How much “house” do we need really? And what matters more - if it’s comfortable? Or if it is impressive? I have a “house” on wheels, about 72 square feet, less than that to move around in. I have friends who have 2,000 and 3,000 square foot homes, but who spend 90% of their time in the 300 square feet of their media room watching television. Physically we don’t need a lot of space. Psychologically, we do.

Space is how we define ourselves as a culture. The more of it we control, the bigger, more important and powerful we feel. Fat people (of which I am one) in general take up more physical space because some part of them needs to do so to feel powerful and in control. Emotionally or psychologically we can’t claim our space through being assertive in some area, so we claim it with size. [this is my opinion, yours may vary] It’s the same with body builders and men - “Bigger is better.” We’re a culture that equates size with power and wealth. In other parts of the world, small, efficient and economical is better. Think technology - smaller is better. In Japan, smaller cars, homes etc. are better.

Why? In America, we charge more money and more taxes for bigger. Bigger homes, bigger cars = bigger taxes and more money. RV’s, are bigger and they’re considering “homes” because they have plumbing. Huh? No….it’s about the cost, the taxes and the money.

If I have a $50,000 to $100,000 a year income and spend it in RV parks, stores and wherever and live in a van, I’m not “homeless,” - I’m a full-time RV’er. If I make $12,000 a year and park on the streets and live in a van, I’m homeless. I didn’t make up those rules. I’m just relaying them. In the year I was “city camping,” the police, my employers (Camping World), and anyone who knew my situation called me “homeless.” As a society we’re hard-wired to believe that a permanent residence makes you “better.”

Huh?

Better how? Since the TED talk many people have written to tell me I wasn’t “really homeless” because I had “resources” and was working. Ummm….the Federal definition of homelessness is in the Federal Code:

§11302. General definition of homeless individual
(a) In general

For purposes of this chapter, the term “homeless” or “homeless individual or homeless person” includes—

1. an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and

2. an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is —

1. a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill);

2. an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or

3. a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. (ie. a car-italics mine)

I’d like to be in a society that does NOT consider living in your car or truck or van “Homeless.” Except for controlling the heating and cooling of the van and having to find a safe place to park every night, van living - now that I’ve finished insulating and building the inside up so it’s not just a metal shell with a cot in it, is kinda nice.

The thing that makes THIS time of van dwelling different is that I have steady freelance employment and an attitude that I’m NOT homeless, and I have a little better income. I stay in campgrounds. I stay with friends. My ATTITUDE is, “I’m on a writing adventure.” I’m also looking for a place where I can eventually settle down and get an apartment because the older I get (I’m 54), the more I like a consistent temperature and my own bathroom and a shower anytime I feel like it.

How much house will I need? About 500 square feet, by my estimates. Five or six times the space I’m in now. Because I don’t need to make a statement about my wealth, my status or my power I won’t get a huge mansion. One, I don’t have that much money. And two, even if I did, it’s not the kind of thing I want to invest in. I want as much house as I need to take care of myself. And if others need 5,000 square feet to do the same, that’s their choice. But don’t, as American government does, force people to live inside and pay for 1,200 square feet of house so the government can collect more taxes. Don’t criminalize living in a van or vehicle. Provide safe parking for those who do. And admit that housing in America is not about having a home - it’s about money.