Becoming homeless for my dream job

[ForTidyFinch]

I've been offered and ideal job in the town where I currently live but my short term tenancy is due to end in a couple of weeks. I have tried everything to find a new place to live. There is nothing available in this small town and I have no friends or family living close enough to help. I have decided to start the job and then live in my car. I've reached a desperate point now where I think there is little chance of me being able to rent privately even if something does become available. A run of bad luck has drained my finances and a CCJ was taken out against me without my knowledge (for overstaying in a service station when my car was broken down!) This was taken out while I was living abroad and I have only just found out. So there goes the chance of renting privately. So the choice I see it is being homeless and destitute staying with relatives or living in my car and starting this interesting job opportunity. I think I will live in my car. WWYD

Of course you can and followed to the letter I can reply as I wish. The point is you aren’t helping or even trying to help. You’re just being insulting. Carry on, by all means, but no idea why you’d want to do that. Do you make a habit of trying to kick people when they’re down?

I haven't read the whole thread, so apologies if this has been mentioned but have you looked into property guardianship - I don't know where you are but there might be something available in the nearest large town or city. This involves living in a disused, commercial building for a low rent. There are drawbacks and it's not for everyone but could be a useful stop gap.

You haven't said why you can't stay where you are, OP. I know it's the end of your lease, but as pp have said, the advice you'd get from council etc is stay where you are, let the landlord evict you. It gives you some breathing space and you'd have your new salary coming in.

I know people who have lived in their cars and they have still needed an infrastructure of friends and family around so they had places to wash, eat, hang out, and so on. They were all doing seasonal work on farms or in the tourist industry, jobs where you could go out and party all night, crash on someone's floor and get a shower at work before you started. Even then, it was pretty miserable and depressing for them.

I think it's an option only if your car actually works - it's not safe to be stuck in a broken down car that you can't move. If the police stop you it's likely your car (therefore your home) will be towed away. At least if it's road legal and goes, you can drive to safe places to sleep. It also means you'll be able to get to your friends and family at weekends, which will give you some relief, allow you to get your washing done and so on.

It will be really, really hard to do a serious job while you are homeless and I think you'd be way better off staying where you are and continuing to search for a place. But if you have to move out, then don't move into a broken down car. At least get a tent on a campsite or in someone's back garden, come to that.

I’m no doubt being very naive but I can’t think of anything to suggest other than what is your local MP like? Would it be worth trying them? If such issues are high on their own agenda knowing the local area, then I’m wondering if they could help in any way because here’s someone with job opportunity trying to survive in an area that pushes person out when they just need that little bit of help. Wishing you luck.

Yes I have looked into property guardianship and there is nothing in my areas. I'm quite a way from any large towns or cities. I had a friend who used to do this in London was very low rent and she had a huge space in a very central location . They also require you to be employed so moving away to a city to take that up is not possible. They can also throw you out with very little notice as happened to my friend

If anyone is interested here is a haunting thread from some seven years ago.

It’s a long read but in brief the lady in question has four children living with her, the eldest doing A levels and the youngest aged 11. One of her children has autism and struggled hugely with change. She was evicted from a family home they’d had for a number of years. Despite extenuating circumstances - one child sitting major exams, one with autism, single parent with history of domestic abuse - they were evicted and had to pay the costs related to this. I think they were housed in a hostel miles and miles away with no way to get the children to school. I searched and the lady had to drop out of her nursing degree and then fell off MN radar never to be seen again. I hope she’s all right wherever she is.

But that was 2 years into a Tory government, seven years on class and do we think things are better or worse?

And do we think that being single and having no dependents will make her a priority?

Problem is it’s hidden. Despite bustling MNetters insisting that everyone will know and walking out of a leisure centre will immediately inform the whole community homeless people who aren’t on the street are hidden and don’t actually look any different really or act different and most work … so no one knows and everyone thinks it’s a lie. It isn’t.

You say the short term, tenancy is about to end, has the property been re let/sold or is there anyway you can extend it?

The owner of the current place is moving back in after being abroad. I can't stay any longer. I have no tenancy rights and I wouldn't do that to anyone anyway. I would be potentially making her homeless!

Can you part-trade your car in for a van? A van would be much more comfortable to live in and you could actually drive it.

Have you discussed your predicament with her? She might be willing to let you stay longer if she has somewhere else to go. Or she might also know other landlords or people with spare rooms, or maybe she can suggest some other course of action. I would set out your situation and see if she can do anything to help.

Even assuming you can find somewhere legal to sleep in your car, have you really thought about the practicalities of it?

The battery won't last long if you can't move your car - so after a few weeks you won't be able to open your windows or anything like that. Cars get very hot in the summer - would it even be safe for you to sleep there? As you go into Autumn you're also going to be very vulnerable to the cold - cars don't keep heat well, you'll be miserable and absolutely freezing, surely?

Even if you can keep the battery going and open the windows etc., will you be safe sleeping in public as a lone woman? You're especially vulnerable as you're there "permanently" with no option to just drive away and find another place to stay. How will you cook, do laundry, eat food, entertain yourself? It's not like you can drive to restaurants etc.

