Most people have negative opinions with homeless people, however, what most aren’t aware of is there are causes of homelessness other than financial reasons, although, it is the most common reason.
Other reasons people become homeless are: domestic violence, mental disabilities, physical disabilities, family disputes, job loss, but also because they simply decide to.
Many who decide to, turn to living in their car. Choosing to make your car your home has many benefits which involve not having to pay for rent, waste disposal, not having to maintain the innards of an entire living area, having to pay water, electricity and gas bills, having to maintain your lawn and avoiding the probability of having a disruptive neighbor.
Other perks begin to stack as well if you’re a homeless person whose living quarters are your car like the benefit to leave anytime you want without the worry of investing time in packing your belongings. For the college students who are living on their own and all of those who are trying to save money, this is a good alternative.
According to nypost.com, many people are choosing to go this route due to the high prices of rent which can range from $1,500 to $3,000 depending on location, an example being the Saldana family, who consists of a single mother and her three sons. They also utilize one of the most beneficial tools that many people in their position use, which, is having a gym membership.
With a gym membership, one is able to shower and use the restroom all month long for about $10 to $20 a month and gyms are commonly open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
If your work and sleep schedule are abnormal, there are also gyms which are open 24 hours.
There’s no responsibility to keep in mind all the mundane and repetitive tasks which correlate with ownership of any kind of property and you have the ability to change locations whenever you get bored of one.
You’ll also be able to save $500 to $2,000, depending on your type of preferred living taste, by not renting out a home or paying off a mortgage slowly.
The ability to have your home and car being synchronous has many benefits, but there are many risks involved.
When parked and trying to sleep, your precious sleep may be disrupted by a dutiful cop who is curious as to why you are parked where you are parked.
Violations can easily be avoided with simple lies such as stating you’re moving through the city or are very tired due to the recent completion of work, and sometimes the questioning cop will imply they won’t patrol back around for a while so you can sleep.
And if the cop happens to notice all of your belongings in your car, then you can say that you’ve fallen upon hard times, but are trying to turn it around with the job that you are resting for.
The transition to living in your car also causes you to become more social due to being exposed to environments which usually have masses.
Due to this, you’ll be allowed to network more.
Although, the benefits included with going homeless are not always appealing to everyone, to those who are able to plan ahead and know how to spend/invest, $1,000 extra in their pocket can turn really lucrative and prove to be worth the inability to live in an actual house. Being homeless shouldn’t always be associated with its stigmatize term.