Hard to track’: Homeless in cars one emergency away from Las Vegas streets

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Jae C. Hong / AP

Two homeless people sit in a small car where they sleep at night in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Huntington Beach, Calif. Clark County officials estimate that there were 205 people sleeping in a vehicle across the valley in 2019, or about 3% of the total homeless population.

Sun, Mar 1, 2020 (2 a.m.)

A controversial new ordinance in Las Vegas that bans “camping” in many downtown-area neighborhoods and near residential properties has brought heightened attention to the issue of people living on the street. Meanwhile, another homeless population appears to have been left out of the discussion: Those living in their vehicles.

Clark County officials estimate that there were 205 people sleeping in a vehicle across the valley in 2019, or about 3% of the total homeless population, spokesperson Dan Kulin said. But homeless advocate Arnold Stalk believes the number is at least 5,000.

“A lot of the people living in their cars, trucks, minivans or campers have jobs. They’re definitely the working homeless, and they’re hard to track,” said Stalk, founder of the homeless organization Veterans Village.

Las Vegas’ encampment ordinance, which makes sleeping, lying down, camping and similar activities a misdemeanor crime, does not reference sleeping or living in one’s vehicle. Other laws on the books in Las Vegas and Henderson, however, prohibit the practice. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, a nonprofit that aims to end homelessness and advocated against Las Vegas’ ordinance, reports that municipal laws against sleeping in a vehicle are on the rise.

“Since 2006, 64 new laws restricting living in vehicles were enacted, representing a 213% increase,” the organization states in its 2019 “Housing Not Handcuffs” report.

Under Las Vegas municipal code, the definition of “camping or lodging” includes “using a vehicle for the purposes of sleeping.” The activity is prohibited in city parks, recreational facilities or public plazas, according to the code.

Henderson’s city code bans camping “anywhere” except during special, city-authorized events, and considers sleeping in a parked vehicle a form of camping. However, the city is currently reviewing this code to ensure that it complies with a recent U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that deemed camping bans unconstitutional if people have nowhere else to sleep, said Henderson Police spokesperson Kirk Moore.

It is unclear how often these laws in Las Vegas and Henderson are enforced. Metro Police does not have a specific code violation for sleeping in a car, said spokesperson Aden Ocampo-Gomez.

“All I could think of is traffic violations: overstayed, don’t park overnight, parking for a limited time only — signs that are like that,” Ocampo-Gomez said. “But I didn’t see one that said you can’t sleep inside your own vehicle.”

Officers sometimes respond to calls of suspicious activity in a vehicle parked in a residential area, or an erroneous report of someone breaking into a car when the person is actually living in it, he said.

“Once the officers get there, it’s going to be determined by (them) at that point,” Ocampo-Gomez said.

Metro tends to go easy on the homeless compared to police departments in other cities, and that probably includes when it comes to the homeless living in vehicles, Stalk said. Homeless advocate Meredith Spriggs agreed, saying that officers in other cities crack down on vehicle living more than they do here.

Most homeless people living in their cars set up shop in the valley’s ample free parking lots or outside Walmart stores, many of which allow free overnight parking, Stalk said. Others park at their place of employment, or in public parks, abandoned areas and near service providers, although parking is limited in the Corridor of Hope, according to Spriggs.

“They’ll stay where it’s convenient so they can save their gas,” said Spriggs, who runs the charity Caridad for formerly homeless veterans.

While living in one’s vehicle might seem preferable to living on the street, people in this situation are often one step away from being completely unsheltered, said Spriggs, who previously lived out of her car in San Diego. An expensive parking ticket, a towed vehicle, or a citation for expired car registration or insurance could each land them on the street, she explained.

Car break-ins are also a constant worry, as most homeless people living in their car can’t afford repairs in the event of damage. Even though the setup might seem safer than the street, homeless in cars also worry about their safety, Spriggs said.

“I was always afraid when I was in my car if someone would mess with me,” she said.

It is not uncommon for people seeking services at homeless shelters to have previously lived in a vehicle, said Leslie Carmine, media and community relations director at Catholic Charities. They might have lost their house or apartment and ended up sleeping in their car until was impounded or towed, she said.

Carmine recalled one individual who was parked at a Las Vegas Walmart lot, which he thought was a safe place to stay.

“He went to buy food or something, and when he came back, his car was gone,” she said. “His whole life was in there.”

Although it’s unclear exactly how many people in the valley are living out their vehicles, Stalk said the phenomenon seems to happen “all the time,” especially given the region’s affordable housing crisis. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that Nevada has the least available affordable housing for extremely low-income people.

“I think all the homeless numbers are grossly underestimated because the data is collected by people who work in office buildings and who aren’t on the street,” Stalk said.

The way to address this population of homeless people is no different than the solution to homelessness overall, he added: Build more affordable housing.

“Everybody, I believe, is entitled to at least the opportunity to live in a respectful and decent environment with a roof over their head — and not a car roof,” Stalk said.

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