# pandemic reality shift - change is coming



## lazerskull (Aug 12, 2020)

I have a vision of the future. The homeless population will continue to explode... however... the middle class will bottom out and many people "caught inbetween" will opt out of renting and home ownership and instead turn to van living.


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## dprogram (Aug 12, 2020)

Many have and many will. It would be so cool to own 300 acres and build a community


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## Sameer (Aug 15, 2020)

Some will do that. I've seen a few more people doing this since I started squatting on public land in my van 9 years ago. I never believed it was cheap to live this way. You have to have an income. You have to be able to support yourself and maintain your wheel-estate. The pandemic is having little effect on this life. In regards to the economy it is not tanking. Living this way is not a cheap way to live it is just more freedom. If you come out on public land you have to be able to sustain yourself. I too have a vision. Like the Spanish flu we will get over this and all will return to normal.


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## Deleted member 25988 (Aug 15, 2020)

Well where I live the RV, van and truck camper population has grown. All along Dallas road is nothing but mobile units.

I'm not sure if it's pandemic related but the number of people camping in the park is exponentially higher than last summer.

Time will tell if it's a bigger problem in 2021. I suspect that while we might settle a bit, we're not going anywhere back to normal. Many people are realizing that this is a much cheaper option to live vs paying for rent. I also suspect municipalities will begin cracking down once covid dies down next year.


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## Matt Derrick (Aug 15, 2020)

dprogram said:


> It would be so cool to own 300 acres and build a community



we're currently researching locations for something like that:

https://squattheplanet.com/threads/stp-hq-punk-rock-rv-park.37560/


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## Sameer (Aug 15, 2020)

fhertfuier5ty345b34hj said:


> Well where I live the RV, van and truck camper population has grown. All along Dallas road is nothing but mobile units.
> 
> I'm not sure if it's pandemic related but the number of people camping in the park is exponentially higher than last summer.
> 
> Time will tell if it's a bigger problem in 2021. I suspect that while we might settle a bit, we're not going anywhere back to normal. Many people are realizing that this is a much cheaper option to live vs paying for rent. I also suspect municipalities will begin cracking down once covid dies down next year.


Now I am understanding your vision, I have seen what you are seeing. I saw it when I visited San Diego. Saw it in many areas around Los Angeles. Affordable housing is the issue and there's no solution. I think because of the pandemic, when businesses were told to shutter that many left sticks and bricks for living in their vehicle. Not being able to pay their rent. Do you think that is the case? Even with moratoriums on eviction, a debit is being incurred. Is there a solution? I don't think there is a solution unless people in this circumstance leave urban areas. The cities are no longer affordable for the average worker. There's no incentive to build affordable housing in urban areas because it provides no tax base for a municipality. Most major cities in the country are badly run anyway. They are not doing anything in regards to affordable housing. So the solution may be to head to a more rural environment. There are many of us who squat on public land but we are not part of the housing situation that I have described. People living in everything from $250,000 motorhomes to cheap cars. We are all the same because this is a choice that we have made. Some settle into an area like Flagstaff where I stay for the Summer and get part time jobs. Some have small incomes like I do and don't work. But this lifestyle is a choice. Freedom-Peace-Happiness I met Bob 9 years ago. He gave me my first good digital camera. I saw a way to travel and remove myself from a society I no longer wanted to be part of. "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." J.K. It's a huge country we live in. Lots of open space away from urban areas. Full of options and possibilities. Affordable housing and jobs. The ability to live closer to nature. The cities and urban areas have become cesspools. They smell like decay.
As for your idea about 300 acres. Someone would make rules. Someone would make decisions for others. Millions of acres of public land equals Freedom.


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## Groundscore (Sep 13, 2020)

More and more people are seeing the light, realizing that housing is over-priced and you can easily end up trapped in a home/prison with a mortgage that can go underwater with the economy, or just lose the home due to something as simple as a virus and subsequent job loss.

Plus, as jobs dry up, I envision more people hitting the road for work, not unlike the Great Depression, and in the process finding vandwelling or an inexpensive RV and taking on the cheaper lifestyle of not having to pay property taxes, a large monthly mortgage or rent payment and having the ability to pick up and move with the seasons and jobs.

While out exploring I have come across many travelers, retired people who can't afford a home anymore, or don't want the headaches of one, and people who have lost their homes already, or have left them empty. Many dirt roads that I used to go down that only had one or two RVs a few years ago are getting packed with RVs, vans, and tents. Some are vacationing, others are living it full-time.

I would not discount a move for small communities with tiny homes either, especially as remote work continues to gain in popularity. Times are changing!


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## Matt Derrick (Sep 13, 2020)

the downside of that is we're already seeing prices go up significantly on vans, mini vans, etc. it's currently a seller's (not a buyer's) market for these kinds of things so i think you're going to see more car dwellers as things get tighter and more americans are forced out of their homes in the coming months.


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## Sameer (Sep 13, 2020)

You are absolutely right Matt it is a seller's market when it comes to vans. Over the past few years I have seen more and more people car dwelling with tents. 
Groundscore... Excellent thoughts my friend, with everything going on in society both economically and socially it's possible that many want to distance themselves. To paraphrase a quote... It is no accomplishment to be adjusted to a profoundly sick society.


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