As reported by aljazeera.com there are estimated to be "…214,000 "unsheltered" homeless people in America," of which some of these people sleep in their car at night. Of course, coming up with this sort of estimate is problematic, what is true, though, is that in a time in which incomes for so many people are inadequate and inconsistent, as well as the cost of living being so high for so many, that man's ingenuity will at least consider seeing possibilities in taking things like one's automobile and contemplating the advantage of having a car that doubles as a form of shelter, taking into consideration the benefit that a car gets you to places on demand, so as to fulfill work and other personal obligations, while also in theory, serving as a place of sanctuary as well as sleep, meaning that the extra expense of an apartment, could, when pressed, be bypassed.
Seeing that this is America, one major concern about living in one's vehicle is the legality of it, of which, as always, there are laws passed by certain city councils and governments banning such a thing, which seems to be highly discriminatory against the indigent that obviously do not have the monetary resources or wherewithal to fight back against being charged with such violations, of which, the government's position seems to be that your vehicle is actually not really your property outright, as if there is a limit as to how much time you can spend inside of it, and must therefore vacate your own property or be subject to penalties by the state.
There are advantages to living in a world which is 24/7, which therefore makes it easier to figure out the logistics of living in your car, for instance, there are many gyms that are open at all hours of the day, so that one can not only exercise but shave, shower, and take care of other personal hygiene. So too, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, coffee shops, and gas stations are open all hours of the day and night, making it convenient to find a place to transact business or to socialize. Then also, America offers a lot of public spaces such as parks, libraries, town squares, and other places, that have reasonable hours of operation, so as to have a place to hang out at.
For people that do not have a lot of financial resources and do not have a place that they can share with another, because the affordability isn't there, or they feel that they do not want to be known as an imposition to others, there is actually a sensibility in living in one's vehicle, because when you look at expenses on a monthly basis, just about everybody's highest expense, is their living space, and if you can mitigate that substantially or reduce it to a minimum, while still having your car, in which it is that car that takes to your places of employment or other areas of need and interest, it all makes a certain reasonable sense.
The bottom line is that it costs a lot of money to live and there is a huge swath of the underclass in America that struggles week-to-week, so that, for some, out of necessity more than anything, living in their car, may actually be a practical alternative that allows that person to survive, so as to live to do battle day-by-day.