I Live in My Car

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: What might lead to a person losing their home?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• cohort (p. 8)
• semblance (p. 10)
• portable (p. 10)
• partition (p. 10)
• destitute (p. 10)
• precarious (p. 11)

3. Engage
Ask students to share how they think a person without a home might navigate life and what challenges they would face. Revisit this discussion after the lesson, having students share any new insights they’ve gained.

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: I Live in My Car, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the following page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What are the article’s central ideas? How does Chrystal Audet’s story represent those ideas? (Central idea, analyze information) (The article’s central ideas are that homelessness is on the rise in many places in the US; that many people face homelessness despite having jobs; that often there is little assistance for people facing homelessness if their salary is deemed “too high” despite their debt levels; and that many areas have opened parking lots for people who now live in their cars. Audet represents many of these ideas because she is living in her car because she doesn’t qualify for benefits due to her salary, but her debt level leaves her unable to afford rent.)

• Summarize the different reasons the subjects in the article lost their homes. What do their stories have in common? (Summarize, synthesize information)(Audet fell deeply into medical debt and had to pay for car repairs; a pizza delivery man had his hours cut; a home security installer had a work accident that left him injured; a woman could not afford her rent increases. All of these stories are connected because they involve circumstances beyond the person’s control.)

• According to the article, what problem are cities across the nation increasingly facing? What factors does the article suggest are worsening the problem? (Problem & solution, make inferences) (The problem described in the article is that homelessness has become so pervasive in some places that officials have begun opening parking lots for people who live in their cars. Some factors exacerbating this problem are the high cost of living, the high cost of medical care, assistance cutoffs that are too low, and the lack of resources to help with unpredictable emergencies.)

• In the section “Deep in Debt,” the author describes a real estate listing taped to the door of a public shower. What might this detail symbolize? Why do you think the author includes this detail? (Analyze ideas, author’s purpose)(Answers may vary. Students may say that this detail  symbolizes class inequality and the widening difference between those who are wealthy and those who are not; or it may symbolize how expensive housing has become in some cities. The author may have included this detail to make the connection between these issues and the problems faced by the article’s subjects more obvious.) 

• According to the map, “Homelessness by State in 2022,” which states have the highest rates of homelessness? Why might these states have the highest rates? Do you think the reason is the same in each state? Explain. (Integrate sources, make inferences)(The states with the highest rates of homelessness are California, Hawaii, New York, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Maine, Nevada, and Alaska. Students’ reasonings may vary but should be supported by reasonable explanations, such as the states’ populations, cost of living, tax rates, availability of jobs, etc.) 

• Based on details in the article, do you think Audet’s outcome is typical? Why or why not? (Problem & solution, analyze information)(Students’ analysis and evaluation of Audet’s outcome will vary, but they should support their ideas with evidence from the text, such as the details about Audet’s job or the presence of a New York Times reporter.)

6. Writing Prompt
Select one of the states on the article’s map. Write a four- to five-paragraph analysis, supported by research, of the causes of the problem and what organizations are currently doing to combat it.

7. Video
Watch the video about teens who experienced homelessness. What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should local governments forgive the debts of people facing homelessness?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and the Analyze the Photo and Analyze the Graphs skill sheets to practice visual and data analysis.