Cindy lives in a van homeless in Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Southern California. Cindy is disabled and cannot work. She receives Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, but it's not enough to rent an apartment.
Cindy lived a nomadic lifestyle for many years, but now at 63 years old, van life is not sustainable. Cindy needs her own bed. An apartment to call home for her and her dog. Homelessness is also isolating. Cindy needs community, and while van life did provide a community for many years, after COVID, everything has changed. Cindy feels alone living in the van.
Elderly homelessness was a crisis before the pandemic. It's going to get much worse unless we fix the affordable housing crisis and other causes of homelessness.
Your voice can help end homelessness. If we do not fix the affordable housing crisis, homelessness will continue to get worse. Click here https://invisiblepeople.tv/getinvolved to tweet, email, call, or Facebook your federal and state legislators to tell them ending homelessness and creating more affordable housing is a priority to you.
A very special thanks to @tonyvera1902 for texting me this video today and connecting me to Cindy https://youtu.be/dru3ni9G0OM
More on mobile homelessness:
When LIVING IN A CAR is Your Last Choice - "Mobile" a Short Film https://youtu.be/dMBVtPx2B_M
There is a direct correlation between what the general public perceives about homelessness and how it affects policy change. Most people blame homelessness on the person experiencing it instead of the increasing shortage of affordable housing, lack of employment, childhood trauma, lack of a living wage, or the countless reasons that put a person at risk. This lack of understanding creates a dangerous cycle of misperception that leads to the inability to effectively address the root causes of homelessness.
We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness.
This isn’t just talk. Each year, our groundbreaking educational content reaches more than a billion people across the globe. Our real and unfiltered stories of homelessness shatter stereotypes, demand attention and deliver a call-to-action that is being answered by governments, major brands, nonprofit organizations, and everyday citizens just like you.
However, there is more work to be done on the road ahead. Homelessness is undoubtedly one of our biggest societal issues today and will only continue to grow if we don’t take action now.
Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness through innovative storytelling, news, and advocacy. Since our launch in 2008, Invisible People has become a pioneer and trusted resource for inspiring action and raising awareness in support of advocacy, policy change and thoughtful dialogue around poverty in North America and the United Kingdom.