What will you do with all your valuables during the day? What happens if your car is broken into or the police tell you that you need to move on?

It may not sound like it, but I do understand why you're considering it - I just think you need to think practically. Sleeping in your car for a weekend or for a week is very, very different to trying to do it long-term while holding down a job.

Why don’t you think you have any tenancy rights? Did your landlord tell you at the beginning of the lease that they might move back in at some point?

You have family relatively nearby, OP - could you ask them to chip in financially so you can afford a hostel or hotel for a few weeks while you're looking for work? Or ask them to chip in towards a car that goes? If they know you're going to be homeless, they may well want to help out if they can.

This sort of thing certainly happens and you might be surprised who it affects.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/oct/30/my-students-never-knew-the-lecturer-who-lived-in-a-tent

Still, OP, I just don't see how this is feasible. You'd be so vulnerable, to ill health as much as other people, you could get towed, all the rest of it. The woman in this article isn't sure it was worth it. Looking into the houseboat community seems the best idea so far.

If you have the chance and access to YouTube before your tenancy is up, there are lots of people on there who live in vehicles, mostly vans but some in cars and have converted them (may be an option to just make small changes.) They have tips on how to stay safe, what they find useful to have with them etc. It might not help but there might be something on there that you can use. Just search 'vanlife'

Wishing you the best of luck OP. You sound like you have all the resilience needed and I hope you prove the naysayers wrong.

All those people have cars that go. (And lots of them have loads of money.) I think the first tip any of them would give is, make sure your vehicle is safe and roadworthy.

Good luck getting back on your feet. Not having a place to call home is incredibly stressful and its all too easy to slide into despair. Sleep deprivation and not being able to switch off and fully relax for days on end can have a much bigger impact that you anticipate, so really do try all the options suggested now, while you are still feeling as resiliant as possible.

Occasional bnb, Vlvisiting family, house/ pet sitting opportunities, (mind my house.com etc) would at least give you planned breaks from time to time, it's the relentlessness, especially in bad weather, that can really get you down.

If you end up sleeping in your car or a tent for a while I'd invest in an eye mask, & windscreen cover to reduce light (and heat should summer ever make an appearance!) otherwise you'll be awake and sweaty as soon as the sun's up. Something that you can wee in inside the car in an emergency so you don't get spotted peeing in the wild/ daylight (some people are incredibly uptight about this!). There are a few car camping group on FB that might be useful for similar practical advice x

The main issue with OP's idea is that she can't even drive her car at the moment - the engine is buggered.

The battery will soon follow (cars can't sit idle forever) meaning she can't open the windows, run the engine, use the charger, run some AC or use the cigarette charger to run any kind of technology. She'll be wholly reliant on her work or the kindness of strangers to do even the most basic of tasks.

If the car could be driven, things would be slightly different (not great, of course, but probably doable short-term).

OP sorry if I've missed it but why are you unable to ask your employer for assistance?

What are they going to do? Do you think most employers have a few flats and houses going spare?

This is really scary. I wonder how many more families are going through this right now. When I've been looking for a rental most state no children & no benefits and prices are through the roof. There must be many people in very desperate situations. There are definitely plenty of people living in vans which probably go unnoticed by most people. Someone commented that it's people in the US who live in their cars. I'm guessing it will become the norm here too.

For me it would depend how good the job opportunity is. If it means you cannot rent long term you’re stuck. If you’re in a holiday area I would move nearer to friends and family and look for other opportunities job wise. Plus staying with friends/family may be a cheaper option long term. As you may be able to save a bit of money. Have you look into house shares, caravans. There is no way I could live in my car. Have you been to your local council?

Sorry but as an employer, if a (new) employee came to me and told me they were about to be homeless, yes I would be concerned for them and their wellbeing, but what exactly am I expected to do? Buy them a house? Let them live with me? It's not like even giving them an Employee loan would help as OP has said she can't rent due to her CCJ and no availability of properties.

What are they going to do, you ask?

1. Post a room requests on an internal intranet
2. Someone might offer OP a temporary place to stay
3. Give her a loan or even pay for a BnB if they are willing for a set period
4. Have contacts with local lettings agencies
5. Yes, maybe they have some flats and houses going spare!

They are in an area with a lack of rentals and as a PP pointed out it's in their best interests to make sure their staff have somewhere to live. And sometimes places are let through word of mouth

@Starlight1979 I've worked for several companies and a lot have managed to pull something together. Especially in areas with a known lack of living arrangements.
Appreciate you're a bit useless but there's no harm in OP asking. Maybe her future employers are not.

As this a very long post not had a chance to fully read and no disrespect to you OP.

I had a similar issue log time ago in the London area and was solved with a friend who worked in the same company providing accomodation on 2 occasions. It might be an idea when you start the new job if you ask around if there are any people who would rent out a room. If the new company has a HR person maybe they can help.

In our area which is full of holiday lets and unaffordable housing, the local and very good Facebook takes ads for rooms and also requests for people who will rent a room.

Good luck OP I would not recommend living in a car no mater how desperate it is far too risky male or female.