What Living in Your Car Really Is
Living in your car is not housing. It is a countdown to failure.
You sleep in the back seat or front seat. You keep your belongings in bags.
You have no address. No shower. No place to get mail.
Most people do this because shelters are full. Or because family said no.
This is not a plan. This is what happens when plans fall apart.
Why This Is Dangerous
Police will knock on your window. They will run your name. They will find your record.
Parole will find out you do not have stable housing. You will get moved to higher supervision.
You will get sick. Cold at night. Hot during the day. No sleep.
Your car will break down. You will lose the only shelter you have.
Cold, Heat, and Health Risks
Winter kills people in cars. Hypothermia happens when temperatures drop below forty degrees.
Running the engine for heat uses gas. Gas costs money you do not have. Carbon monoxide can kill you if the exhaust leaks.
Summer heat turns cars into ovens. Heat stroke happens fast. You cannot cool down without air conditioning.
No real sleep for weeks. Your body breaks down. You get confused. You make bad choices.
Police and Parole Problems
Parking overnight is illegal in most places. Police will wake you. They will tell you to move.
If you do not move, they will ticket you. If you cannot pay, they will tow your car.
Parole requires a registered address. A car is not an address. If you cannot prove where you live, you violate.
Parole does random check-ins. If they cannot find you, you violate. If you miss a meeting because you overslept in your car, you violate.
See: Family Reunification After Prison
Why Most People Get Stuck
Week one you tell yourself it is temporary. Week four you are still there.
You stop looking for housing. You convince yourself the car works. It does not.
You stop showering. Employers can tell. You stop getting interviews.
Your car becomes your only belonging. Losing it means losing everything. Fear keeps you stuck.
Read: Reentry Resource Center
If You Still Do It
Park in different spots every night. Do not stay in one place. Police notice patterns.
Park near 24-hour stores or truck stops. You blend in. People expect cars there.
Do not run the engine all night. You will run out of gas. You will get noticed.
Keep your parole officer’s number in your phone. If police stop you, call your officer immediately.
See: Housing After Prison Without Programs
What Kind of Car Matters
Four-door sedans are better than two-door. More room to sleep. Less obvious.
Tinted windows help. People cannot see you sleeping. Police still check.
Vans and SUVs give more space. They also attract more attention.
Broken cars do not work. If your car does not run, you cannot move when police tell you to.
Rules You Cannot Break
Do not drink or use drugs in the car. Police will search it. You will go back inside.
Do not let other people sleep in the car with you. Parole will call this unapproved housing. You will violate.
Do not park near schools or parks. Sex offender restrictions apply even if you are not one. Police assume the worst.
Do not ignore parking tickets. Tickets turn into warrants. Warrants mean jail.
How to Use This as a Bridge
Set a two-week limit. Not a month. Two weeks maximum.
Spend every day applying for housing. Shelters. Transitional housing. Rooms for rent. Everything.
Use the car to get to resource centers during the day. Not to sleep at night.
Once you get housing, sell the car if it is worth anything. Use the money for rent deposit.
See: Rooms and Temporary Housing Options
If You Treat This as Housing
You will still be in your car in three months. Your belongings will smell. You will smell.
You will stop applying for jobs. No shower means no interviews.
Your parole officer will find out. You will get flagged as unstable. You will lose privileges.
Your car will get towed. You will lose your clothes. Your documents. Your phone charger.
You will end up in a shelter anyway. But now you have no car and no money.
Living in your car is a bridge. Bridges have two sides. If you stay on the bridge, you fall off.
Next step: How to Find Housing After Prison Without a Program