This month November I intentionally “moved” to the highest cost of living state for 3 reasons:
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it’s beautiful and I want to live here
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high cost of living also means that jobs pay more here than anywhere else
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which is a bonus for us homeless people because we don’t have to worry about handing all that extra money to landlords/ mortgage bankers 😉 We pocket the extra money. (And before you assume I’m some drug-addled hobo, nope, I’m not. I’m saving money for new lithium leisure batteries and scheduled maintenance & so many upgrades to my already awesome van. It will take a year or two until I’ve saved up enough $ for that then I can commence enjoying this healthy spirited life again.)
okay now here’s the societal hurdle I’ve been afraid of and I think I’ve conquered it today: This is the first time since embarking on this lifestyle I’ve absolutely had to get a real W-2 job that requires employees to have a permanent address in the state but I don’t want my employer to know that I don’t have a physical address.
I don’t want my new prospective employers to know that I live in a van because they will immediately cast judgment on that because there’s an unfair stigma associated with this lifestyle and they would unfairly assume all the worst things about me which would affect their decision to hire me, so How’d I get around this??
When they weren’t satisfied with my out-of-state PO Box address, and they also weren’t satisfied with my temporary 30-day in-state General Delivery USPS address, today in my FOURTH interview I finally admitted, “All right, I’m HOMELESS but I’m fine, I’m healthy, I’m clean, have everything I need, I show up to work everyday no problem, everything is fine. I just need a job.”
She said “ok,” and stepped away for a minute but it felt like forever, I was so worried that was the end of my hiring process, but apparently everything was fine! We continued on for an hour with the onboarding documents and I’m in 🎉
Good job on getting around that, if anyone else needs a possible solution, renting a box at the UPS Store is not considered a PO Box by most entities and lets you get around the “no PO Box” rule, even though it’s officially owned and serviced by USPS. There are a few exceptions, though they are mainly from government offices. Unfortunately the only way to know if any place will accept it without asking first (which would give you away) is to already have the box on a short term rental (3 months is the shortest maybe?) and try it.
i upvoted. will add this to my bag of tricks. thank you.
You’re welcome!
Dang, it sucks that they’re so strict about having to a ‘real’ address (physical address). Glad it worked out for ya! I hate how things that really shouldn’t need an address in this day and age ask for an address. I am curious about how you handle parking. Would you mind sharing how you decide where you park?
Yeah I would love to know the big picture of this. Why they need so much information from their employees. They want to know where I live, they want me to give them my social security number 5000 times (I swear, giving them my social security number once isn’t enough, they want it 5,000 times), complete background check which is fine I understand, but why the fuck do they need to know where we live?
Now I’ve got half a mind to demand all my supervisors provide me THEIR home addresses 😆 See how they like it.
I’m a really sassy girl once I get comfortable but being a new hire at a job I urgently need, it’s not a good time to be sassy. “YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE I LIVE?? YOU GO FIRST. WHERE DO YOOOOU LIVE?”
I am curious about how you handle parking. Would you mind sharing how you decide where you park?
Beginners start with iOverlander, but generally we constantly keep our head on a swivel everywhere we go, scoping out suitable overnight parking, and never park in the same place twice, or at least spread repeats out by a week or two, never keep a pattern. Arrive late at night, leave early in the morning. If you drive around at night, look around and you will see cars, rv’s, vans here & there.
I intentionally “moved” to the highest cost of living state for 3 reasons:
A smart play.
This is the first time since embarking on this lifestyle I’ve absolutely had to get a real W-2 job that requires employees to have a permanent address in the state but I don’t want my employer to know that I don’t have a physical address.
Depending on the state there may be RV parks like escapees that have can offer residential address after a stay of some length. Examples: 30 days in TX, 1 day in south dakota!
If one were going to stay in a given state for a few years it might be worth it to rent a house or apt for month to get utils and such in one’s name, DL. All mail would go to a remailer and never to that address.
domicile, residency, and mail forwarding
I don’t want my new prospective employers to know that I live in a van
I know those feels. OTOH, at my last job before retirement I told everyone freely. There were zero issues, other than people constantly asking where I was boondocking on my days off so they could have a bit of adventure by proxy. A co-worker and my boss actually ended up buying Class C RVs and started traveling a bit during my tenture.
I tried to pick up some seasonal work last winter with the USPS; I gave my legal residence (family member’s house in another state) but put unhoused in the appropriate areas. They offered me the gig but the process was so slow the season was over before training would have begun.
Why they need so much information from their employees
Much of the egregiousness is fallout from the so-called Patriot Act, but federal paperwork and background checks typically require addresses. Example: the addresses help the background check ID the correct person, and tell the investigator which counties to sniff around in.
Nice homie! Go get that money!
So glad to hear that - it’s the humans in the process who make it possible.
I know a guy who once gave his probation officer a UPS store box, and they didn’t even blink. For the thrity bucks or so, it was well worth it. Not once did said PO knock on my friend’s door a couple states away, and all was right with the world.
Also, congrats on the giant pair it takes to sa 'yeah, homeless, but look at me, I’ve got my shit together - because I’ve a place to stay, and your def of homeless is very different from mine."
