America's Uncounted

There is a large and growing number of people in America that goes mostly uncounted. They live in the shadows often coming out at night. They appear in Walmart parking lots, truck stops, public parking parks , lightly used industrial streets, scattered around vacant lots and open spaces on the outskirts of town, in our national parks and any place they can go unnoticed. You can find them in old beat up passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, RV's, And new vehicles they are still making payments on. Intentionally drawing as little attention as possible to themselves and there situation. Quit a few of my them maintain jobs and work amongst us.They range in age from teenagers to senior citizens and families. Each with stories of bad luck, bad timing, misfortune, loss of loved ones and a million other reasons.

They struggle with personal hygiene and finding safe and comfortable sleeping conditions . Often in places that are not the safest to be in. Many of them not spending more than a night or two in one spot to avoid detection from local law enforcement and have a list of places they rotate between. Usually they have little interaction with others living in the same conditions and tend to keep to themselves.

Some are easy to spot because their vehicles are loaded to the gills with personal items . Some rent storage spaces so it's not so obvious and to have a place to go with some privacy.

Long faces usually prevail as most see no end in sight to their current plight and trying living conditions.

It's a huge number of people and quickly growing larger by the day. With the cost of housing going up so much and so fast along with the inflation rate and general overall cost of living outpacing the increase in disposable income by leaps and bounds any improvement in this situation is doubtful.