Living in an RV gives me a special opportunity to live in a million different communities and landscapes. The view out our RV windows changes all the time- and sometimes drastically.
We recently rolled into the Los Angeles area and more specifically, Hollywood. LA is not known for its large acreage properties, so we were lucky to strike a deal with a non-profit organization called DOOR. A friend of ours is current working with the organization which basically places six volunteer workers in a house in an impoverished neighborhood. The six volunteers spend the year creating a community hub for basketball, homework help, gardening, and more.
DOOR has invested in a basketball court and were generous to let us park on the back half.
RV Tagging
It’s pretty rare to see an RV the streets of LA, and it’s a “no-no” to park your RV on the street especially overnight. LA is notoriously ran by gangs, and RV sides are a huge target of spray-paint vandalism. There are several RVs parked on the streets that are adorned with grafitti.
It’s rare that these RV are occupied by income earning citizens. They are typically the home of handfuls of homeless people. In fact, there are several of these postcards floating around Hollywood that say, “Living in Your RV? Contact PATH for homeless assisatnce”.
Does this mean I’m homeless?
I’m happy to announce that we avoided any tagging. While we did park the RV overnight on the street one time, we were in a decent enough area to avoid any trouble. The rest of the time DOOR welcomed us to park in their fenced in court.
PATH
During the day, the six volunteers in the DOOR house commit to 30 hrs/week of work for another organization. Our friend works specifically with PATH (People Assisting the Homeless). I was surprised to learn that there are over 80,000 homeless people in LA. Adam joined Josh (Adventurer Friend) for a day on the road to learn about what kind of assistance is available for the homeless, and also what kind of assistance the homeless even want.
Homelessness is a tricky subject, because some people don’t want to change. They don’t want to not be homeless, and that’s an impossible thought for most of us. Many don’t believe they deserve another life. On the flip-side, there are tons of homeless people that are looking for a way out. How do you know who’s who?
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