole or beefstew in a hot pot to
her neighbours homes where the dad had list
his job and they have not had any meat for weeks.
If you can't help out that's one thing it's ok if
u are poor bit if u can and don't that's just unforgivable !
I'm not saying this from a religiuos angle I only
voice it from my stance on a basic human right to
having clean water,shelter and three healthy meals
a day for eveyone &medical help for the sick. Kiki :)
anon 2:29, donating to haiti does not make you an asshole! I don't have shit, but seeing it over and over on tv kinds draws you into the moment. who wants to see people suffer that way? i almost donated, then i thought, i don't have shit myself.we live month to month like many others.right now my job is to take care of my kids so they don't end up sleeing in a car.
This is just heart breaking to me. While I have never lived in my car, I do think about it pretty often. Especially when I see how many middle class families are currently doing just that, in So. CA. Last summer when the numbers greatly increased, it finally made the local news in LA, San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties.
Last spring & summer the numbers just skyrocketed. The people with beloved pets were in a terrible bind, because of the extreme heat, they could no longer leave their pets in their cars, while they worked and many were forced to give up their pets and MANY were then euthanized. These homeless are not like CA's "regular" homeless--the poor souls who are hard core drug addicts and the severely mentally ill & schizophrenic. This group living in cars are really just like us middle class folks. There are very little resources for this group. Actually, more resources exist for the 1st group (drug addicted, mentally ill) Since CA is broke and they are making huge cuts in all kinds of social service programs, the state does nothing. Community outreach is in the "baby" stage of reaching these folks with more of a bandaid approach. I find it unconscionable that there is NO safety net.
I suppose it is better than living under an overpass on the interstate which is where we have whole "cities" of people.
Yes, and let's keep our borders wide open so more and more destitute people come here, savaging our welfare programs. When will we learn that we CANNOT solve the world's problems...let's start with solving our own first!!
How horrible is this society that good working people cannot afford to live in a home because of the price of living? And many people believe that it is because they are lazy. How ignorant. Everyone is just a few paychecks away from being homeless.
I have sympathy for good people who are living through tough times, but I do not have sympathy for people who WANT to live on the streets. I actually knew/still know a grown woman who purposely lived on the streets and in shelters because she thought it made her look cool. She was not from a broken home, she was just an asshole who refused to work and only wanted to panhandle for money. And she was not the only one I met. At that time years ago, I met dozens of kids (early 20's) who lived on the streets for the noriety. She ended up living in Canada on a commune and eventually had a son. Even now 15 years later, at 38, this woman refuses to work and instead, lives off Canadas welfare system while partying with her loser husband/baby daddy.
It is people like her and all those loser/rich friends of hers that make many people believe that homeless people deserve to be in their situation. It is a shame.
I lived in cars sometimes as a kid, I didn't know it was terrible. It was dirty, I know that. I can't imagine being a parent and having your child live in a car. That would be so scary and sad. And there's so much of it in America. We need to help our own first and I'm somone who loses sleep over the Haiti ads on TV.
I've been down to my last 17 cents for gas to get home from church. Many times!! And I had to dig in the car seats for that. My car had no turn signals so I humiliated my kids with my arm signals. The car had pretty much been given to us, I attempted to pay our friends for it but couldn't keep it up. It was painted I think with a brush and house paint. But I drove it for 2 years. I was thrilled when it sat one day at a brake repair shop & got hit by an Interstate Battery truck. I am sure I recovered more cash than the damn thing was worth. And I am sure I used the money for rent & groceries for my kids. I just had a dented housepainted car after that and didn't care. I didn't die from it. I survived that episode. Who cares? You live your life and move on.
I'm frankly amazed that someone has come up with a 'solution' no matter how imperfect it is. For these women the ability to sleep in a relatively safe parking lot has got to be a relief. Is it perfect? Hell no, but nobody's coming up with any real solutions and at least the city isn't trying to run these homeless women off to another town.
I don't have a problem with people donating money to Haiti but I do think "charity begins at home" as they say, and think it's gross to spend $100 million on another country but turn a blind eye to people suffering in your own.
I feel so sorry for these people. And I get so pissed when people say "It's their own fault". Yeah, I'm sure all these people decided, "You know what I want to do? Live in a car! Yeah! That's a great idea. I can't wait until I have no bathroom and no food and no bed. Even better, my kids can live with me and have no bathroom, food, or bed, either. Hooray!" Bullshit.
I haven't read any of the comments here yet, so forgive if this is a dup post.
Here is a link to a TED talk about a writer who ended up homeless. It can happen to anyone...
http://www.ted.com/talks/becky_blanton_the_year_i_was_homeless.html
That picture is so sad. My heart breaks not only for the woman, but for her dogs, as well. They can do absolutely nothing to help her or themselves. I hope their story has a happy ending for all of them.
We are too poor right now, to donate to Haiti, but even if we weren't, I would have a hard time with doing so. There are too many stories like this one, right here, at home. I don't know the best way to help, either. I'm afraid of giving to any organized charity because I honestly think that the money will only line some administrator's pocket. It will never get to those who really need it.
Christina, for me what works is to pick one charity that I've looked over thoroughly and give to them. I don't have much money either but when I have a little money to donate I give it to an animal shelter that neutered my cat and gave him shots for a reduced fee. That animal shelter is small and very rural so they don't get much assistance, but they still keep plugging away. I also give blood. When I was at my poorest I at least had blood to give and sometimes that's more important than money.
no money, no life, that's the saddest fact of life. i often wonder how we got to this....... its such a sad, sad, sad state of affairs, not just for humans but for all living creatures on this planet (even plants in flower garden shops that aren't watered anymore because they have no re-sale value). why are we like this? what made us like this? its something i wonder about all the time. life could be so much better.
Lia I wonder about that too. It is so sad. This planet could be so nice but instead it so cold and depressing. Everybody's just out to make a buck. And that is the way it has always been. People are just like that. I don't know why. I wish it was different.
This is the same reason people worship celebrities and want to read all about their lives. Money. Everyone is fascinated by money. Because if you don't have it, you are screwed. People say money doesn't matter. Well if you have to live in your damn car because you don't have any-I would say money does indeed matter.
I agree... "THEY" say that money doesn't buy happiness. I say that it can sure keep the fucking electricity on while you're miserable.
I took a Petco gift certificate to the New Beginnings office for the woman featured in this article. Lter I read more about her and I think this article actually dates back to May 2008 Hopefully she has found a home and hopefully they give my gift certificate to someone who needs it.
Wow, anonymous. That's really nice of you.
We never lived in a car but I suspect there were times when we weren't far from it. At one point, my dad lived in a tent for several months because he couldn't afford rent anywhere but I lived with my mother so I didn't experience that. There were Christmases when we didn't really get much from my dad but I was always understanding about that. When I got older, anyway. I rarely had new clothes, always wearing hand me downs and yard sale finds. I remember my dad would try to get us a new outfit every summer for the annual family reunion. I should mention that, with the exception of us, this family reunion was jam packed with money. My grandmother and her sisters would sit around comparing who had the biggest house, most luxurious car, largest bank accounts, biggest diamonds, most expensive clothes, you name it. I'm sure no one is surprised to hear that not one of these "family members" ever offered to help us.
When I was a young adult, I remember my "grandmother" telling me that "maybe one day you won't have to work so many jobs at one time to make it". All this while sitting in her white carpeted 4000 square foot house, holding her "professionally coiffed weekly" poodle. People make me sick.
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