Uber Drivers Sleeping In Cars Raises Questions About Working Poor

A recent Bloomberg article highlighted Uber drivers who can’t afford to live in the communities they drive in and instead sleep in their cars at the end of their shift. While the drivers profiled say they have affordable homes in faraway neighborhoods, choosing to sleep in the car to prevent a long commute, it nevertheless reminded me of the large numbers of working poor who are forced to call their cars "home."

Indeed, a quick internet search reveals articles from California, Tennessee, Virginia, and Oregon about people forced to live in their cars. Despite public perception, a surprising number of this group experiencing homelessness have jobs that they show up to reliably - they simply don't earn quite enough to make rent.

“It’s most often the working poor who find themselves in this situation,” says Kim Hopper, from the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research. And indeed, the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s “Out of Reach 2016” study concludes that

“In no state can a person working full-time at the federal minimum wage afford a one-bedroom apartment at the Fair Market Rent.”

This is not a new phenomenon. Fifteen years ago, Barbara Ehrenreich wrote Nickel and Dimed about her experience working a variety of unskilled jobs, finding it impossible to make monthly ends meet as a waitress, hotel maid, cleaning woman, nursing-home aide, and Wal-Mart sales clerk.

Indeed, my own experience working with a Chicago-area nonprofit that connects the most vulnerable with resources they need to achieve a better quality of life has shown me that the homeless population often doesn’t conform to common stereotypes. Today, 63% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck with no emergency fund, and so even a minor disruption can put many in a dire situation, where car sleeping might seem like a viable answer.

This week, to help the large numbers of Americans living in their cars (whether employed as Uber drivers or not), I participated in Care For Friends’ Sleepout for Homelessness. From sunset to sunrise, I joined more than a dozen volunteers in experiencing what life on Chicago’s streets is like on one of the coldest nights of the year – raising money and awareness along the way.

I encouraged a variety of friends and associates to support in any way they can (and financial contributions are definitely welcomed here). Yet I’m curious to hear your views.

What should we make of the fact that so many Americans are just a missed paycheck or two away from disaster, or of the NLIHC’s conclusions about the disparity between minimum wage and market-rate rents? What can we do about it? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Image Credit: "Long Ride Home" Kat Northern Lights Man / flickr.com / CC2.0