BY RICHARD DORSETT

We are a mobile nation. We have been for quite some time. Migrants crossed the nation, first walking or riding in wagons trains and eventually by locomotives, planes, and automobiles. People living in their vehicles is nothing new, but the advent of 21st century homelessness has added a feature of living on the move that few expected when a new car or recreational vehicle rolled off the sales lot. Recreational camping is one thing. Living parked alongside a road or in a neighborhood somewhere, hoping against hope not to be harassed by police or unwelcoming neighbors, this has nothing to do with “camping.”

One night last winter I left a 32-ounce cup of water in our Subaru; the next morning it was solid ice. On a winter’s night, a car makes poor shelter and is no place to live. Yet too many people, often with school-aged children, do the best they can. And the difference between a quarter million dollar travel bus and a $500 aging Winnebago is more than meets the eye.

Jessica Bruder’s 2017 “Nomadland” painted a picture about surviving America in the twenty-first century as a lifestyle choice for many. Van life, it really does appeal, is several steps above those who go to vehicles as a last resort. Vehicle living is also different than lives spent seeking shelter in tents on our public streets, but many of the same issues of health and safety arise. Too few shelters or permitted parking sites are available for those seeking safety. The result in poorly insulated vehicles is too many die quickly from the cold in winter or from summer’s high temperature heat waves. Fires often break out when people try to keep warm.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The struggle is real.

Far too many have jobs but cannot afford rent. “I never expected to be living like this,” is a story I hear often. A relationship gone sideways, a lost job, an eviction—few of us make plans for the bad luck or bad choices that lead to the search for a late night parking lot or neighborhood where the most basic needs of life can be pieced together.

Here, in Tacoma and Pierce County, a growing network of safe parking sites helps those living in their cars stay put for a time, allowing access to resources. With some luck and support from those who do their best to help those in need, the climb back to stability often begins. For Pierce County, the Safe Parking Network can be reached at 253-346-6482 (current tabs and valid drivers license required). In addition, for City of Tacoma residents, connection can be made at 253- 719-9332 (license and proof of ownership required). Often, there are no available sites, but a phone call can begin the process.

For recreational vehicles, trailers and campers, safe parking resources are nil. Locally, advocates encourage both Tacoma and Pierce County to find and permit sites where larger vehicles can safely park, but so far, little progress has been made. A lack of authorized parking spots helps explain why an RV or trailer suddenly appears in a neighborhood or light industrial park. There is just no place for these people and their rigs to go.

We have more than 4,000 people living homeless in Pierce County. For those living in their cars, about 50 safe parking sites are available. Not enough by any measure. No such sites are available for RVs, though there is hope this situation may change.

Homelessness takes a toll on our community and on those who experience it. For those living in vehicles, finding affordable housing or services often presents unique challenges.

Things we can all do to help end homelessness include:

• Encourage your elected officials to expand homeless services and to create safe parking sites for cars and RVs.

• Talk with your neighbors about their concerns of homelessness in our community.

• Donate new or gently used blankets, clothes, and hygiene products to homeless shelters.

• Volunteer with service providers to help individuals exit homelessness.

Finally, if a car, RV, or tent appears in your neighborhood, a report to 311 or your elected city or county council member is a way to register the situation. If given the opportunity, say “hello” and introduce yourself. The answer to an unexpected neighbor on your street might be as simple as a battery jump or a few gallons of gasoline.

Homelessness is complicated and involves much more than people living in vehicles. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Jeff Olivet says that stopping homelessness will “require collaboration at all levels of government between multiple systems: housing, health care, criminal justice, child welfare, education, domestic violence, immigration, labor, and others. We must work together across the federal government, with state and local officials, and with private philanthropy to create systems and funding streams that better identify people at risk of homelessness and intervene earlier to keep them from losing their homes.”

I like his point of view.