Would you live in a trailer or RV if that were your only housing choice?
Would you rent your idle RV or trailer – or a space for one – on your property to somebody if it were legal?
Do you live in a trailer or RV on private land that is not in a trailer park?
Do you rent out your trailer or RV – or space for one – on your property?
Why or why not?
Five years ago, I asked these basic questions in a small Facebook survey. The response was overwhelmingly positive, but that was because I think I asked the right people.
Under the aegis of the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project, we’re asking these same questions, and a few others, again. Within the next week, we hope to post the survey on multiple social media platforms as well as in the publication you’re reading right now.
This will be a larger survey seeking a diversity of opinions, and it still won’t be scientifically or statistically accurate. It will just be a sampling of opinions from the community.
I hope and expect the majority of responses still to be positive, but I am also interested in reasonable and reasoned objections to people living in RVs and trailers.
I’m not interested in hateful speech and ignorant opinions that contribute nothing of value to the conversation. If all you’ve got is prejudice, please keep it to yourself.
objection
It’s no secret that I want people to live safely and legally in RVs and trailers. So, why do I want to hear from the objectors? Because I can’t counter the objections if I don’t know what they are.
For instance, “I don’t want a trailer park next door.” I get that a lot. That’s a valid objection, and I agree. Unregulated trailer parks are not desirable, and I don’t support them.
An objectionable objection is that the people who live in trailers are trash. Excuse me?! That is simply not true and is an example of prejudice and ignorance.
I see plenty of houses with yards full of trash and old cars. I have friends who clean houses for a living, and I’ve worked in the homes of incredibly wealthy people. When my friends and I compare notes, we confirm some rich folks are as slovenly as “trailer trash.” The only difference is that they can afford to pay us to keep up their appearances.
Some people object to even one trailer on a neighbor’s property. Well, here’s the thing: Your property rights end at your property line.
Recent state and local regulations allow property owners to legally build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on their property. ADUs are essentially small homes, sometimes called granny or mother-in-law units.
Nobody is being forced to build an ADU on their property, but nobody can stop a neighbor from building an ADU on hers.
THOW what?
We have a homeless/housing crisis. I’m sorry if people living in a trailer offends the sensibilities of some people, but I have to ask them: “Would you rather they be sleeping in their car on your street? Or huddling around a campfire in the wildland near your house?
Trailers, RVs and tiny homes on wheels (THOWs) can be classified as alternative dwelling units (AltDUs) because they are habitable. They’re illegal, but our best estimates are that, in Nevada County alone, thousands of people already live in AltDUs because that’s all they could find and afford. This is likely true all over California, and probably more so in rural counties.
THOWs are not presently legal in Nevada County, but they are in Placer County. My sources in the Nevada County Building and Planning departments tell me staff are working on regulations to permit THOWs. It seems almost certain tiny homes on wheels will be blessed by the supervisors this year.
Functionally, trailers and RVs are also tiny homes on wheels. Our goal at the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project is to get more people safely inside anything habitable that meets minimum health & safety standards – responsible septic management; potable, running water; heat; snowload capacity.
There is not enough housing. People are experiencing homelessness through no fault of their own.
When government and the free market fail to provide enough housing, they forfeit the moral right to punish people – and their landlords – for finding their own housing. Government still does, however, have the legal right to be unjust.
Housing is a human right. We all need shelter from the storm.
This is why the Upstate California Creative Corps is funding the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project. We are advocating for social justice for all the homeless and unhoused people, not just in Nevada County, but for all the people in rural California who have had to find their own housing in the underground economy.
It’s all about housing for the people by the people.
Nevada County can lead the way in doing the right thing by including trailers and RVs in the permitting process for THOWs.
Keep an eye out for the survey. Tell us what you think.
Tom Durkin is creative director of the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project, which is funded by a grant from the Upstate California Creative Corps, a program of the California Arts Council. He may be contacted at tomdurkin@sierra-roots.org or www.project.sierra-roots.org. © Sierra Roots 2024